Nurses in Washington are experiencing a job shortage as fewer nurses quit their current positions in the midst of the recession and clinics increasingly turn to lower-paid medical assistants, according to a Seattle Times report.
The decline in available nursing jobs is at odds with the amount of nursing degrees awarded in the state. There were 1,800 nursing-job vacancies statewide in 2010, while Washington nursing schools awarded 2,850 degrees in nursing in the same year.
The lack of employment opportunities also applies to experienced nurses. State records show that there are nearly 800 registered nurses on unemployment benefits, which is a sixfold increase from 2007.
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The decline in available nursing jobs is at odds with the amount of nursing degrees awarded in the state. There were 1,800 nursing-job vacancies statewide in 2010, while Washington nursing schools awarded 2,850 degrees in nursing in the same year.
The lack of employment opportunities also applies to experienced nurses. State records show that there are nearly 800 registered nurses on unemployment benefits, which is a sixfold increase from 2007.
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