Immigrant Daily

Nurses Shortage in U.S. could Triple or Quadruple in 2025: Experts

A serious problem is looming in the U.S. and majority of Americans are ignorant about it. There is a serious shortage of nurses to staff hospitals and nursing homes and it is plaguing the U.S for more than a decade. Presently, about 100,000 positions remain unfilled and experts say, if more is not done to encourage people to enter the field, the number could triple and quadruple by 2025. This could prove a serious shot in arm for President Barak Obama’s goal of expanding health coverage to millions of the uninsured as they could also face additional hurdles if the supply of nurses cannot meet the demand. Of late, there are some encouragements such as in May, Representative Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) introduced a bill that would allow 20,000 additional nurses to enter the U.S. each year for the next three years as a temporary measure to fill the gap. Obama is slated to meet the congressional leader on June 25 to discuss reforming U.S. immigration laws. Labor unions are opposing any move to induct alien nurses saying, it would undermine efforts to produce a steady domestic workforce while sapping other nations’ nurses. Now all eyes are set on Obama’s next move although some reports suggest that he has also expressed skepticism about the idea that the U.S. needs to import nurses, in particular because the U.S. unemployment rate continues to rise.

For complete information, please click Immigration: More Foreign Nurses Needed?