La. nurses expected to remain in high demand

There have been few nursing shortages reported by health care agencies in most parts of the country, but that’s not the case in Louisiana, according to a new study out today by the Louisiana Center for Nursing, a division of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. The Nursing Workforce Demand Study, completed over the past year with more than 600 health care employers in the state, says direct care registered nurse positions are expected to have the greatest growth—and see the biggest demand—between 2010 and the end of this year. Administrative and supervisor positions are among the top five most difficult nursing positions to fill in the state, the survey also finds. Meanwhile, Home Health Agencies have the largest vacancy rates for direct-care registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nursing assistants. Hospices also suffered the highest turnover rates for registered nurses, while long-term care and skilled nursing facilities experienced the highest turnover rates for LPNs and NAs. The greatest expected growth rate for direct care RNs, LPNs and NAs will occur in hospices. The state Board of Nursing says a nursing forecasting study to predict future nursing workforce needs in Louisiana for the next 15 to 20 years will be conducted using information from this study, which you can see in its entirety (36 pages) here.