Petition to help new grads get experience

[Brian]

In light of the struggles that new grads are having securing a job, this petition may be of interest to many of you.

allnurses.com has nothing to do with this petition. We are not endorsing it at all. We are just sharing this to let you know it exist for discussion purposes.

You can find the petition here: Create a Plan to Help New Graduate Nurses Gain the Experience Needed to get a Nursing Job.

Please post your opinions here as well!

[XmasShopperRN, ASN, RN]

A medical resident's salary is paid via Federal money for the sole purpose of providing hands-on, clinical experience and continued education for medical school graduates. That's the objective of any medical residency program. So while CMS may allocate XX amount of dollars for nursing care provided, the amount is beyond laughable, and certainly not enough to constitute a "salary". In addition, there are no financial incentives or designated monies paid by Medicare or other Federal agencies to fund any nursing residency programs.

Without Medicare-funded medical residencies, there would be no incentive for hospitals to employ and fund "newbie" doctors and their novice educations. Medicare foots residents' salaries because it is much cheaper to pay a first year resident's salary that equates to something like $8 an hour as opposed to the much more significant salaries that attendings or fellows receive.

Bottom line is, if there were no nurses, doctors wouldn't be able to do their job, and vice versa. Patient care already suffers 2/2 to inadequate nursing staffing with resulting unsafe nurse to pt ratios. Ratios that are direct resultants of hospital and corporate greediness along with a healthcare and political culture that doesn't place adequate importance and funding upon education AND training of its nursing workforce. At least not as much emphasis as is placed upon medical training.

Personally, what I think could equate to a possible solution for the difficulties that many new graduate nurses continue to face in locating employment is whatever money CMS makes payable for nursing care be solely designated for nursing salaries. Regardless of how many patients a medical resident cares for, their salary is predetermined and guaranteed once they land that residency. While the salaries aren't much to write home about, the provider is gaining valuable clinical experience that will make them marketable in the future. With invested time and expanding clinical competencies, the residents' salaries increase yearly. I don't see why those same principles cannot be applied to the training of new graduate and less-experienced nurses.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Why not? Enormous grants are given to healthcare facilities for physician residency programs. Why not offer the same to nurse residency programs? Are nurses not as vital to this country's healthcare system as physicians?

Good point...Nurses ARE vital...I think that there should be more nurse residency programs, especially in LTC care, LTAC as well, caring for our nations veterans, the VA...How about we start a petition on that???

[funfunfun550, BSN, RN]

I had to laugh at this response. One of our PCA 's graduated from RN school AND typed her resume on the hospital computer. I had to look at it twice because it in NO way described her. She had SUCH an highly inflated opinion of herself. Even myself that is not one to participate in gossip knew that she was thought of very poorly. Never smiled and was the laziest person./ So glad she got a job on another floor.

Now there are MANY highly qualified and persons suitable as a new grad for the few new jobs that come open. However they need to get their foot in the door and showcase what they are all about so they can land a job immediately after school!

[funfunfun550, BSN, RN]

There were BIG cuts in residency program money last presidential term. Thus paving the way for the NP's to replace some of their hours. Maybe this is information that I have obtained but it has certainly changed the practice at the teaching hospital I am employed by.

[funfunfun550, BSN, RN]

How long have you been out of school> Just curious..and are you in a rural or urban area>? What kind of jobs have you applied for ? Would you work anywhere but an acute care hospital.

The job market was similiar when I graduated from nursing school. Guess what I could not move back home..no jobs..so I did move back AFTER a year experience..took a $4 cut in pay. Things are not always fair...but for one we have too many nursing schools pumping out inferior new grads.(not saying you are _ but alot are NOT prepared to work in an acute care setting and guess what hospitals know that.This is why they bank their money on BSN grads....and young healthy nurses that they can see investing alot of money in.

