Future Shortage in Bedside Nurses

[westieluv]

I have been an RN for 22 years. In recent years, we all know that the trend has been for acute inpatient facilities to try to hire BSN nurses as much as possible. However, another trend that I am seeing, both here on these forums and in the places where I have worked, is that most of the young BSN nurses have no desire to do bedside nursing any longer than they have to. All I seem to hear is that they all want to either move into a management position or go back to school to become an NP or CRNA. Even the ones who haven't voiced those goals have expressed a great contempt for bedside Med/Surg nursing and want to work in specialty areas such as OB. The thought process seems to be that they didn't go to school for four years "just to" care for sick people at the bedside. If this continues, it seems that there is going to be a great shortage of bedside nurses in the near future as more and more of the "old school" nurses retire.

Does anyone else see this where you work? What happens to the army when everyone wants to be a general and no one wants to be a foot soldier? I'm just curious. I have over 100 undergrad college credits that I could apply towards a BSN, but at this point in my career, I just want to finish out my years as a nurse taking care of people who need help. Never had any desire to climb the ladder whatsoever. Are any of you new grads in the same boat, where you would be contented to do bedside nursing for the foreseeable future, or is being a bedside nurse becoming passe'?

[Tiffanybaybay]

I always wanted to be an ER RN but when there were no openings I gladly took tele. I ended up being miserable in tele because of the STAFF i worked with NOT the patients or the work. THe MD's were annoying but there were always ways around them. But the other nurses are what really killed it. Now that I finally have become comfortable in ER, it's not Heaven, but it's WAY better than floor nursing. BECAUSE OF THE STAFF! I asked a teacher who was studying the personality difference between floor and she confirmed my belief that certain floors attract certain types of nurses, and when your personality is very different from the pack, it can spell HELL for you. I despise floor nursing because my personality is not well suited for the floors. I've worked in several different floors and my attitude (ER RN attitude) ****** off the other nurses, as it does whenever ER nurses and floor nurses talk.

As far as bedside nursing is concerned it sucks even in critical care because you are expected to do a ridiculous amount of things in a ridiculously short amount of time. Also nursing is one of the most disrespected profession EVER! We get paid, but we get treated like slaves! This is the ONLY profession that I've ever worked where a man (a doctor) will walk right past a 100lb little girl trying to lift a 200 lb object (a person) and not help. or not hold doors, or take your seat. I was pregnant at my job and if an attending was around I WAS EXPECTED to get up and stand while that sat!!!!! if I were outside of a hospital, that would never happen! So gross. But if you have on scrubs you're no longer a woman, you're a work horse. MD's are no longer men, they are little gods who are not to be questioned and do no wrong. LMBO!

I want to work where I'm needed, respected, wanted and valued. While there are people who need us, bedside nursing does not allow us any of those qualities. I think when you hear of people wanting to become an NP it's because they want to be a bedside RN, but they want job security and respect, along with a little dignity when expressing what's happening with your patient.

Also some days I would LOVE to be in management, because many times there are no people who are willing to stand up and protect new nurses from workplace violence, etc. I would like to help nurses learn to care for each other as a profession. Many people may want to see that in their workplaces as well and that's why they want to move up. I'm just saying...

[Hygiene Queen]

One of my coworkers is a floor nurse with a MSN degree. She has never worked in management, has spent an entire career as a floor nurse, and is honestly not managerial material due to her lack of leadership qualities. However, she is a darned good nurse who can rock it on the floor.

One of our frequently-posting members (♪♫ in my ♥) is a second career nurse with a MSN degree who works in a bedside position.

I work with a nurse who has her doctorate... and she still works the floor.

A very humble and intelligent nurse.

She is not in management.

She just enjoys learning and seeing how far she can go.

I think that's pretty neat.

[tokebi]

I work with a nurse who has her doctorate... and she still works the floor.

A very humble and intelligent nurse.

She is not in management.

She just enjoys learning and seeing how far she can go.

I think that's pretty neat.

I think that's really neat too.

