How Socialised Medicine May Affect Nursing Jobs in the U.S.

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imagesWith health care reform a major, continuing topic of debate, anyone who wears nurse scrubs is no doubt concerned about the future of their profession. The suggestion of socialized medicine and the variable permutations of it already implemented in other countries beg the question of how such an enormous change would affect nursing jobs.

There are only hypothetical answers, since any model that can be studied, such as those in Britain, Australia, Canada, and France would be significantly different than anything employed in the U.S. The word “socialized” confuses the question, bringing up concerns of threats to capitalism. The Obama administration is looking for reforms in health care, not to change the American economic philosophy, and socialism isn’t remotely what the end product will be.

What has become apparent is that the current system fails to guarantee all the medical needs of the population, but as of now, no other system currently in operation anywhere in the world can suffice. Nurses and everyone else in healthcare in the United States also understand that capitalism also produces the incentives for competition to perform the best service possible.

One of the concerns of nurses in America is that cost reductions from healthcare will dramatically cut their salaries since labor is the largest part of health expenses. The American Journal of Nursing claims there are many avenues for cutting costs without decreasing nursing pay including decreasing insurance company profits, tort reform for malpractice claims, and smaller corporate profits.

Whatever else is on the horizon, the U.S. Department of Labor gives a good job outlook for nursing; by 2020, jobs for RNs are expected to have increased by 26% since 2010, better than average for every occupation. This growth is due to expanded preventative care, projected advancements in medical technology, and the enormous baby-boomer population that will be requiring more healthcare services because they’re remaining active and living longer. So far, expectations are for 711,900 new positions for RN’s with associate degrees between 2010 and 2020.

On the All Nurses forum, a Canadian RN who has worn nurse scrubs for fifteen years of experience in their healthcare system, proffers that in America, it will be doctors rather than nurses whose salaries and fees would be regulated, and that the earning for nurses would not be greatly affected.

She is quick to point out that her wage is anything but Socialist, as she makes a commensurate amount to American nurses, as well as evening, night, and weekend premiums. In addition, 75% of her vision and dental care, life and disability insurance, RRSP and pension contributions, and other extended healthcare benefits are paid by her employer. She also reports that she does not work for the government, but for the local health region in which her hospital is located.

One thing that may be in the offing for nurses is a slightly increased workload. Healthcare professionals in Quebec recorded that income controls did negatively impact the work incentives of general practitioners, who spent on an average of 11 percent less time with their patients, shortening their working year by two-and-a-half weeks. Those in nurse scrubs, on the other hand, were still fairly paid but also took up some of the slack for the doctors, an inequity that still seeks a solution by the Canadian healthcare system.