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Good News for Health Care, IT

July 23, 2009

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis has announced a $220 million competition to fund projects that prepare workers for careers in the health care and other high growth industries.

"An important part of our nation's continued economic recovery is ensuring that workers have the necessary skills to enter high growth industries," said Secretary Solis. "Health care continues to offer workers opportunities to enter career-track jobs, earn good wages and make a positive impact on the communities in which they live and work."

The competition will result in grants to fund public entities and private, nonprofit organizations to train individuals for careers in the health care fields of nursing, allied health, long-term care and health information technology. Training also will be provided for careers in other growing industries based on specific regional needs.

In other health care news, a new survey declares that nurses are putting in more hours than at this time last year but expect to return to pre-recession work levels once the economy rebounds. This according to a recent survey by AMN Healthcare, the nation's largest healthcare staffing company.

The survey involved nurses who during May visited NurseZone.com and RN.com, two of AMN's Websites. More than 320 registered nurses responded to the survey that covered a range of workforce-related questions.

Of the nurses who responded, 47 percent said they have changed their schedules by working more overtime, adding a second position, or returning to work full time.