Does it seem like EVERYONE is trying to be a nurse?

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I've been contemplating going back to school to do prereq's for nursing. All of a sudden it seems like everyone I know is going to be a nurse! Does anyone else see this? Four girls I work with, about fifteen friends on Facebook, and at least 1 or 2 random people a week.

Do you think this has to do with the recession? Are people just all going back to school to get a healthcare career for more job security? I can't think of why else this would be happening so quickly??

It may seem that there are many, many people going into nursing, but have you ever actually looked at the number that really graduate? We have 16 left in our fourth level, but started with 70 in first level. Lots of folks think they want to go into nursing. We are in northeast Louisiana, and have six weeks to graduation. I got my job by going to the nurse manager of the unit I want to eventually work in, and asked the best way to get there. He referred me to the general surgery floor for experience, approximately 6 months to a year, and she hired me on the spot! You have to really want it, and the many people who are doing prereqs, etc. don't have a clue what is coming once they get into clinicals. I haven't seen my husband and three children in almost two years, and the only friends I have are from school!

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Is this just general knowledge that I don't know about, or, where are you getting this statistic??

I don't actually have statistics, and this varies across the country, but if you visit the websites for hospitals (not monster, careerbuilder, etc) you will see. At first someone may select the "nursing" category for job openings and see up to hundreds of openings at one hospital. Click on them, they require experience. Famous question = how do you get the experience if nobody hires you? I have been having a lot of trouble getting a nursing job, and although I am a new grad, I am more qualified than (not all) but many new grads. I have been working a temporary flu shot only job with a nurse recruiter at a big hospital. Trust me, it's not fun to be her. She gets dozens of phone calls, letters, emails, and walk-ins from new grads, and even some experienced nurses. New grads are risky. Some realize that nursing is not as glamorous and they quit or decide to go somewhere else once trained. Depending on how thorough and long your orienation is, it can cost thousands of dollars to train one. You pay the new nurse a nurses salary for about 12wks to train, an experienced nurse's salary to train them, and many spend thousands of dollars on additional classroom time that is taylored to that specialty. Experienced nurses are usually the priority, and many who have left have come back to nursing because it pays well and they can pick up extra time. Some experienced nurses cannot get work because the nurses who already work at a place pick up extra hours because they are going broke and their spouses cannot get work. I am fortunate that I finally have two possibilities lined up, but only after 64 applications. People who do not work in healthcare seriously think that there is a nursing shortage. There is, it has not been solved, but it is being masked by staff who are being stretched to the max to save money, and a few of the jobs being filled easily these days. You cannot blame anyone for thinking this because this is what they are hearing.

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Indeed it's not easy at all:hdvwl:However as a newly graduted nurse you more possibilities of finding a job with a decent pay instead of not having any degree and spending the same amount of time and more looking for a job and when you find a job u'll take it no matter what.... even it's minimun wage. So just keep this in mind when a newly graduated nurse finds a job it will be worth it and with experience you'll get better job outlook

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Well, if this makes it any better, I have decided against Nursing. I am still here b/c I am taking pre-reqs. But, after talking to my husband and doing a lot of soul searching, I am headed towards applying to Pharmacy school (just need Organic Chem 1 and 2 and I am currently re-taking A&P b/c mine is old). My fall-back option is going to be Clinical Laboratory Sciences (Medical Technologist) or MLT if MT is not available. Love, love, love the science of the human body, but I have decided there is a certain limit to my ability to be a people person - dealing with other HC professionals in a hospital lab or pharmacy would be ok, and retail Pharmacy would probably be a good upper limit for me. Nursing might make my head explode.

So I am one less person you all will be competing against for a coveted slot!

I will say over half, probably 3/4 of my A&P class have stated that they are taking it as a pre-req to get into a Nursing program. (its an online class and the first discussion question was to introduce yourself and why you are taking the class).

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Well, if this makes it any better, I have decided against Nursing. I am still here b/c I am taking pre-reqs. But, after talking to my husband and doing a lot of soul searching, I am headed towards applying to Pharmacy school
Better money, better hours, better security, and there's a pharmacy in just about every little burg in the country. They even hire 'em in my little town (which has no nurses).

Good choice, I think.

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Better money, better hours, better security, and there's a pharmacy in just about every little burg in the country. They even hire 'em in my little town (which has no nurses).

Good choice, I think.

Pharmacist is a great choice. A classmate of mine is going for pharmacy. She finally got into a Pharm D program. Out here in Ca they are very competitive as well.

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There are people that go into nursing for the sole purpose of job security and then there are people that go into it because they are passionate about it....however on a more realistic level one shouldn't be so surprised to find lots of people who go into nursing for the money...because really in today's economy people have to make choices that will ensure their security and income is steady, while i do think that nurses who have a passion for the job are likely to stay with the job and are more determined to stick to it, i do not abhor the people who go into it for the money.... there is a shortage of nurses or so they say and if changing careers to nursing gives people an opportunity for a better life then so be it...It really does seem like everyone is going into nursing....

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.
I think about a quarter of the students at my jc wants to go into nursing. (My school has about 40,000 students). That is what it seems like anyway.

Is this because you're taking the same nursing prereqs that every other pre-nursing student has to take? If that's your only sampling method, of course your results will be biased. /statistics

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In my church - YES.

Everyone I know or don't know is going for nursing. I've been in this church for more than 10 years and 10 years ago I remember I would know the name of the person who is a nurse or going to school for nursing, now is different story. If you guys remember about 5 years ago everyone was going into real estate. I was taking my notary commission exam and all of the students were agents. One of the girl that I met there couldn't believe that I'm not in real estate business and was looking at me like I am an alien or something. Now, same story with nursing, at least in my church. So, job shortage is going to be for a while, unfortunately. And of course not everyone there for passion, but more likely scared of this economy, who can blame them?

After being on this site and reading what kind of job NURSES have, I admire them!:yeah:and hope that one day I became a great nurse, too.

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I would agree that it seems that everyone is going for nursing but you have to look at the classes. The prereqs to nursing are not the same prereqs for everyone. For instance, someone who was majoring in math is not going to be in an A&P class. I was on the same lines of thinking as the OP but I am currently in a Spanish class and there is only one student in there that is completing her pre-reqs for nusing. I personally do not think that people who are going into nursing for the money will last. It's a hard, hard job. Mentally, emotionally, and it's hard on your body. I can think of less demanding jobs that make more money, even with an associates degree. Once the economy turns around, some people will return to their old jobs. I also think that a lot of people trying to get into nursing won't like it. Our school just made a change to the pre-reqs and that was to take a CNA class, with clinicals, first. That weeded out a LOT of people. Some schools don't make people do that so once they get on the floor, a lot of people will decide it's not for them. In fact, that's why our school changed the pre-req requirement. And I agree with the person who posted above, some people won't be able to handle the course work when nursing school rolls around too. Half of my current patho class will not pass this semester and there are quite a few in my math class also. So, if nursing is your PASSION, then by all means, follow your passion. The nay sayers, the job market, the course load, nothing will deter me from my dream of being a nurse!

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Specializes in Surgical/Trauma ICU.
Is this because you're taking the same nursing prereqs that every other pre-nursing student has to take? If that's your only sampling method, of course your results will be biased. /statistics

I was exaggerating. I thought that was obvious. However, a lot of people I meet at my school (that are not in my classes) seem to be going into nursing as well as people who are not at my school. It's everywhere.

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I agree that it does feel that way especially when talking to people in my classes. I was going for nursing, however, in the last few months I have changed my major to respiratory therapy.

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