Slowdown’s side effect: More nurses

With house prices falling and the cost of gasoline and food rising, many nurses are going back to work and easing the nationwide nursing shortage. Hospitals say part-time nurses are taking on extra shifts, and nursing schools are seeing an increase in people applying for refresher courses on the ins and outs of modern hospitals. Some older nurses are also putting off a planned retirement. The nursing profession also is attracting greater interest because of expanding job opportunities and rising wages in some places.