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

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netglow, ASN, RN

4,412 Posts

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.

Ha ha. You could do one of those loud cheaply disguised coughs "bull-crap", and when she says, excuse me Princess???? You could say, sorry, I just choked on something big...

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP

1 Article; 2,594 Posts

Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
Ha ha. You could do one of those loud cheaply disguised coughs "bull-crap", and when she says, excuse me Princess???? You could say, sorry, I just choked on something big...

I wish I could! It is a recording. :(

I nearly died when she mentioned sign-on bonuses. In this day and age, one is lucky to get a job. Sign on bonuses just don't happen for new grads.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

102 Articles; 27,612 Posts

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
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.
Keep in mind that your nursing school instructor's job is highly dependent upon continuing to perpetuate the myth of the nursing shortage. If masses of career-changing people suddenly discover that RN/LPN jobs are not as plentiful as they were 7 to 10 years ago, these folks will stop enrolling in nursing programs, which may result in less nursing faculty positions.

workingharder

308 Posts

Just read that HHS has awarded $23 million to increase the size of nursing school staffs.

Federal grants bolster nursing faculty, diversity | National Nursing News

Keep that flood of new nurses coming.

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

When I started my nursing program in 2007 and upon graduating in 2010, instructors constantly talked about the "nursing shortage."

The shortage comes from the lack of available jobs and hospitals having to "reduce cost" - thus increasing nurse to patient ratios, leading to unsafe staffing, etc.

Guest343211

880 Posts

When I started my nursing program in 2007 and upon graduating in 2010, instructors constantly talked about the "nursing shortage."

The shortage comes from the lack of available jobs and hospitals having to "reduce cost" - thus increasing nurse to patient ratios, leading to unsafe staffing, etc.

Absolutely. I will not say there is this nursing shortage, like their used to be, say 20 years ago--although, in certain areas, it is much "drier" than in other areas around the country.

What I will say is THERE ARE POSITIONS THAT ADMINISTRATIONS HAVE FROZEN DUE TO THE RECESSION--as well as a few other things--like their contribution and reduced limitations related to health insurance coverage as they act as self-insured entities.

About 5 years ago, things really started to tighten up. Hospitals are only allowing so many positions to open up. When they want to look like they are trying to fill more, they advertise and mandate BSN or whatever limitors they want to put on in order to make it look like they are trying hard to meet staffing. This looks good, especially for Magnet facilities--BUT, it also looks good, from a Magnet perspective, that they must "limit" due to lack of BSN. It's a bit of a game right now, both political but also, very financial.

This is why some places constantly rotate new hires in and out and in and out continuously to basically the same positions that have always needed filling. Don't let the claim of the "costs of orienting" fool you. The costs of orienting have been cut down significantly over the years--b/c so much is loaded on a computer, which a nurse can access via Intranet through their own Internet, and also b/c they don't orient people the way in which they should be oriented. They also don't pay for various certifications pretty much anymore.

I like this one the best. They use orientees like nurse-fillers for the 90 days, and maybe one or so they will hold on to, if they feel they really like them and they "fit" with the culture. The rest of those on the probationary period--good ones even--they toss to the wind. "Ah, it didn't work out. You weren't a good fit." or "As a GN, you are not ready--when they mistakes are normal for new nurses and not grievous." Listen, even before they toss those other poor nurse souls out the door, they are already interviewing their replacements. It's incredible.

Someone posted about hospitals testing for nicotine. That's totally about limiting health coverage from self-insured hospital entities. It's a lot about being a money thing. Don't think it isn't. You have to always follow the money.

netglow, ASN, RN

4,412 Posts

"I like this one the best. They use orientees like nurse-fillers for the 90 days, and maybe one or so they will hold on to, if they feel they really like them and they "fit" with the culture. The rest of those on the probationary period--good ones even--they toss to the wind. "Ah, it didn't work out. You weren't a good fit." or "As a GN, you are not ready--when they mistakes are normal for new nurses and not grievous." Listen, even before they toss those other poor nurse souls out the door, they are already interviewing their replacements. It's incredible."

This is so true. There are 100s of stories on this forum of being hauled into a NM's office to find you are a danger to the world, when you've heard only wonderful comments from those orienting you - and who have written you up a dozen times dating back to your first days on the unit.

Yup. I've read a gazillion of those posts.

Hi, I am a new member although I have read posts,articles, etc for some time now. I became a licensed RN in

June 2010 and started working that August in M/S Tele transferring to Surgery the following August. This is my

second career. I have worked in Transfusion Medicine for 30 years. My gig in Surgery did not work out. I was asked

to resign in January 2012-I was one of 11 in the hospital's "Periop" program. I was 52 years old and could not keep

up with the other women who are in the twenties. I have been unable to obtain another nursing position at this time.

I like my first career as well (and it pays me better). I do miss taking care of my patients.So now I take care of their

nurses.

CrunchRN, ADN, RN

4,530 Posts

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

What do you do in your previous/now line of work tryingtotransition?

steven007, BSN, MSN

2 Articles; 117 Posts

Specializes in Psychiatry.

Awesome article!

And very true!

Sometimes I feel depressed by the sheer number of people I meet who are nurses. It kind of takes the excitement and novelty out of the saying "I'm a nurse".

Still, it is a decent profession and continues to make advances in medical science =).

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

102 Articles; 27,612 Posts

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Sometimes I feel depressed by the sheer number of people I meet who are nurses. It kind of takes the excitement and novelty out of the saying "I'm a nurse".
I agree. As more individuals continue to jump into the nursing bandwagon without the corresponding demand in local employment markets, the value of possessing a nursing degree begins to erode.

DoGoodThenGo

4,129 Posts

I agree. As more individuals continue to jump into the nursing bandwagon without the corresponding demand in local employment markets, the value of possessing a nursing degree begins to erode.

Problem is the shouting from every house top and media outlet that healthcare is one of the few if only growth areas of employment in the USA ATM. So now every person who has been downsized, terminated, laid off, retired and or otherwise in need of a *stable* career heads to nursing school. To this add high school grads and others entering college looking for again what they consider a *safe* career upon graduation. Oh and don't forget any of the above who actually want to become nurses out of genuine desire for helping mankind.

While it would make sense to slow down the rate of new graduates to suit demand that isn't possible. Nursing programs once shut down cannot be easily restarted. We learned this from the 1970's through 1980's when programs began shutting down left and right due to low demand. Along came the 1990's and then there was a "nursing shortage" but a even more dire shortage of programs and or qualified instructors. To remedy this we've seen an increase of new for profit programs with questionable sucess rates in preparing new grads.

As for the numbers of nurses in any given local population that shouldn't worry anyone as to the amount that are actually working and or active in seeking such. In practice anyone whom has graduated from a program and passed the boards is entitled to be called a "nurse" regardless if they will ever see the inside of a facility.