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Indeed recently released a report of the 15 most difficult healthcare roles to fill in the United States , after reviewing which jobs remained unfilled after 60 days. Nurse practitioner roles and agency nurse roles neared the top of the list, ranked at third and fourth respectively.

Preparing for the Nursing Shortage

There is a strong need for more healthcare workers of all specialties, but especially nurses. As the nursing shortage continues, it remains likely that the US will be in need of at least 95,000 nurse assistants and 30,000 nurse practitioners by 2025.

59.7% of nurse practitioner roles remained open after 60 days of being posted. These roles in particular remain crucial as NPs have more responsibilities than registered nurses, and are able to write prescriptions. Agency nurse roles were similarly difficult to fill, with 57.8% of these roles still available after 60 days.

“To identify the hardest-to-fill healthcare roles, we compiled a list based on the percentage of jobs unfilled after two months,” Indeed wrote in its report. “Job postings can be open for longer than 60 days for different reasons; in this case Indeed uses this measure as a proxy for hiring difficulty.”

Indeed also noted that nurse practitioner roles, as well as pulmonologist and rheumatologist roles, had over two thirds of their job listings still open after 60 days.

“One of the biggest challenges facing the field of nursing right now is that many will soon retire,” Indeed reported. “This represents not only a shortage of people to do the job but also a large loss of institutional knowledge.”

Expanding the Recruitment Reach

Rethinking nursing recruitment efforts is key for hospitals looking to fill nursing roles of all specialties. Some hospitals offer bonuses, tuition coverage, and housing options in hopes of attracting top nursing talent. But expanding nurse recruitment to other states can help fill crucial roles sooner.

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In its report, Indeed highlighted that the nursing shortage was not found in every region of the United State. Recent research by the US Department of Health and Human Services shows that in 2030, though some states are predicted to have serious shortages of nurses (California, Texas, New Jersey and South Carolina), others may have a significant excess supply of nurses (Florida, Ohio, Virginia and New York).

Lily Miller
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