Gestor bibliográfico Crisis y Salud

The countercyclical nature of the health care industry, in which job gains occur faster in recessionary than in nonrecessionary periods, was revealed once again during the 18-month recession that officially began in December 2007. Whereas the national economy lost 7.5 million jobs, the health care industry gained 428,000 jobs.1 In particular, hospital employment of registered nurses (RNs) increased by an estimated 243,000 full-time equivalents (FTEs) in 2007 and 2008 — the largest increase during any 2-year period in the past four decades.2 Because of this increase at the beginning of the recession, the decade-long national shortage of RNs appears to have ended