[msn10]

You guys are nuts! I don't see any problem with asking the government to assist in this matter. First of all, the number of MDs produced in residency is tightly regulated and results in an adequate number of jobs per graduates. Here, we have nurses investing in their education only to come out of school and be told that a costly residency is not in their future. The cycle continues when they prematurely apply to grad school or leave the profession all together eventually leading to another boom bust cycle. Sadly, some of these people have been seduced into shady programs that leave them with no viable job options even if they have passed NCLEX.

Be careful what you wish for. The government is funding 2 separate 3-year nurse residency programs in VA hospitals starting in 2013. However, they are only allowing BSN's into the program. Most of the formal nurse residency programs in the U.S. have a BSN requirement. So if you prefer BSN only, then you should start wishing.

I also agree with Xmas ShoppingRN and expect nurse residents to get a much lower wage because education is not cheap.

[funfunfun550, BSN, RN]

I am lost here...are these DNP programs????I know the VA got innovative and formed their "own agency" so you can travel around..one state license. I have had the fleeting thought to go there..I did agency work at a facility...lots of people that are there because of the comfortable rut and great benefits but still alot of good people working there...Many former vets themselves!

[canigraduate]

You ever stop to think maybe some people don't have internet access when they're brand new college students, struggling to pay bills on their own and pay tuition? I know I didn't.

If you are going to school, use the school's internet.

Use the local library's internet. Shoot, borrow a friend's laptop and use the free McDonalds/Starbucks/Panera WiFi.

In this day and age, if you don't have internet access, it's because you don't want it and are actively avoiding it.

[msn10]

I am lost here...are these DNP programs????I know the VA got innovative and formed their "own agency" so you can travel around..one state license.

No, the VA hospitals in Milwaukee and Atlanta received these grants for BSN grads. They will each get 10 new grads a year for 3 years and they do not have to include them in the FTE/staffing ratios so they are basically 'free nurses' on the floors. They are going to have to decide how they will train them, however. Do they go to different floors? Do they get trained in just a couple of areas? They are working out the kinks right now but they were already promised the money. I think it is going to begin with the may grads.

[Tree5981, ADN, BSN, MSN]

When I graduated from nursing school I got an internship in oncology that was funded through a government grant. I think there should be more programs like this out there for nurses. It is a great learning environment,, and got certified in chemo. It gave me the tools I needed to be a better nurse. Obviously, our government has an enormous amount of debt, but hopefully in the future there can more internships for new nurses.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Thanks for the info msn10...then again, what about ADNs and diploma program nurses??? What happened to skill mix??? There could be a combination of ideas that could help provide competent nursing care as well as help new nurses secure experience to evolve into a safe competent nurse. I'm all for the evolution of our practice. And most times, our education and role in healthcare is respected, even when it looks like it does not in the trenches. I also believe there is too many inflated ideas in the pot...the corporate intrusion in the healthcare business, the idea you can make tons of money and you will always have a job, etc. We have work to do-understanding our rates from CMS, and getting them raised, promoting a clinical ladder, a TRUE work life balance, prevention of huge amounts of debt due to private for profit schools that based on their rep have no way of their students obtaining competency and employment, and increasing the mobility for obtaining employment and really bridging the gap between generations to move ahead the positives of nursing. A lot of that I believe we can do that collectively. This thread can be just the start...we can PM each other, network with our local nursing association chapters, get the word out...unions may not be in fashion, but grass-roots mobilization really hasn't gone out of style either...

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

When I graduated from nursing school I got an internship in oncology that was funded through a government grant. I think there should be more programs like this out there for nurses. It is a great learning environment, and got certified in chemo. It gave me the tools I needed to be a better nurse. Obviously, our government has an enormous amount of debt, but hopefully in the future there can more internships for new nurses.[/quote']

There are government grants that are SURPLUSES and ARE NOT INCLUDED in the debt...another myth. There are a lot of programs out there that do offer opportunities, such as HRSA has a loan repayment program: http://www.hrsa.gov/loanscholarships/repayment/nursing/ (this is one of the programs I was specifying about that should give an additional grace period for new grads still struggling to find work). I hope Tree that you can share this wealth of information on this thread...this may be an option for some...