Hospital Market Structure and the Return to Nursing Education
研究医院市场结构对护理教育回报的影响，发现医院寡头垄断导致拥有学士学位的护士工资更低，而非雇主不认可其能力。
Wages and employment patterns of over 5000 nurses are examined for a state where extensive corporate ownership of hospitals magnifies the concentrated nature of the hospital setting. While baccalaureate nurses hold more positions of responsibility, regression analysis shows that the interaction of possessing a baccalaureate degree and hospital employment results in a significantly negative effect on wages. The study suggests that this effect is due to the oligopsonistic hospital structure rather than to lack of recognition by employers of differences between baccalaureate and other nurses. The hospital labor market has suffered persistent disequilibrium for so many years that shortage has become accepted dogma. In theory, alternative solutions for overcoming a problem of excess demand can be implemented from either side of the market, but the sensitive nature of hospital demand has led to a concentration on supply-side policy efforts. The implication is that a thorough understanding of the supply side of this labor market is of paramount importance in evaluating policy issues. In this study we analyze the results of recent surveys of both registered nurses (RNs) and hospitals in an attempt to add to the understanding of supply behavior and identify the importance of market structure in the nurse labor market. We focus on the oligopsonistic nature of hospital demand and its impact on earnings differences. An unresolved issue especially important in this context is the appropriateness of professional nurse education and licensure that exists