What it takes to solve the nursing shortage

In my area of the world:

• It's almost impossible for new grads to get any job. ANY job.
• I, with experience, certifications, etc.. cannot get another job. There are very few open positions. None AT ALL in my field, or even remotely near my field. Those that aren't in my field are going to other people. I certainly couldn't get a job in peds or psych or L&D right now. Those are going to experienced nurses from that field. I can ONLY get a job in critical care. And thos jobs are very, very scarce.
• Our tuition reimbursement has been taken away
• I got no raise last year, and I will not receive one this year
• My health insurance doubled. I pay more for the same craptastic insurance
• I barely reach my weekly FTE, and my PTO balance is almost zero
• If I lose my job, then I will lose my home.

And, I am lucky.


So, times are tough. And I beg to differ that there is any shortage.

Does anyone out there know how much a CEO's salary is/year? How muck do their office flunkies make- the finance director, the marketing director, the hospital lawyers? I think all are very familiar with nursing salaries even from state to state, But how much are these CEO's making? I am dying to know.

TO nurseinlimbo:

There is NO nursing shortage. I have applied to hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of jobs and I am willing to work PRN, Nights, LTC or any other position. They all want at a minimum of 1-2 years of experience in that area. How do we get experience without having experience? The hospitals are trying to save money by overworking the experienced nurses. They are not hiring new nurses. It's very frustrating that the world keeps saying there is a nursing shortage because no one understands why us new grads are complaining. They think we are being picky with the positions we are willing to take. Unless you are a new grad who has been applying everywhere, then you don't understand.

To NEW GRAD RN' one poster gave some very good advise- try the mollen immunization clinics, look them up on the web- www.mullenimmunizationclinics.com- they are out of Arizona, they hold flu immunization clinics a CVS'S , Walmarts, RiteAIDE etc. You fill out a inquirey online and they get back to you. I did and they got back to me QUICKLY. first online-e-mail then by phone. I believe the poster was also a new grad or someone with only 1-2 months of a horrible orientation first job. I'm hoping this is ligitimate. I filled out all the paperwork they requested and had to fax it back. the training is supposed to be 1 hour online and paid. It doesn't sound any more difficult then asking people coming into walmart, cvs etc who want the flu shot about health histories, drug and food allergies, getting them to sign a concent and drawing up a specific dose of the flu vaccine from a multi dose vial - just like you would draw up x number of units of Insulin and give it IM or SQ(I think flu is IM) the pay I was quoted was $22.00/hour for 4-6, 8 hours/day. Granted , I am an experienced nurse, but one who has bills to pay and no solid full time position because of this "NURSING SHORTAGE" or what ever it's called. What do I have to loose but possibley $22.00/hour. AND this would be considered CLINIC EXPERIENCE ( able to put on the RESUME!!! don't forget that- then you wouldn't be a non experienced RN- Red Cross positions/blood drives- more experience which could lead to a Emergency Room/ satelite emergency room, urgent care Emergency room position. Mollen Clinics states it call back it's past workers each flu season-Sept- Oct) there is more than one way to skin a cat!! start thinking out of the traditonal box. who knows you might just work side by side with an old director of nursing or chief nursing officer of a hospital. I did when I worked a HEALTH fair doing BP's, and Pulse Ox's- she gave me some ideas- she was booted out of her job for a younger model and has 4 parttime and perdeim jobs- one job was doing care plans for our local Visiting nurses/Home Health. give this some thought- let me know what you think/ don't be afraid to googgle this clinic.

I agree. I don't think there is a nursing shortage. Who in the heck came up with that idea anyway? I already have a Business Degree (which didn't do anything for me). I am starting school tomorrow to take the 4 biology classes I need and then applying for nursing school next month. I am concerned that this new degree won't do anything for me either. I have researched local hospital career opportunities and noticed that many if not most requiere some experience. This has always bothered me...HOW IN THE HECK DO YOU GAIN EXPERIENCE IF NO ONE WILL HIRE YOU? So a fresh out of Nursing School graduate with no experience will do what? Why isn't someone coming clean with this ridiculous shortage crap and just admit that it was a scheme to gain God knows what and leave so many proud graduates without the opportunity of a job. Maybe by the time I graduate from nursing school in 2012 there really will be a shortage.

