All Vermont hospitals use 8 hour shifts and all but two hospitals use 12 hour shifts to some degree - generally in specialty areas or on weekends . 10 hour shifts are used selectively but rarely. On a national scale, there has been no growth in the inflation-adjusted wages of RNs since 1991. It is interesting to note that Home Health offers increased pay for a baccalaureate degree - presumably based on the demonstration of differentiated practice. Only five of Vermont's fourteen hospitals are aware of their educational mix.
Nursing homes are also unaware of their educational composition.
No wage information was available from nursing homes. While some areas of nursing practice have not changed , significant changes have occurred in the way RNs in Vermont are prepared for practice. 4 years All graduates, however, take the same licensing exam to qualify for practice - a matter of significant controversy within the nursing profession. Last year, for the first time, the number of practicing Associate Degree RNs in Vermont exceeded the number of practicing Diploma RNs. This means that the majority of nurses in practice have been prepared with two years of education.