Hospitals Offer Bonuses to Ease Nursing Shortage

A shortage of qualified nurses to fill dozens of openings across Orange County has some hospitals offering $3,000 bonuses and $1,000 in finders’ fees as they search for new hires from New Orleans to Toronto.

UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, for instance, has advertised in a Canadian national newspaper and sent a recruiter to Toronto last month to find critical care nurses who are willing to staff the hospital’s intensive care units. Those with such specialized skills as critical care are especially in demand.

“The hospitals are experiencing some difficulty in recruiting nurses, especially in specialized areas,” said Jon Gilwee, vice president of Healthcare Assn. of Southern California, a hospital trade group.

The shortage is being experienced statewide. It has been worsened by a variety of factors, including the draw of better-paying professions for women and cutbacks in skilled nursing staffs.

In addition, managed care plans have led to a greater need for highly skilled nurses as patients are discharged more quickly, leaving those who are especially sick.

More serious shortages are coming as today’s nurses head into retirement. Markie Cowley, vice president of nursing services at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, said 35% of nurses in California are more than 50 years old.