To better understand the apparent persistent shortage of registered nurses several areas have been examined. The data collected has shown that during recession years the demand for hospital nursing care increases dramatically. As the economy improves, this demand is lessened. During the high demand period hospitals hire temporary nurses which allow the hospital to move part time nurses to full time status. It is interesting to notice that the temporary nurses that are available are, for the most part, retired nurses. The conflicting trends (RN employment increases, but admissions fall) can be reconciled by longer patient stays. Average hospital stays increase by 1.4% for each 10% decline in the economy. This suggests that patient stays
