Manpower today released the results of its fifth Manpower Talent Shortage Survey, revealing persistent talent shortages in many countries and industry sectors. In the U.S., 14% of employers reported having difficulty filling key positions within their organization, down from 19% in 2009. Worldwide, 31% of employers are experiencing challenges finding the right talent, similar to the 2009 figure of 30%. The most difficult U.S. jobs to fill are Skilled Trades, Sales Representatives, Nurses and Technicians. These job titles have appeared on the U.S. survey in past years and closely mirror the global...

If you have ever wondered about being a nurse, what about starting your career as a certified nursing assistant? It is a job that does not require as much education as an RN (Registered Nurse) but can provide you with the education and experience on your way to being one. A Certified Nursing Assistant, or, CNA, is a position you can start to see if nursing is the right field for you. Let’s start out with salary basics and go from there. The average salary of a full-time CNA here in Colorado Springs is about $25,000. An RN’s salary is about $53,000. Salaries can go higher as you...

(Reuters) – Health ministers sealed a rare global accord Friday to avoid recruiting doctors and nurses from poor countries where there is an acute shortage of medical staff. The voluntary code for World Health Organization members is only the second such accord in its history and follows six years of negotiations aimed at stemming the exodus of health care workers from around 60 of the world’s poorest countries. “You reached agreement on some very important items that are a real gift to public health, everywhere. Thanks to some all night efforts, we now have a code of practice...

Foreign doctors and nurses would be forced to pass tough language tests before they can work in the NHS, under Government plans. By Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent All healthcare staff would also have to show that they have the skills to do their jobs. The move would end the scandal of overseas doctors working in British hospitals without having to prove their grasp of English. Campaigners have called for the change in the wake of cases including the death of David Gray, a British pensioner unlawfully killed by German doctor Daniel Ubani, who gave him a fatal overdose of painkillers. During...

By Jenny Hope New figures show 60 per cent more foreign doctors were struck off last year than UK-trained doctors. There were also more doctors who trained overseas suspended from practice than British doctors, says the General Medical Council. It is the first time the GMC has released data on where doctors struck off the register gained their medical qualifications amid concern over the language skills and competence of foreign-trained doctors. It shows those qualifying in the EU and elsewhere were disciplined at far higher rates than would be expected based on the number of registered doctors....

By SUSAN PEPPERELL – Sunday Star Times Nurses sat a pilot programme using American health workers to act as “physicians’ assistants” in New Zealand is depriving them of an opportunity to expand their own roles as “super-nurses”. The assistants, being recruited in the US where the programme has been established for more than 40 years, are not doctors but will have had at least two years’ medical training. The trial starts with the Counties-Manukau District Health Board in July and is likely to be extended to fill gaps around New Zealand. The pilot programme,...

Up to 270 jobs are expected to be created as part of a new 20 million euro private nursing home development, it has emerged. The facility is planned for the Newmarket/Mill Street area of south inner city Dublin with construction set to begin by mid summer. During the 12-month construction phase 150 jobs will be created while a further 120 administration and nursing posts will become available on completion. Developer Martin Creedon said Dublin City Council has granted planning permission, adding the home is expected to be up and running by the middle of next year. Read more…

Almost 1,000 nurses jobs will be axed in the West Midlands in the next four years, health bosses revealed. The NHS West Midlands strategic health authority said it employed 32,969 full-time nurses in 2009/10 and this would fall to 32,047 in 2014/14 – a drop of 922. The disclosure comes amid Tory claims that thousands of NHS medics will lose their jobs over the next five years under Labour’s “secret” cost-cutting plans. The proposals would see 651 fewer doctors and 2,050 fewer nurses across England, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said. Read more…

Less than a month old, Obamacare already is loaded into an ambulance on its way to the ER. The first crisis for the health care overhaul plan is a shortage of doctors. “At current graduation and training rates, the nation could face a shortage of as many as 150,000 doctors in the next 15 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges,” the Wall Street Journal reported April 12. Most in demand will be primary-care physicians, who “have a larger role under the new law, coordinating care for each patient.” Read more…

By David Walker KVAL and KATU News EUGENE, Ore. – Family doctors are already in short supply, and now there are predictions the shortage is going to get even worse. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortage of 150,000 doctors in the next 15 years. The Regional Vice President of PeaceHealth Medical Group in Eugene, Henry Veldman, says he’s hearing even bigger numbers. “There’s approximately 800,000 licensed physicians in America. Within the next 5 years or so they’re estimating 300,000 are going to retire.” Read More…