The exclusive focus on economics is what has corrupted the operation of hospital-based medicine because staff is classified in terms of cost centers and not revenue generators. I understand the concept but disagree with it's application because from the bedside, I see the flaw in the reasoning. New grads are not the only nurses having trouble getting hired in hospitals. Seasoned staff are expensive because they have experience and certifications which command higher pay so despite their value, they are usually turned down in favor of applicants with lesser experience who command lesser pay. New staff are expensive because they require back up and mentoring for a long time before becoming independent. Increasingly greater numbers of increasingly sicker people are being admitted to hospitals that are staffed with fewer well experienced nurses and more having lesser experience. Sadly, allowing economics to drive the decision to hire staff with specialized training and insist that the lesser or least skilled professional be hired is leading health care institutions into a collision course with disaster.

In closing my diatribe; we are discussing highly trained professionals charged with the care of people suffering from a wide array of complicated disease processes, not entry level workers whose job is to keep the eggs and bread on top of the cans and boxes.