The Impact of Economic Recession On Registered Nurse Workforce Supply in California.

The severe economic recession from December 2007 to December 2010 substantially affected registered nurse (RN) employment. The objective of this study was to determine if the association between RN workforce supply and its potential determinants differed during the period from 2008 to 2012. Older, experienced RNs were more likely to work in 2010, compared to 2008, but less likely to work in 2012 compared to 2010. RNs were less sensitive to financial factors in 2010 than in 2008, but were more sensitive in 2012 than in 2010. These recession-driven changes in employment may have had impacts on the labor market for newly graduating RNs.