The shape of the recovery: economic implications for the nursing workforce.

Given this analysis of the factors behind the apparent end to the recession, the uncertain shape of the recovery and whether the overall job market will rebound quickly or slowly, and the implications for nurse employment and earnings, what can nurse executives and managers do to prepare for the future? Nursing executives and unit-level managers should assess their nursing staff's attitudes toward their jobs, job satisfaction, and their spouse's employment status. Executives should also identify the major employers in their local economy and establish a strategy to monitor their economic performance. Working with the human resources department, nurse leaders should develop an action plan to identify initiatives that can be implemented in the near term, such as taking steps to increase job satisfaction, promote better relationships between management and nurses, and improve the ergonomic environment of the workplace to ease the physical and mental strain on older RNs. Nurse executives and managers must sharpen their focus on how quickly the job recovery unfolds and prepare for how the recovery will affect the nursing workforce in their own institution and community.