It has been noticed that due to mass media and just general word of mouth that there is a HUGE number of people scrambling to get into nursing school any way they can. I just wanted to provide a little information for those of you who are considering it and dismiss some myths that you have probably heard.
However, if nursing is what you really want to do in your heart, this is not meant to discourage you, just to provide a realistic view of the current nursing trends.
#1 There will always be a job for you
This is not necessarily true unless you have the ability to relocate on a whim's notice, even then, no guarantees.
I am a new graduate RN and have many former classmates who live in the bay area of california. They are currently working as LVN's or not at all. Many of them are unable to find jobs, and I know that the bay area is not the only area that has this problem. It has taken me three months of job hunting to obtain employment, and I started searching for a job two months prior to graduation. By the way, it is not my dream job, it's a med-surg night shift every other weekend. I am actually a lucky one.
#2 You can work in a lot of different areas right away
Don't I wish! Some places will hire new graduate RN's in their dream area. But certain state regulations can vary. For example, in California there is a law that states a nurse must have a year of experience to even be hired in hospice. Some facilities require a year or more experience for specialty units. And you will probably be competing against other nurses for those sought-after positions.
Also, all those travel jobs that I know most pre-nursing students google (I know this, I did it too!) are reserved for experienced nurses, usually several years of experience is recommended if not required. You don't want to go onto a floor you're not familiar with and have a patient crash on you and not even know where the crash cart if or what the hospital protocol is.
#3 Nurses make really good money
They make average salary for as long as the schooling takes to complete. Most people who go the traditional route are going to realize that an associate's degree of nursing even takes four years to complete. 2 years prerequisites and applying, then another 2 years of nursing school. Same amount of time as the average bachelor's degree. The salary may be a bit more, but you are giving up your weekends, your nights, the typical mon-fri normal job life. If you plan on having a family, or if you want to take a weekend trip, it's not going to happen that often. The main part of the "shortage" anyway would be hospital med/surg nurses who are willing to work nights/weekends.
Even more so, many do not realize the emotional and physical exhaustion nursing brings. As an LVN, I have had MANY shifts where lunches did not happen, breaks did not happen, and going home and hitting the bed was all I wanted to do. Not every job is like this, but it happens. If your patient is dying it's not like you can leave the bedside to go eat an apple. Nursing school will give you a crash course in how much of a luxury sleep is in nursing.
#4 You can live anywhere (exotic place, whatever)
Each state has different licensing requirements as well as different "needs" for nurses. California right now, many graduates cannot find work. If you had the dream of moving to California after nursing school, it is not likely to happen because many hospitals are refusing to even look at candidates who are not locals, because they are even turning many locals away for jobs.
Also, if you planned on moving to another country, different countries have licensing requirements, and many of their nurses come here because the salary/cost of living ratio is better in many states.
#5 Nursing is a safe job
It is, if you work at an office job. You can get a back injury from lifting heavy patients (yes nurses lift their patients!) An injury from a patient, whether intentional or accidental. I have had a patient grab an insulin syringe from me and attempt to stab me with it. There are many precautions you can take to make the job safer, but the risks are still present.
I'm sure there are more myths out there, this is just a few of the one's that I see all the time. I actually believed them at one point too. Anyway, good luck to those of you out there who really want to be nurses!
I know it's not going to be tea and roses. Just like I did grunt work in the beginning of my first career, I expect to start at the bottom again. Most of the people I'm in school with are on the same level of thinking. I have no clue what type of nursing I truly want to do. I'm open to what comes. I know where I'd like to end up, but I'm open to whatever road will get me there.
Did I like it? No. Did I give it everything I had and do my best? You bet I did. A year later I was able to transfer off that unit and onto a cardiac step-down unit...not because there was suddenly a shortage again, but because I was now able to claim a year of nursing experience. A year after that I was working in the ICU, and a year after that my dh and I moved to the 'burbs and I could pretty much have the job of my choice anywhere I wanted. 
But as a new grad in ANY profession, you need to be prepared to take an entry-level job. Be flexible, be willing to take what is available to get your foot in the door, and spend that first year learning. Believe me, when you graduate from nursing school, you are not ready to "fly" as a nurse! You are ready to go in and deliver basic, basic care without hurting anyone, hopefully! Nursing is something you learn largely on the job. So that first year of being an "RN" is still an extension of your schooling, if you will. Treat it as such, give it your all, get good peer reviews from your preceptor and your manager, and THEN you will have the resume that will allow you to get the job that you really want. 
afranklin
208 Posts
I didn't get the impression that you don't like your job at all; you were simply being
realistic!
And, yes, even in Texas, there are nurses in search of jobs; I know; I am one (LVN) and that's why I'm going back for my RN, to be able to get a job!
And, yes, you were so on point on all the points you made!