[00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:05.28]this is the Economics Report. [00:08.23]About one-third of new nursing graduates [00:12.74]in the United States are having trouble finding work. [00:17.89]Alexandra Bauernschub is finishing a Master's degree program [00:23.33]at the University of Maryland. [00:26.36]She has done well in the program, [00:29.55]earning the highest great point average of GPA possible. [00:35.64]But she is worried about finding a job in health care. [00:41.71]"I've applied for 35 different jobs and, [00:44.10]despite having a 4.0 GPA [very high grades], [00:47.56]I have not received any jobs, [00:50.37]so it's really concerning." [00:51.96]Yet there is hope for nurses who completes studies [00:56.51]at four-year schools or graduate level programs, [01:00.99]they have an easier time finding a job in health care [01:06.21]than nurses graduating from a two-year degree program. [01:10.85]Experts say there are fewer job openings than usual now [01:16.34]because nurses in their 50s and 60s are delaying retirement. [01:22.63]These workers are hoping to rebuild the savings they lost [01:27.45]a few years ago during the financial crisis. [01:31.74]Jane Kirschling is head of the University [01:35.48]of Maryland's nursing school. [01:38.10]"This economic downturn has created this tension [01:41.00]in terms of people staying in the workforce [01:43.49]right at the same time we have been working hard [01:46.33]to increase the number of graduates [01:48.13]to meet that growing health care need." [01:50.62]The number of students entering nursing school [01:53.80]has risen sharply in recent years. [01:57.08]At the same time, the United States [02:00.33]is preparing for the retirement of millions of baby boomers, [02:05.31]that is the name given to Americans [02:08.64]born between the end of World War II and the early 1960s. [02:15.23]Hundreds of thousands of nurses are expected to retire [02:20.06]just as people their age need more medical care. [02:24.88]Add to that, changes in health care laws [02:29.26]and the demand for people to care [02:32.18]for the sick and aged will grow even more. [02:35.96]Health experts say if the economy improves, [02:40.44]many older nurses will retire, which would create jobs [02:45.97]for younger nurses and recent college graduates. [02:50.06]David Auerbach has studies nursing employment [02:54.04]for the Rand Corporation. [02:56.38]He spoke to VOA on skype. [02:59.46]He said a drop of one percentage point [03:03.59]in the unemployment rate might open 30,000 nursing jobs. [03:09.21]"Right now, it is right about 7.6%, [03:11.70]if we go down to maybe 5.5%, [03:15.34]that suggests about 60,000 RNs [registered nurses] [03:18.92]kind of opening up those spots and retiring." [03:20.96]And the University of Maryland's Jane Kirschling says [03:25.34]nursing is a satisfying career with a bright future. [03:30.51]"The opportunities are going to continue to be very, very strong. [03:34.60]We are just sitting in this window of time [03:37.03]where the economy has played out, [03:39.48]the boomers staying in the workforce." [03:42.22]And that's the Economics Report from VOA Learning English. [03:47.99]You can read and download our reports online at chinavoa.com. [03:56.70]I'm Mario Ritter.

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