We Need More Nurses, Not Just Nursing Aids

Posted by Chetan Jariwala

Nursing Programs Can't Compete with Cheaper, Faster Support Programs

A large number of the people who are graduating from health related school programs are trained in areas of support. Among the top ranked degrees from 2-year or for-profit colleges, the two largest degree seeking groups were involved in massage therapy and medical assisting. While these are important areas of health care, other health care areas are struggling to meet the growing demands of an aging population. Analysts are worried that there will not be enough nurses and doctors to need all of these assistants in the near future.

Program Results from Profit and Non-Profit Colleges

Non-profit, 4-year colleges have taken up some of the slack of the reduced numbers of students training for nursing positions, but their programs are not going to be able to meet the demands of the health care field without a larger number of nursing graduates from the for-profit colleges. Many students who attend for-profit colleges are looking for ways to graduate more quickly so that they can begin working more quickly. These students may not realize that they are trading fewer school hours for lower career salaries in the long run.

Benefits of Higher Training Level

Students who choose practitioner programs rather than support programs can expect to earn a much higher salary once they enter the work force. Support jobs are entry level positions that earn the lowest amount compared to the rest of the medical field. The demand for practitioner graduates is also increasing much faster than the demand for support staff. Students will find a much wider range of job opportunities upon graduation if they stick it out for a nursing degree. Nursing graduates can take advantage of more job openings in more areas of the United States at higher salaries.

Demand for Professionals Still High

As the Baby Boomer generation continues to age through retirement, the demand for skillful medical practitioners has continued to rise rapidly. Hospitals and clinics need more nurses to handle the work that cannot be done by someone in a support position. Nurses provide the bridge between support staff and doctors, which needs to be as strong as possible. Since doctors are seeing more patients than ever, they have less time to spend with each person. Nurses can help fill in that gap by providing the professional care that they are qualified to provide, which lightens the amount of work the doctors need to do.

Support Staff Graduates Could Glut Market

With larger numbers than ever before graduating into the medical support staff field, the number of jobs in that field are liable to continue shrinking in the next few years. Competition for positions will become much more intense due to the glut of graduates looking for employment. Health care jobs have been increasing exponentially over the past decade, but the growth has begun to be more focused on caregiver roles rather than assisting roles.

Current Support Providers Likely to Train as Nurses

For-profit and non-profit educational institutions are looking at several ways to entice students to study to become nurses rather than nursing assistants, but they face an uphill battle. As long as securing a support-staff education is faster and cheaper than nursing roles, new students will prefer support roles. At the same time, many of those currently employed in support roles will be encouraged to continue their educations in order to secure more advanced training to fill the need for nurses.

Jessica Bosari writes about topics such as "Medical Billing and Coding Salary" and "Medical Assistant Training" at Allied Health World, a site that seeks to match students with the right career paths and medical schools.