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Nationally health care jobs take longer to fill than jobs in most other industries: 49 workdays as of the last count in September, according to DHI Hiring Indicators, a research group. It’s tempting to argue that nurse hiring difficulties, in Houston and across the nation, would go away if more people graduated from nursing programs. And many cities do need more graduates — but that’s not the only problem. Hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies and doctor’s offices, like a lot of employers across the country, have a specific resume in mind. Employers often want new hires to have experience in a specialty such as operating room nursing. They may not be able to raise wages to easily attract that experience. Meanwhile many new nurses, armed with a degree that’s supposedly a ticket to the middle class, struggle to land their first job. (Quinton, 11/16)

Ten thousand dollar sign-on bonuses and generous benefits? No, we’re not talking about the tech industry; it’s nurses who are now in high demand. As the economy improves, many older nurses are cutting back hours or retiring, causing a major shortage across the country. (Allington, 11/14)