Nursing school when there is no true RN shortage?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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If I have been working on getting into RN school (BSN program and all pre-reqs completed and I have a previous BS degree) and this is a second career with the realization that there may not be a true RN shortage now, should I still pursue this endeavor?

Specializes in Med Surg/Ortho.

Right now, people in all fields are struggling. I have friends and family all telling me, "don't go into x, y or z field, it's rough!". And these are people not in medical fields. I stopped taking prereqs a few years ago thinking nursing would be too hard. Not only is it difficult to get into school, with having to take classes just to be admitted, plus CPR, getting vaccines or titers, and a background check. It seemed like a lot of hassle if I didn't even know if I would get a job afterwards. But I can't imagine doing anything else. I researched my area more, talked to nurses who live and work in my town. I feel more confident. Will I get my dream job right out of school? Probably not. But I do believe I will be able to get a job. And even a job I don't love would be better than any office or sales or teaching position. And it's better than anything I can get now.

So you really have to ask yourself WHY are you going into nursing. Is it really what you are passionate about?

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Your comments make sense and I appreciate your POV. If you are wondering if I really want to become a nurse then the answer is yes. I have a great job at the moment and have questioned if leaving is the right thing to do in light of the work force now in nursing. I have always had a calling to become a nurse since I was very young. I was talked out of it in my early college career by well meaning relatives none of which were in the medical field. All I ever heard was how nurses where on their feet all day with crabby patients being abused while being undervalued and underpaid. Not one person encouraged me until I married my husband who instantly supported my efforts and today continues to in everyday. So, after 3 1/2 years of taking pre-reqs while working FT and raising kids, I would say yes. I still want to be a nurse.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Then don't let anything stand in your way!!!!

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I think its hard to find a job anywhere right now. The problem is all these programs at one time had promised riches and a sure job before you came out of school. My husband got his degree as an automotive tech a few years ago because thats all you saw was big bucks and a huge shortage(his brother was making over 70,000). well guess what bam recession hit and now good luck finding a job! he is lucky he has a job with a local company but he certainly is not making the amount of money everyone talked about!! Although I can t complain he actually has a job. If nursing is what you want to do hang in there its not dead forever! and when the jobs come back you will have additional skills to land a job.

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Specializes in L&D.

I believe it's going to believe on what you want to do. I was a second career student as well, and went back to nursing school. I did have some concerns over the job market, and although I didn't have a job before graduating, I did within 6 weeks and in the specialty I wanted. It's going to depend on location and if it's something you really want, I wouldn't let the job market hold you back.

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Run for congress. That's pretty much the only recession proof job you can get plus it pays well and includes a Cadillac health plan, but after a while champagne parties will get boring and you will back to Pre-Nursing.

I was just going with the brain flow, so here lies Grammar, rip.

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

If you want to do it, as you state, go for it!

I've made connections along the way in school that look really good for when I graduate in May. I'm precepting in one of my favorite units, and the manager lined up the preceptorship for me. I am SO happy with my time on this unit. The camaraderie is awesome, the patients are generally awesome (there are always exceptions, of course ;)), and while it's not the best paying hospital in town (it's actually the lowest of the 3), it has one of the best nurse and patient environments, and that matters a lot to me. There are no guarantees, of course, and if I do end up working there, it'll likely be NOC shift and per diem. But I'm one of the lucky few that's looking at one of their "DRRRREEEEEAAAAAAAMMMMMM" units for their first job with some promise.

Every situation is different. My best advice is to go for it, and make as many connections along the way as possible. Show them what an awesome nurse you'll be, both in lecture and in clinicals.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Your comments make sense and I appreciate your POV. If you are wondering if I really want to become a nurse then the answer is yes. I have a great job at the moment and have questioned if leaving is the right thing to do in light of the work force now in nursing. I have always had a calling to become a nurse since I was very young. I was talked out of it in my early college career by well meaning relatives none of which were in the medical field. All I ever heard was how nurses where on their feet all day with crabby patients being abused while being undervalued and underpaid. Not one person encouraged me until I married my husband who instantly supported my efforts and today continues to in everyday. So, after 3 1/2 years of taking pre-reqs while working FT and raising kids, I would say yes. I still want to be a nurse.
while I believe in following your dreams your relatives are right...nurses are....
. on their feet all day with crabby patients being abused while being undervalued and underpaid
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Specializes in Surgery.

Believe it or not, the shortage is real, but it is regional. I live in a suburb of a fairly large city and there seems to be a nursing school on every corner and in every strip mall, but, if you travel 2-3 hours in any direction, there are small rural hospitals trying to find nurses and some are paying bonuses to get them. If you are truly dedicated to the profession and your personal motivation to care for others, the jobs are there but you may have to re-locate. I have been a nurse for over 30 years and have lots of experience, and there is not a day that goes by that I don't receive at least one recruiter emailing or calling me for jobs around the country. The saying holds true for nursing just as it does in business. You will get out of it what you put into it. Your personal dedication and motivation will determine your career path and success. If you don't seize the opportunity, someone else will.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
What I am wiling to do is relocate to wherever in order to get me the job that gets me the job I really want. If that means doing my first year in Minot ND so be it.

While pinkgeek probably believes her willingness to relocate for a year is a positive thing ... attitudes like the one she expresses here are a big part of the current problem.

No one wants to hire a new grad who is thinking in terms of only 1 year of employement !!!! The cost of orienting a new grad is so great that a 1 year committment is not enough to make it "worth it" for the employer. Also, it is not until after the first year or so that the new nurse is truly competent enough to be considered "fully functional."

It is because previous new grads have only stayed a year or so that many employers are hesitant to invest in them any more. When my hospital screens job applicants, we are looking for people who are committed to staying in the job for at least 2 or 3 years -- and who will look for other jobs within our hospital system if they decide to switch jobs or seek promotion. We are not going to invest our resources on people who consider us a place of temporary employment only.

So to all you students and new grads out there who think that moving somewhere else "for a year," or taking a job in a specialty you don't want "for a few months," etc. is a good idea, remember: This plan makes you look bad to potential employers -- and it adds to the problem faced by new grads all over the country.

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Congratulations on the job! Where are you located, if I may ask?

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Just a note about where we have come FROM with regard to pay for RNs - In 1974 (my nursing school graduation year), federal minimum wage was $2.00 per hour. My first job immediately out of nursing school was 3p - 11p charge nurse of a 40 bed post op surgery floor at a wage of $4.15 per hour, little more than twice the minimum wage. That pay rate of $4.15 /hour included a 15 cent general "shift differential" with no increase for being the charge nurse and no increase in pay after I passed boards. Yes, I was the shift charge nurse and had not yet passed boards! Talk about being taken advantage of!

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