Is your local market getting flooded?

[gthcrna]

I am concerned about the future of our profession. I live in Florida where there are 9 CRNA programs. I work at one of them, but we are rather small compared to some of the others. I can tell you that once the Class of 2009 graduates in December, the market here is full. It will likely impact my "moonlighting" per diem opportunities (I do have an office practice that is very safe at the moment). A CRNA moving to this area would be hard pressed to find a position.

The question is this: Are CRNA educational programs flooding the market?

Anecdotally I have noticed that the number of positions available on Gaswork.com in FL have dropped by nearly half in the last year. AANA states that there are areas of oversupply and areas of undersupply. I remember the days when the AANA News Bulletin and the AANA Journal were full of ads looking for CRNAs. Now there are hardly any.

Anyone else seeing undersupply? Don't get me wrong - I think it is healthy to have a supply of new CRNAs into the market every year. It is unhealthy to have so many that they can't find a job.

If you were to poll the pre-licensure (generic) BSN students at my University, about 50% plan on being a CRNA someday. I don't believe that we can sustain this pace. Am I "Chicken Little" here? Is anyone else concerned that the oversupply will drive salaries down? Let me know what you think...

Jerry

[RAYMAN]

It is definitely flooded here. TWU has about 10-15 students per class at sites in our state and the program I attended has around 45-50 in each class in our only in-state program...we are a small state. I think the previous studies that placed a lot of stock into CRNA's retiring is null and void due to the economic climate which it could not have taken in to account at that time.

[Esper]

I do not think of you as "Chicken Little" at all. Closer to an authentic Nostradamus in this situation.

I have graduated yet, but the market in Birmingham is completely saturated. I know of 3 people who were offered jobs here and one of them the offer retracted recently. Gasworks lists fewer jobs than I have fingers on one hand for all of Alabama.

75 students are turned out from UAB (from all its components) each year, 23 from Samford (also in B'ham), into Alabama. These numbers cannot be sustained.

I've already resigned myself to finding a job out of state and have been looking at nice states, with good laws, and good jobs for when I graduate (granted it is far off).

Dave

[Skeebum]

I haven't noticed a big difference in the D.C. area with regards to finding a job. What I have seen is that things like sign on bonus $$ has gone down, or gone away. Additionally, some employers have scaled back on the benefits (reductuion in employer contribution to the 401K for example).

[TSICU83]

Not yet in CRNA school but I am in the midst of interviewing for several programs. This question has been worrying me for some time. Obviously becoming a CRNA requires an inordinate amount of hard work and sacrifice, not to mention MOOLA. In both ICU's I have been employed at it seemed that at least 50% of the nurses were there for experience and were in various stages of the admission process. I am extremely passionate about the profession, but I am becoming quite worried that flooding of the job market will force me to move all over the country to find a job. Also could the market saturation drive down salary to the point that it would be hard to justify all of the expense for school? On the other hand I think that wanting or talking about being a CRNA and actually making the cut are two entirely different things. I am interested to know what you all think!....great thread.

[kmchugh]

Definitely noticed things getting tighter. Due to every Tom, Dick, and Harriet wanting the feather in their cap of having started a CRNA school. Seems to be little concern for the future of our profession, or for those out here in the trenches.

I'd like to see the AANA or more suitably, the COA, step in and limit the number of programs/students per program. Does not look like that's going to happen though. They seem completely oblivious to what's happening as a result of too rapid expansion.

Maybe we just elected idiots to run our organization?

Edited to add: I also think our profession is suffering for it. I have seen a lot of students come through, and graduate, who would not have even been considered for admission five years ago. Getting more and more bozos out there, and that ain't helping us at all.

[SuccsDrugs&Rocuron]

Regarding the new health care bill:
Officials said the measure, once fully phased-in over several years, would extend coverage to 96 percent of Americans.

According to Wiki:

As of October 20th 2009, the United States has a total resident population of 308 million. .

According to AANA:

There are 39,000 members in the AANA. This includes certified, recertified, and student members.


Thinking most of those 96% of 308 million future-insured (295 million!!!) will need some great nurse-provided anesthesia for their future surgeries...

Honestly see a huge need in the near future with this cost-conscious health care reform--39,000 CRNAs to provide nurse-based anesthesia for 295,000,000 Americans!

Predict an enormous, unanticipated surge in doctor visits, ER visits, surgical consults, surgeries, cost-efficient, high quality nurse-anesthesia needs...

[RAYMAN]

Honestly see a huge need in the near future with this cost-conscious health care reform--39,000 CRNAs to provide nurse-based anesthesia for 295,000,000 Americans!

Predict an enormous, unanticipated surge in doctor visits, ER visits, surgical consults, surgeries, cost-efficient, high quality nurse-anesthesia needs...

There are "X" number of OR's...this amount will not change suddenly.

[944S]

Yes, Market is very tight. When I started school TN had 2 pages worth of jobs on Gaswork. Now less then one. I was lucky in that a group I was interested made a position, even though they technically were over staffed. Otherwise I would have had to move. The only other jobs left were less then desirable. Groups in town have graduates signed all the way through 2012.

Bonuses are going away. Next years class is going to have trouble finding work unless they move.

[assilem]

Well Florida is definitely getting flooded, but you also have to take in to consideration the amount of new OR rooms, new surgery centers, and new hospitals being built.