California Nursing Situation - CINHC's plan to help New Grads

Thanks for this info. One of my graduate classmates at USF was working on this earlier in the year. Good to see that someone is paying attention to this problem and hopefully looking for a solution so new grads get jobs sooner rather than later.

I think your title is misleading... CINHC has articulated no plan help new grads.

And, they continue to perpetuate the "shortage" myth...

We think alike. Not only is there no plan, it is apparent that they are like deer in the headlights. Its like they identify the problem and then ignore it in their report.

The report says, "Approximately 40% of new graduates will not be hired in hospitals in 2009." and then goes on to talk about how the shortage will return. OK. Whatever.

Wasn't this referenced in another thread? If I remember correctly, the internships and residencies are unpaid. I don't see how working for free will benefit new grads.

I felt it was a very insightful and useful report. The conclusion that they are supporting the shortage myth I believe is in error. There is a projected shortage of RNs and I see nothing to change the demographic imperative that this projection is based. A salient part of this report is the number of budgeted RN positions that are unfilled and not being recruited for. This is a conscious decisions by employers to not respond to the demand for nursing services and not an oversupply of RNs.
Employers (in all fields of endeavor) are always reluctant to hire new employees when the face uncertain economic future. Instead they depend on increasing the hours current employees work. Nursing is no different in this regard with the fact the current RNs are working longer through delayed retirement and increasing from PT to FT as demonstrated in this report.
Starting my fifth decade in this field and have seen the inability of new grads to obtain employment before. Always during recessionary times and as the economy improves so will hiring. I know its a difficult time for those who have recently graduated, particularly with the expectation of ease in gaining employment in the field before the recession hit.
Patience doesn't pay the bills but perseverance will eventually get the employment you seek.

Well-written piece, ocankhe.

I will point out, however, that a *projected* shortage (somewhere between 5 and 20 years down the road depending on whose data and assumptions you believe) is very different than an actual shortage -- hence my assertion of the "shortage myth."

I don't have much confidence in the prognosticatory acumen of these various groups and agencies. I'm in my mid-40's and have seen far more examples of lousy predictions than I have of accurate ones.

When I see that "shortage" myth being pushed most heavily by those with a vested interest in its propagation (e.g. nursing schools, immigration lawyers, and hospitals), I am immediately suspect.

I've been reading about projected shortages of engineers and computer science folks since I graduated from high school almost 30 years ago... and you know what? Except for a couple of exceptional - and very brief - periods, they've never come to pass.

I will add that I have read the white paper that speaks of the projected shortage of nurses down the road and I think that its basic assumptions are flawed. For example, it predicts a need for a large number of nurses in doctors offices but as we have discussed in other threads, nurses have largely been replaced by assistants or UAPs in doctors offices. I believe the same can be said for hiring in LTCs and NHs. These facilities would be more likely to replace RN level care with more techs and fewer nurses.

My experience with previous recessions also suggests another reason to be wary of a projected shortage: employers learn to work more with fewer people. There is no reason to assume that employers will fill positions when they have gone so long without hiring for them. Instead, it has been my experience that they learn other solutions.

I will agree that perseverance is key to finding employment. Its not that I am a naysayer. Rather, I enjoy looking at the trend and I believe that it is understanding the market trends that will ultimately help me find employment.

I will also agree with what another poster said. I spoke with an ER nurse who told me that the nurse manager said HR told her they had no plans to hire new grads for two years. The NM just laughed and has adjusted her own hiring practices. She now plans to hire nursing students and "promote" or internally hire them as RNs when they finish school.

A nurse manager said that hospitals are brain storming on how to repurpose nonhired new grads through onsite retraining programs down the road in the future. This will be a way to get jobs and retrain those who arent hired now. This is the first Ive heard about such an idea. What about you?