No Nursing Shortage At The Present Time

Despite rampant claims of a critical nursing shortage, many cities and states in the US are actually suffering from the opposite problem: a surplus of nurses. The intended purpose of this article is to challenge the widespread belief that a current nursing shortage exists. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

You are reading page 24 of No Nursing Shortage At The Present Time

MochaRN424, ASN

101 Posts

Specializes in Women's Surgical Oncology, MIU,MBU.

I keep hearing how hospitals want nurses who are experienced...how did they get experienced in the first place? They had to learn and be trained....It seems that this is one of the professions where training is not offered but yet there are so many other unnecessary tasks that new nurses are asked to do which could be replaced by actual training. Is it really necessary to spend weeks going to classes and powerpoints about the CEO and handwashing? Why not take a day and help a nurse who hasn't had IV experience spend a day doing just that so that he/she can become proficient in that area?

DoGoodThenGo

4,129 Posts

I keep hearing how hospitals want nurses who are experienced...how did they get experienced in the first place? They had to learn and be trained....It seems that this is one of the professions where training is not offered but yet there are so many other unnecessary tasks that new nurses are asked to do which could be replaced by actual training. Is it really necessary to spend weeks going to classes and powerpoints about the CEO and handwashing? Why not take a day and help a nurse who hasn't had IV experience spend a day doing just that so that he/she can become proficient in that area?

More and more hospitals are making extensive use of staff they already have versus external hiring. Know of several LPNs, aides and others who were *encouraged* to go for their RN by their employer and were hired in that position upon graduation and passing the boards.

More and more hospitals are viewing new grads as huge and often costly unknowns. Far better to work with someone you know from easily verified work history and references (internal hires) over a "stranger".

I didn't read the other comments, so sorry if this is a repeat. But I personally think there will be a shortage again. The reason being there are going to be new grads that can't find jobs and move on to other things. Then, their friends/peers will see what happened and see what nurses actually do (I am sorry if it sounds bad but some people act like "I am going to be a nurse and make lots of money; when I am a nurse I will never have to clean a patient, etc"--they don't realize how hard it really is being a nurse) and switch majors and everything. Then, older nurses will retire eventually and you will have the shortage again.

True story.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

102 Articles; 27,612 Posts

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Is it really necessary to spend weeks going to classes and powerpoints about the CEO and handwashing? Why not take a day and help a nurse who hasn't had IV experience spend a day doing just that so that he/she can become proficient in that area?
In this day and age, the typical new grad is not just lacking in one single skill. Rather, they are lacking numerous procedural skills that are necessary to their success at the bedside. Therefore, the costs to train them to a level of minimal competency is staggering to healthcare facilities.

There are new grads who have never performed patient care skills such as insertion or discontinuation of Foley catheters, starting peripheral IVs, changing wound dressings, removing sutures, administering oxygen, giving injections, and other basics. These new nurses are in need of costly extended orientations to learn how to function independently because their nursing programs did not cover the most basic of hands-on skills.

In addition, many new grads resign after accruing the magical one year of experience, which leaves facilities holding the bag after having invested so many dollars and training hours into employees who quit.

Prior to the Great Recession, hospitals incurred the cost of training masses of new grad nurses because it was 'good for business' and they really did not have any other options. Now that they have more options, they are simply exercising them.

pnut8377

23 Posts

It is natural for people to believe that they are somehow unique or can do something to set themselves apart from the masses, or that it must be the jobless nurse's fault for not having found a job sooner. Also, the 'Pollyanna Principle' predisposes people to ignore blaring warning signs or cling to small glimmers of hope.

I'm none of these things, I know the slim chance of finding a job once I graduate. I just want to be a nurse and have wanted this for a very long time. There is just a job shortage. It really doesn't matter what field you go into now there is always the possibility of not having a job. I worked at Walmart with woman who had years of experience and a degree as an Accountant. She was laid off from her employer to only find work as a cashier Wal-Mart. My best friend has been jobless for 2 years. She has 10+ years experience in retail management and ran her own store. She's applied everywhere multiple times and can't even get a cashier job. It's just the state of our world right now and its a chance i'm willing to risk for something I'm passionate about.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

102 Articles; 27,612 Posts

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
I'm none of these things, I know the slim chance of finding a job once I graduate. I just want to be a nurse and have wanted this for a very long time. There is just a job shortage. It really doesn't matter what field you go into now there is always the possibility of not having a job. I worked at Walmart with woman who had years of experience and a degree as an Accountant. She was laid off from her employer to only find work as a cashier Wal-Mart. My best friend has been jobless for 2 years. She has 10+ years experience in retail management and ran her own store. She's applied everywhere multiple times and can't even get a cashier job. It's just the state of our world right now and its a chance i'm willing to risk for something I'm passionate about.
Yes, my 54-year-old mother has been unemployed for more than 4 years. Since she lives in a city with an unemployment rate greater than 15 percent, finding even the most menial type of job (cashier, fast food worker, etc.) has been elusive.

To be fair, she has several things going against her, including no education beyond high school and a lack of updated vocational skills. Although she worked at the same factory for 25 years, people can determine that she is an 'older applicant' by reading the dates on the job applications and resume. She is also morbidly obese with chronic illnesses and has some difficulty walking.

studentrn4me

46 Posts

I am an LPN in nyc.I knew a while ago that there wasn't a nursing shortage here in the city.Nursing homes and hospitals have been closing. retired nurses haven't retired due to the economic situations, but yet nursing schools still are cranking out nursing grads.The director of nursing at the facility where i work said that she has literally dozens and dozens of applicants looking for a job. its a very sad situation out there.

Mulan

2,228 Posts

I just don't think hospitals and facilities want to hire. They'd rather have one person doing the job of three people. Otherwise we wouldn't be hearing about nurses not getting breaks or having time to use the bathroom.

Yeah, and that's not going to change.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

102 Articles; 27,612 Posts

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
its a very sad situation out there.
There's a chance that the situation might become even sadder if nursing programs continue to expand and crank out record numbers of new nurses in employment markets where the demand is flat or declining. Also, multiple new schools of nursing have opened for business across the US.

People cling to hope when they read statistics that masses of nurses will be needed by the year 2020 due to looming demographic changes, but this does absolutely nothing to calm the storm that is brewing today.

libby11

83 Posts

Well, great. I've never been a good networker, but I am a hard and dedicated worker. I would be okay with starting on evenings and weekends or working 2 part time jobs--if I had to. I guess I need to pick up on the networking skills and try to 'stand out' a bit more at clinicals.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I'm taking a phlebotomy class at the local community college. Of the 12 people in my class, 9 are trying to go to nursing school. If any of them ask me about the job market, I'm not going to lie.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP

1 Article; 2,594 Posts

Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

I'm listening to a lecture right now, and my nursing school teacher is talking about a nursing shortage, though she mentions that new grads are having a hard time finding jobs in the city, moving to other cities, they find sign on bonuses. I'm not sure how truthful she is being.