Those who are interested in management and administration from the beginning are probably using their education as the means to get there. But not everyone who pursues higher education is interested in that. There are those who go back to school and earn degree after another simply because they like doing that, but perfectly content with bedside job (as long as their knowledge can be applied and utilized, making the education worthwhile.)

I think that's the greatest thing about nursing. Our profession allows us to take all kinds of different paths while still preserving the identity "nurses." It's too soon to surmise that there will be a shortage just because more nurses are coming into the profession with higher degrees.

[nursel56]

I do wish employers would compensate us for attaining higher degrees. My MIL was a teacher, and she got a raise every time she advanced her education, regardless if the goal was a promotion or move to administration - as is being said, they recognized the value of education for it's own sake. It wasn't a huge amount of money, but to me it was symbolically very important.

[cdsga]

If organizations use statistical information such as the percentage of nurses who are degreed-whatever the level of degree BSN and above for advancing their standing in the community-then I feel the nurses who attain that level of education should be compensated by that organization/facility. The Magnet Status is one of the examples of that. If they tout higher education with better patient outcomes then they should compensate. This should continue until the entry into nursing (BSN) becomes a reality-These are all statistics that are out there in community shopping sites for healthcare. Advertising takes money-so should the reality of the monetary burden of staff with advanced nursing levels of education. No matter if these nurses are administrative or bedside.

[WeimaranerluvinRN, ADN, RN]

I worked as an LPN for 6 years and have now been an RN for one. I am going back to school to get my bachelors because in the state I work in and overall as a nation the push is for nurses to have their BSN and you will be more likely to get a job over an ADN if you have it. As of right now I have no desire to become an NP...to much responsibility and liability in my opinion. I like bedside nursing, but then again I work in rural America and the nurse here does it all, OB, ER, and the floor.

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

With the baby boomers who will soon burgeon the health care system, there will be a ton of hospice nurse openings coming up.

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

Hospice is awesome, you rarely see management, which is the big turnoff for new nurses. Anyone can get used to poop but evil managers, not! It wouldn't be happening if nurses were valued. Leave the bedside, come over to hospice.

[DoGoodThenGo]

Personally one thinks in a decade or so nursing care in the United States will resemble much of the UK and Europe; more "district nurses", home care, area clinics, etc. Hospitals and by extension bedside/inpatient care will be more and more reserved for various levels of acute care including pre and post op for major surgery. If the USA ever embraces midwifery, home births and lying-in hospitals there will be less of that as inpatient care as well.

[mystory, BSN, RN]

I am one of said nurses. I got my BSN in 2006 and began my nursing in grueling med/surg, or as I like to call it, "the dungeon." I worked at a notoriously under-staffed and under-performing city hospital in nyc. I was tired of the unsafe nurse:patient ratios. I was tired of the unsafe lifting. I was tired of going 14 hours without a break. I was tired of being abused by patients, physicians, and management. I was tired of wiping butts all day and handling the more disgusting realties of humanities. I am now in psych NP school. I went to an accelerated post-bac program, and most of my peers were very open and honest in the fact that they just saw being an RN as an unfortunate and annoying stepping stone to the path to be a CRNA. According to facebook, several of them are CRNAs/SRNAs. I say good for them. I want a fulfilling and satisfying career, not one where I am literally covered in **** while others figuratively **** on me.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Mystory I wish I could "like" your post above 100 times. Very well said, and unfortunately accurate of med/surg and acute units. I've been there myself. And there is no coincidence as to why med surg positions are regularly posted. Burnout is high and so is the turnover. Good luck with school!

[anggelRN]

I am a BSN nurse who also took organic chemistry. I value education and I think I am going to further my education eventually. If I do, I would get my masters in education. I love teaching and I would love to teach future nurses. A high paying job isn't really a priority. I don't want 100k a year.

Also, NP school does not appeal to me at all. More responsibility, more liability, but yes more money. I just don't want to be on call, or to round on my patients, or the have 15min appointments, I just don't want that.