The American Hospital Association appears to be counting unfilled full-time openings at hospitals. There are many nurses who choose not to accept that kind of position but will work on an as-needed basis through an agency or in a pool of nurses within that hospital, or even as a traveling nurse, which offers many exciting opportunities. So accepting the AHA numbers at face value does not give the whole story.
What the hospital industry wants is an overabundance of highly trained and lowly paid nurses to use as they wish. Nurses have another agenda and want respect and challenges and, yes, money. Nursing can offer many rewards, and the competition hospitals face for nurses will only improve nursing as a career.
