Millennials Flock to Nursing, Staving Off Shortage

Millennials entering the nursing profession could prevent a shortage caused by the retirement of baby boomers, as millennials are nearly twice as likely to be nurses as boomers, according to a study published in Health Affairs , reports the Indianapolis Star . "We're really seeing an influx of millennial nurses into our workforce," says Lisa Sparks, chief nursing officer at IU Health West Hospital. "I would say it's been the most noticeable over the last 18 to 24 months." Reasons experts cite for the millennial nurse surge include nursing schools nearly doubling enrollment in the past 10 years to help train a replacement workforce for the many nurses who will soon retire. Furthermore, healthcare appeals to millennials' desire to do work that matters and contributes to society, and nursing careers offer a flexibility not often found in other professions. Sparks notes prospective nurses give considerable weight to flexibility in terms of job schedules and the environment in which they work. "The adaptability piece is key," she says. "That's one of the benefits that we offer as a system, because there's a lot of opportunity to move through our different hospitals, or even our different service lines or units. That's very appealing to this generation."