Utah suffering severe nurse shortage

<I actually had patients ask to allow another nurse take care of them because I wasn't LDS,>

(aside)
I work in Brooklyn, NY. I once walked into a Hasidic pt's room & was immediately asked by his wife if I was menstruating. When I just stared at her, trying to figure out if I heard right, she explained "'because if you are, he cant be touched by you and will need another nurse". Well, what he dont know wont hurt him.

Well, I guess you could wear gloves..........

[It will be interesting to see if history repeats with the recent down turn in the economy in the US, and rising unemployment rate. will candidates start flocking into the nursing profession? [/b][/quote]

Yes, they are, but they can't be trained fast enough. Not enough instructors and/or classes. Waiting lists are growing.

AMEN, AMEN...

AND, the last time nursing schools vastly expanded their capacity (in the 1980s, and then again in the mid-90s), they were left in the lurch when the next part of the cycle found far fewer students than they had prepared for.

Because of this and because they KNOW there is actually NO nursing shortage, wise nursing schools will be very slow and reluctant to expand their programs.

I believe the nursing shortage is hitting every state as fewer nurses seem to be graduating these days, there is a high demand, but the decrease in the number of instructors also limits the amount of students they can have in a class. Here in Florida we have a shortage due to low pay. The average RN starts out at 17.00 an hour. experianced nurses are very lucky to ever see the mid 20 range after many many years of experiance and higher education.

I cant believe the pay.........thats CNA pay in our area. With an RN I wouldnt walk across the street for less than 20.....new grad ADNS make 23-25 to start here. The local VA pays 67,000 yr for new grads.

Laura

I live in Utah and I had to laugh my head off about the nursing shortage here in Utah....There is no nursing shortage!!!!!!!!!! Nurses are leaving the hospitals in droves because of the staffing cut backs. Right now I'm doing agency nursing who will only work post partum and this week I was guaranteed 2 12 hour shifts. Well I got sent home after 4 hours of each shift because there was a snafu in staffing and because the census was low. Plus Intermountain Health Care which is one of the most powerful healthcare companies in Utah and run by the Mormon Church. I tried to get a job with them (I'm not Mormon) and was told that my nursing standards did not meet "their" standards of what a registered nurse should be. I'm a very good nurse with excellent qualifications and skills, but not good enough for IHC. Their nursing interviewers really do stick their nose up at you!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think it is fair to judge an entire state and an entire group of people when you have no first hand experience. I am not Morman nor would I want to be, but I did live in the state of Utah for 10 years. It is a beautiful state and the people there are warm and friendly. There are a lot of residents who live there that are not Mormon and they don't follow the teachings of the Mormon religion. Mormon people are very nice and respectful of others rights and religious opinions. They will try to recruit people just like any other religion but they are not pushy and will accept no for answer without arguement. I think the issue here is a state with a shortage just like so many others. It is not an issue of people hearing about one sensationalized case and thinking that the entire state is full of people like that because it isn't. The Mormon religion has modernized just like everyone else has. I guess if everyone thought the way you did every state should be branded as evil based on anything sensational that hits the news. I am from Wisconsin, since Jeffery Dahmer was from Wisconsin I guess we should be labeled an evil state full of evil people. I really think that the person starting this thread was trying to project the thought that the nursing shortage is real and getting more real, not trying to get people to take pot shots at a state and its people since it is hurtful and doesn't really speak to the issue anyway. The media hypes everything, don't buy into everything that you read or hear especially from the media.

Thanks for your comment Tommy!