Millennials are breathing new life into the nursing industry as baby boomers are retiring en masse. But home health care providers shouldn’t feel total relief over the influx of younger nurses, as the demand continues to tick upward. Millennials are choosing careers in nursing at rates that nearly double those of baby boomers—a trend that could help stem the looming nursing shortage, according to a study published in Health Affairs.
Millennials are leaning towards jobs in nursing because they provide stability and their need to help others around them. Millennials are the generation born between 1982 and 2000 and make up more than a quarter of the nation’s population.
This age group is on its way to becoming the largest group in the in-home care workforce, meaning it will play a big role in solving the ongoing caregiver shortage. Yet the interest in nursing by so many millennials took researchers by surprise. No one expected Millennials to be interested in the field as talk of decline was spoken of almost a decade ago.
Economic uncertainty and earnings instability could also be driving more millennials toward the career. RNs have more stable lifetime earnings and lower rates of unemployment than other careers. They also have more chances to change positions and move to new geographic locations.
According to a study published by Forbes, “many Americans stick with jobs they’re not wholly satisfied with because of health insurance or other important benefits, and America does have trouble putting highly educated millennials to work sometimes, encouraging those who do land a career-worthy job to stick with it.”
This is what nursing can be to some people. It’s a long, stable career that isn’t going anywhere. It will also provide job security which most Millennials are searching for.