There is no nursing shortage.......OMG I am going to rip my fingernails off if I hear about the nursing shortage again!!!!!!!!!! Enough already!!!!!!!!!!

I think it depends on where you live. The hospital here isn't hiring unless you can work in the ICU or CCU...not the best place for a new grad. You have to keep at it and keep looking. I graduated in the early 80's. The hospital wasn't hiring then. I got a job with a private duty agency.They sent me to be the private nurse for a really wealthy patient. She was in a coma so I sat there and changed her position every 20 minutes! Was it a good use of my nursing skills? Nope. BUT...my third day there...the roomate needed help with putting on her shirt so, of course, I helped her. The nurse manager happened to be walking down the hall and said WHAT ARE YOU DOING???? Okay I said, I know I shouldn't have helped her, but she needed it and I am bored silly. She looked at me and offered me a job on the spot. Apparently she could hire ONE nurse and she liked the fact that I was willing to work. So don't give up. As one of the previous posters said you'll never know who you are going to meet. Eventually there will be a true nursing shortage because us 'old' nurses are going to retire and we'll be needing someone to take care of us.

Anecdotally, I believe there is a nursing shortage in terms of the big picture. However, in a local sense, it seems many hospitals in my area (and others) are experiencing low census numbers. I suspect this is related to the economy. There have been recent days when our units have been 1/3 to 1/2 empty. New grads in my area were having a hard time with jobs, but that seems to be changing a little bit.

For as long as I can remember nursing jobs have been either feast or famine. I think the census will go back up and we will "feel" the nursing shortage again.

I also believe Linda RN is right. The education level for RNs needs to come up. This is not a put down to any ADNs out there in any way. I myself am one (for another 4 months anyway). Increasing our education will both increase our worth and give RNs more graduate opportunities should they decide to move on. My wife (also an RN) and I have come to grips with the fact we may be working well into our 60s. Graduate opportunities can help us to be marketable at older ages and have better positions for old creaky bones.

Ivan

Thank you for agreeing with me. Too many nurses took my statements as a personal insult to their education. It was never meant to be that. The purpose of my threads was to make nurses take a good, hard look at what they are losing as the least educated, health care professionals.

We have lost respect, prestige, and most of all, we are losing the pay and compensation that we deserve for all of our hard work. PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSISTANTS HAVE A TWO YEAR ASSOCIATES DEGREE AS ENTRY INTO PRACTICE !!! LPN/LVNs have a one year post high school educational preparation. What does that say about RNs?

Spare me the, "but nurses are voted the most trusted professionals". As we say in Brooklyn, that and $0.50 will get you on the subway. See how they vote if nurses suddenly demanded the pay we have earned, the respect, control of our profession, in terms of staffing ratios, working conditions, etc.

You will here nothing but, "what do you 'girls', expect- you only went to school for two years'"! And you know what, they are right. Nurses don't realize what they are giving up for that convenient two year degree.

Increasing our educational levals will increase the time it takes new grads to hit the workplace. Nursing will no longer be the revolving door profession that it has become. Hospitals will have to wait longer for new grads, and maybe it will make them take a hard look at how they are losing nurses by not making an effort to retain them. Nurses will have a much bigger stake in their profession.

Too many nurses feel that, "oh well, I only went to school for two years- I'll just find a different career". You don't here that coming from Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Lawyers, Doctors, etc. Why? Because they have invested a lot more time in school and training to get where they are to just give it up. They fight for their profession, because they have the political clout, and a professional organization who backs them up, and also supports them- They work hard to keep their numbers down, to keep their members skill sets in demand. The hold onto their professional practice like glue.

Compare that to nursing. The education that a nurse needs cannot be obtained in a three year diploma program, a two year associates degree, and certainly not a one year LPN/LVN program. I don't care that there are many individuals who would not have been able to make it through nursing school if the program was longer. You don't see the AMA decreasing medical school education, or the Bar Associations making it easier to get through law school. There are no, "medical school completer programs", for physician's assistants, "law school completer programs", for paralegals to become attorneys or "Physical Therapy completer programs", for physical therapy assistants to become Physical Therapists. There is a reason for that.

Our professional practice is being sold to the hightest bidder, who does not have our best intersests at heart. Think out side the box. JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington