No jobs or nursing shortage-- Nursing isn't in demand!

U.S.A. New York

Published

Now that I have your attention..I have to say that I am a LPN. I turned down a RN program because of the way I see health care (particularly nursing) going. Seems to be slipping down hill at a sad rate. Pay is being cut, nurses are being laid off left and right, and thousands of BSN grads have been searching for ANY kind of position that they can get...some for over a year. What makes it worse, is, a lot of the new grads I know live here in NYC..where I live. You'd think it's better up here, but it's not.

I'm a new LPN and I know many people look down on LPN certificates...they feel we should go for our RN, BSN in specific. But please save that, because I went this route to get a feel for things and I'm hating what I am "feeling" so far. I left an eeeeeeassssssssy $48,000/year desk job to pursue nursing and I swear I could just kick myself some days. I really love helping others out, but the stress that I have been through, I am positive will only get worse once I really land my first nursing position..if I ever do :( I'm not picky and I literally would work anywhere. I have applied at 100 places, so far. Yes, you read it right..100. Before I started nursing school I had no degree..and I LITERALLY had 2-5 employers/agencies calling me, per day, for work..all ranging from $30,000-$65,000/year depending on the position. Not too bad, since I am not bilingual and truly don't have too much that stands out against others.

I guess this post is a vent. I'm not going to give up and I have yet to have landed that 1st nursing job. To be honest, I am already dreading it. I did my rotations at the hospital and saw what the RNs had to go through. It was just insane. Most of it was politics...cattiness...nonsense. All of them told me they can never relax when they go home because they are always worrying they did something wrong.

I'm in my late 20s and my family/everyone is pressuring me to "finish what I started"..but I am so sad about the way I see nursing going. I was ok with the stress and the workload..but the fact that thousands of BSN RNs are graduating every year and can't even land jobs...and the fact that they have to be virtual slaves/maids/housekeepers/customer service agents/etc. whilst dealing with all that other drama..just turns me off. I am praying/hoping that maybe it was the rotations that I did..maybe it was the facility..but I just cannot see how anyone in their right mind could stay in a field like this. I'm sorry..but $40,000-$60,000/year is just not enough.

Anyway..I love Human Biology...doing medical procedures on patients...and I even love being on my feet...so I am going to give this nursing gig a chance. I'm a little scared..again...100+ applications and not but 2 call backs that seemed to be so general they lead no where. I cannot move out of the city for marital/financial reasons...but have even opened myself up to cities within 1 hour of here. Hope something gives way. I'm praying nursing is a worthwhile career..but I have a feeling it's not what people hope for...and either way..I am just going to be very glad that I only spent 12 months finishing my LPN and trying it out this way first. *sigh* Anyone else frustrated out there?

wow you're scaring me.. but to each is own.. i wish u luck and hope things look up on the bright side! thank god i have my cosmetology license to fall back on while i'm waiting to get hired. i hear it is hard to land a job, but once u do it's worth it so i hear.. i'm a lpn nursing student who will be going straight back for rn bsn when i'm done..

Jules A, MSN

8,864 Posts

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I can't really relate to the hiring issues new grads are facing right now because in my area experienced nurses in my field are still in demand. While I don't make a ton of money, usually just over $70,000, my schedule is flexible and I love what I do so no complaints about the professional aspects of nursing from me.

bree*

137 Posts

I can't really relate to the hiring issues new grads are facing right now because in my area experienced nurses in my field are still in demand. While I don't make a ton of money, usually just over $70,000, my schedule is flexible and I love what I do so no complaints about the professional aspects of nursing from me.

What year were you hired? How much experience did you have when you were hired? I would like to think that things are a little better for nurses who have experience...I still know a good handful who have experience and their BSN..can't find work to save their lives. I feel for them. I'm grateful I did it the LPN way first.

bree*

137 Posts

wow you're scaring me.. but to each is own.. i wish u luck and hope things look up on the bright side! thank god i have my cosmetology license to fall back on while i'm waiting to get hired. i hear it is hard to land a job, but once u do it's worth it so i hear.. i'm a lpn nursing student who will be going straight back for rn bsn when i'm done..

