Why Are We Short Of Nurses???

oramar · Sep 1, 2003

Type in "nursing shortage" to review the 5000 threads on this subject. The demographic shortage that is used as an excuse by managment is bogus. It does not occur for another 5 to 10 years. However, it is always listed in newspapers and TV news programs as number "one" reason for nurse shortage. Why, because that is what the reporter hears when he interviews the CEO about the shortage. What is never mentioned by that same CEO is that managment treated nurses and other healthcare workers like crap and they all got up and left. In many areas of the country the shortage has eased a bit because of improving wages. What has not improved very much is working conditions. It is nice to say that there are places trying to deal with conditions but unfortunately they are few and far between.

bluenurse · Sep 1, 2003

Nursing schools are consistently full with waiting lists. There are tons of nurses who LEFT and will never do nursing again. Many nurses here are probably on that edge. More instructors won't do it.

Agnus · Sep 1, 2003

In addition oramar's and blue nurse's comments which i agree with, I have also seen employers who simply will not hire adaquate staff even when they can. They deliberately understaff. Then when nuses ask for help they point to the "shortage"

It is no more real than a gas shortage or a toilet paper shortage.

Agnus · Sep 1, 2003

No hope lost Louie. Nurses did not cause the "shortage."

SmilingBluEyes · Sep 1, 2003

Nurses"causing their own shortage" is what managers, administrators and bean-counters would love having everyone believe----- but I believe it's smoke and mirrors and blaming those most vulnerable/easy to blame for the so-called shortage.

Want some truth? It's brutal, are ya ready----( It' s been said before):

THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF NURSES, NEVER HAS BEEN -----just an increasing shortage of people willing to put up with the BS, backbreaking work and relatively little recognition the profession deserves. What other professional has so much responsiblity, sometimes literally risking his/her own life while doing the job, yet gets lampooned, laughed at, and the short end of the stick by media and the like? (think: the Clairol commercial about the nurse washing her hair). There are MANY qualified, skilled nurses out there, either NOT working or doing something else they would rather do than nursing. THAT is the reality.

The demographic problem they say is contributing so much to the burgeoning shortage has not even BEGUN to REALLY hit us yet; wait another 10-15 years and see how acute it really becomes when aging of baby boomers REALLY comes up, if conditions don 't change to encourage young people to join our ranks.

Brownms46 · Sep 2, 2003

While on vacation in Reno, we went over to Tahoe, and stopped in a California gift/tinket store. The person who ran the place was a "retired" RN, who told me she was thankful "someone" was still doing the "good work", but that she could no longer deal with it. She said she had never felt better since leaving. The really sad thing was she has such a peace about her, that you couldn't miss it, if you tried. What a great loss she was to the profession:o

rncopper · Sep 2, 2003

I met a phlebotomist on orientation in a hospital I was a traveler at. I was in the room and was going to give some medication; it was in a syringe with the cap on. I took the cap off with my teeth (I know, I know........don't yell at me!!:imbar ), and the phleb said, "Oh, I used to do that to when I was a nurse!"

I said you were a nurse? Then why are you doing phlebotomy?

She said because of all the BS nurses put up with from pts, docs, family, administration! As a phleb, she can walk into a room, tell the pt she is going to draw blood, and if they say No, she says OK!, walks out, and can say the pt REFUSED!

She said she had never been happier in her life!

SmilingBluEyes · Sep 2, 2003

well

there ya go.

i would bet there are 1000s of similar stories, wouldn't you?

Brita01 · Sep 2, 2003

Originally posted by rncopper
I met a phlebotomist on orientation in a hospital I was a traveler at. I was in the room and was going to give some medication; it was in a syringe with the cap on. I took the cap off with my teeth (I know, I know........don't yell at me!!:imbar ), and the phleb said, "Oh, I used to do that to when I was a nurse!"

I said you were a nurse? Then why are you doing phlebotomy?

She said because of all the BS nurses put up with from pts, docs, family, administration! As a phleb, she can walk into a room, tell the pt she is going to draw blood, and if they say No, she says OK!, walks out, and can say the pt REFUSED!

She said she had never been happier in her life!

Amen to THAT! Happiness before money any day.

mother/babyRN, RN · Sep 2, 2003

Treated badly, paid poorly for our expertise and time...Yada yada.....

sjoe · Sep 2, 2003

blueeyes and the others have it right. There are more than enough registered nurses in the country to fill all the jobs. Many of us simply refuse to work under currently available conditions.