As the Nursing shortage continues, hospitals are becoming creative to attract new staff.

As reported on WCBS News Radio:
OCEANSIDE, Long Island -- The nursing shortage has prompted one Long Island hospital to offer apartments to new nurses.

South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside is building 22 brand-new 2-bedroom apartments and doling them out to recruits for a year, below market price.

In Nassau and Suffolk counties the vacancy rate for nursing positions is estimated at nine-point-eight percent compared with eight percent nationwide, accordng to the Healthcare Association of New York State.

The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the nursing shortage to exceed 1.2 million nationwide.

At South Nassau, officials began hiring nurses from India and the Philippines to combat the crisis. They are not alone. Hospitals throughout the United States and in countries such as Britain, Ireland and Canada also are lining up to hire nurses from the two countries.

South Nassau Hospital vice president Yvette Mooney says the first question new nurses have is about living arrangements.

The hospital's new two-bedroom apartments will rent for 1,800 dollars a month - which is below market. Hospital officials are encouraging the nurses to room together. The waiting list for the apartments is already 22 names long.

Nurses earn an average base salary of 64,000 dollars a year.

Nursing at South Nassau
Your Career at South Nassau
A dynamic, fulfilling career can be yours at South Nassau Communities Hospital. We offer a wide range of job placement opportunities - in a variety of disciplines, across virtually all skill levels - complete with a competitive benefits package. So join us at the Center of a Health Care Renaissance: It's a great place to be.


http://www.southnassaurn.org/


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