Moody’s Investors Service issued a negative 2015 outlook for not-for-profit (NFP) healthcare organizations. Moody’s predicts that hospital revenue will remain weak and operating expenses will increase. In 2014 Modern Healthcare reported that revenues were up for NFP facilities, but that those gains were offset by operating costs associated with the increased number of sicker patients. In essence, hospitals are handling more with less.
Bad news for healthcare facilities translates into bad news for the registered nurses working RN jobs in hospitals. RNs will continue to be expected to do more with less. The National Nurses’ Stress Survey revealed dangerous levels of stress in RNs due to unrealistic workloads and short-staffing. I first brought these dangerous stress levels and the fact that nurses are expected to do their job plus the jobs that were previously done by other, less skilled healthcare workers to national attention in an appearance on Varney & Co. in July of 2014.
Six months later it looks like the outlook for RNs in 2015 will be the same – more stress, more work and more pressure to cut costs without more compensation.
Stress among RNs can lead to errors. Medical malpractice is at such dangerous levels that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Moody’s report is not just bad news for NFP healthcare facilities and registered nurses, it’s also bad news for patients.
I’m Just Sayin’
P.S. Comment and share your opinion on the RN jobs outlook for 2015.
