What nursing shortage? (rant)

U.S.A. California

Published

As some of y'all know, I'm in CA with my girlfriend on my first travel assignment. I'm enjoying my experience, as is my girlfriend, but we are running into a problem. She is a new ADN grad, but didn't pass her NCLEX, so she is having to get a job as an assistant until she can retest. Folks, it's not happening. These hospitals are having nothing to do with her.

Since becoming a nurse I have been accused of using too much logic on multiple occassions (when it comes to hospital admin practices), but logic tells me that you hire someone as a tech (yes there are openings), assistant (or whatever) train them at a lower wage--the basics of the floor--then retain them to become a Rn for that floor. She worked as a tech on an adolescent psych floor for 3 yrs and has an ADN...Is she not qualified to perform basic care?

You have someone who is wanting to come to your floor to work soon as an RN, and you don't want them. So that page long list of floor openings is just for show? I wonder what the staff RNs and aux staff would have to say about that? Also, I don't know if this is common practice in CA but the hospitals in this area say it takes like 3 weeks to process apps. It's good to check out credentials and all, but 3 weeks? My girlfriend is actually considering getting a restaurant job--which I'm totally for so she can be making some money for herself. But, how jacked up is that? She's out of nursing before she even gets started. :angryfire

She has no student loans because she worked her way through school; only a car loan which she can't pay without a job.

Is the car loan currently deliquent? And, if so, is it on her credit report? The only reason I ask is on other threads, people mentioned not getting nursing jobs because of current deliquencies that were on their credit reports. And others said they were asked about years old deliquencies during job interviews, even though they currently have good credit. I'm only basing this on other posts, but it sounded like any late payments could potentially screw up a job application. It might be something to check into.

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Is the car loan currently deliquent? And, if so, is it on her credit report? The only reason I ask is on other threads, people mentioned not getting nursing jobs because of current deliquencies that were on their credit reports. And others said they were asked about years old deliquencies during job interviews, even though they currently have good credit. I'm only basing this on other posts, but it sounded like any late payments could potentially screw up a job application. It might be something to check into.

Nothing is delinquent because fortunately her father is helping her out until she can find a job.

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Specializes in Oncology RN.

I'm a little confused.

Why would having bad credit, or even a late pay on your credit report hinder you from getting a job?? I can sort of see the point if you are applying to handle funds for a bank or some Fortune 500 company. But what does being late on your car payment have to do with your ability to take care of patients??

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I'm a little confused.

Why would having bad credit, or even a late pay on your credit report hinder you from getting a job?? I can sort of see the point if you are applying to handle funds for a bank or some Fortune 500 company. But what does being late on your car payment have to do with your ability to take care of patients??

Nothing whatsoever, but I've heard that mess about credit hx and jobs before. I'm sure there is a reason, I just don't know it. All I can figure is that if a company gets an idea of how you manage your finances there is a correlation to your reliability as an employee, or something, but I have no clue, really.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

I don't know how all y'all do it out there on the left coast, but here in Massachusetts, you have to be certified as a CNA....I couldn't work as one even though I'm an RNC with more than 20 years experience. Without the certification, we wouldn't hire her...and out here...the shortage is real...we've have 3 full time positions open for more than 6 months...not ONE person has even applied.

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That is another thing to consider, most states now require that the employee complete a CNA course. It doesn't even matter if they were a physician in another country, they must have that certificate. Have you considered talking to Human Reasources and ask them the specifics? That may help you.

Most places do have requirements for different positions.

:balloons:

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That is another thing to consider, most states now require that the employee complete a CNA course. It doesn't even matter if they were a physician in another country, they must have that certificate. Have you considered talking to Human Reasources and ask them the specifics? That may help you.

Most places do have requirements for different positions.

:balloons:

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. :p

Apparently you do have to be separately certified with fingerprint checks, etc. as a CNA in California.

http://www.dhs.ca.gov/lnc/cert/CertFacts.pdf

This might explain the problem.

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Specializes in Cardiothoracic Transplant Telemetry.

I am a third semester student at a school here in California. I talked to a member of the class that is graduating in June yesterday, only to hear that she ALREADY has a job. She entered 4th semester with a job waiting for her when she graduates. So there are jobs out there for nurses.

On the other hand, since the new ratios have been instituted, there has been serious cutbacks in unlicensed personnel. I work for a area hospital as a aid, and the hours dried up on January 1. The hospital that I work for is actually kinda trying to thin the ranks of nursing students because they don't even have hours for the CNA's that are there working full-time. Unfortunately the hospitals have decided that they can not afford to pay for adequate nursing staff, and ancillary staff as well.

So if hospitals are trying to thin the ranks of student nurses that they are trying to recruit after graduation, and laying off current support staff, they may be a little reticent to hire someone on a 'temporary' basis on the hope that she may pass her boards next time. If she went to school out of state, the hospital has no idea of the quality of the education that she received, and have no way of knowing just how likely she is to pass the boards next time. Don't get me wrong, I don't know your girlfriend, and I'm sure that she will make a fine nurse, but the hospitals don't know her, they don't know that she's going to pass, and hospitals are making financial decisions due to the staffing ratios that are not as beneficial to students as they once were.

Good luck to you both

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This is off the main topic, but I am confused as to the post about hospitals being reluctant to hire new graduates. I would assume that a hospital that is unable to meet the staffing ratio with core staff then it would need to look to travelers in order to meet the need, which ends up costing the hosptial more than hiring fulltime new employees even when you factor in extras like sign on bonuses, relocation, and benefits. I do not live in california, but the ecomonics of it is that it makes sense to hire more core staff than to rely on temporary staff. I guess I am just confused about the previous post.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

In Massachusetts, you can no longer work as a graduate nurse. You have to have proof that you've passed the state boards before you can be hired. It is so costly to hire a new employee, especially at the hospital here, that the administration would rather hire travelling nurses than take a chance on hiring someone who might not even pass the boards. And in many cases, it's a travelling/agency nurse or no one. The facility I work in has had 4 open nursing positions for a year with hardly any responses to our help wanted ads.

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This is off the main topic, but I am confused as to the post about hospitals being reluctant to hire new graduates.

I thought the post was clear and actually explained a lot. The hospitals aren't reluctant to hire new RN graduates. At my California school, new grads typically get two to three job offers.

I believe the previous poster was referring to cutbacks in hiring nursing students who are not close to graduation and who are NOT yet RNs, as well other support staff, to save money for people who ARE nursing school graduates and licensed RNs.

Big difference.

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If you stop to think of it, a hospital is investing in an orientation for you, usually about three months for a new grad, minimum. What happens if they invest the three months and then you don't pass your boards? They are then out the money. Unfortunately, they learned the hard way................

Back in the old days when I took my boards, they were only given twice a year, over two days, and then it took at least 8 weeks to find out if you passed. Now, you are able to take your exam at any time when you finish, and get your results right away, so why should they not require you to have your license first? As I have stated many, many times before, the exam covers all aspects of nursing, you will be only working on one unit. So working for a few months first, really isn't going to improve your skills base for the exam.

Just my opinion....................... :balloons:

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