Yup--good luck with that! I'm definitely not going back for my BSN until I'm sure that nursing is really worth it. I can't afford to waste that much time or money to end up like the rest of my BSN friends who are having trouble finding work. Hopefully it's a temporary thing.

escapebigd

261 Posts

I know its tough right now. I did something a little bit quicker than LPN to find out about nursing first. I got my CNA cert. and just watched nurses work and learned how to do patient care. I got a first hand look at what its like to be in that field before diving in. I'm curious what was your main motivation to become an LPN (or future RN) before you started the program?

bree*

137 Posts

I know its tough right now. I did something a little bit quicker than LPN to find out about nursing first. I got my CNA cert. and just watched nurses work and learned how to do patient care. I got a first hand look at what its like to be in that field before diving in. I'm curious what was your main motivation to become an LPN (or future RN) before you started the program?

I wish I would have listened to my Mom..years ago..and gone the CNA route..it's just that it paid really low and I had an apartment and car note to pay. My motivation was...it was my "passion". I've been saying I would become a nurse since I was a little girl and I love the academic aspect and taking care of patients..but that's about it. If I could do it all over again, I would never have gone into nursing. I would have just hopped straight into college the day I graduated from High School and gotten a Bachelors in just about anything now. Could have had a decent paying desk job right now. Not rich..but not stressed and at least happy.

You want to be a nurse but you're stopping at LPN rather than RN because you see RNs as being overworked and underappreciated. LPNs work just as hard, and in some jobs they're just as underappreciated. So I am confused at why you're frustrated at the lack of job offers if you can do the extra schooling but choose not to. In my area hospitals will not hire LPNs at all anymore. They go for CNAs for nurse aide type work and RNs for the nurse positions. Maybe it's not true for all job markets, but in my personal experience it looks like LPNs are being phased out.

If you want to become a RN you don't necessarily have to get a BSN to do so. It helps at hiring time, but it's not mandatory. Some people become RNs and use their hospital's tuition reimbursement programs to get their BSN part-time.

Specializes in Hospice.

Hang in there, I'm still a new grad and it's been well worth it. It only took me a month to get a job offer after I graduated but I remember feeling very overwhelmed and I applied to over 100 jobs as well with only 3 interest. Hang in there but don't lose hope.

in my opinion desk jobs are the 1st for lay offs. we all really don't know what the market will be like in the future, but i do know that people will never stop needing medical assistance. technology is advancing and education is a must, so i'm definitely not stopping at lpn. i know nursing is worth it for me. i would like to be a nurse practioner one day. i'm just taking it as it comes. hopefully i'll meet the right people, but you to stay positive because the job market alone is a mess! not just nursing. it's a process and nothing comes easy, you just have to keep the faith and do what ever it is to get the experience.

joanna73, BSN, RN

4,767 Posts

Specializes in geriatrics.

At the moment, nursing is experiencing a tough time. But this is cyclical, and things will improve at some point. In the meantime, just keep applying, and something will come up. The average length of time for most new grads to secure employment seems to be 4 months to one year. Furthermore, the thing to remember about nursing as a profession is that it is very diverse. Once you start gaining experience, many options will come available (ex; public health, LTC, psych, peds, emerg, OR, palliative...etc). Nursing offers something for everyone. Good luck in your search :)

clemoi

16 Posts

I've said this a thousand times and I will always believe it. People who don't love nursing for nursing shouldn't be nurses. There is no amount of money that a nurse could be fairly paid to compensate the mountains of emotional and physical loads carried in the job description. The rewards are much greater and much more rewarding....if nursing is really your calling.

That said, a nursing resume is different than a business resume. An RN carries more responsibility, more authority and more clinical judgement in a legal sense than an LPN. Rather than looking at it as a careful decision on your part, hospitals might look at that as a careless decision on theirs. I know of many places that are phasing out the LVN/LPN level nurses. My hospital is actually forcing LVN's to go for their RN or leave the company.

I respect all nurses, but I think you might need to rethink your career strategy if you are really serious about being a nurse...

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