Is the nursing job market starting to go down the drain?

Nurses General Nursing

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I've noticed that around here that while there are still lots of job adverstisements for nurses, that there are not as many as there were last year at this time. It also seems like that recruitment bonuses are not being advertised as much. So are all the statistics about a continuing shortgage bogus? Maybe many nurses are coming out of retirment or coming back from other second careers because of all the news about shortages. Hopefully, I am wrong because I hate to think I will graduate in a year into a profession where employment prospects will become bleak.

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
I'm going into nursing because I always wanted to go into medicine. Right after high school, I was all prepared to attend a small private college as a pre-med student. Then, life got in the way, and I put off college. Then, I fell in love (stupid) & got married (stupid on top of stupid!). Well then I had to have babies (not stupid - they light up my life!). I'm just now getting back around to my education. It's too late in life & I'm too old to be even remotely considering med school. (I don't think I have the energy to keep up with the 22 year old classmates.) QUOTE]

hmm there are a *lot* of "older" pre-med and medical students. I am 30 now and will be starting medical school in 2 years, most of my pre-med classmates are in their 30's and 40's and a few 50 year olds. Medical schools like to see life experience :) There are a lot of medical schools that seek out non-traditional and "older" students just because we have more to offer and more maturity.

Nursing is not medicine, if you want to study and do *medicine* don't become a nurse. It took me 2 years to figure that out. And if you still think medical school is a no, what about Physician Assistant school?

And I do all that with what you call "life complications", taking a full load of pre-med classes making straight A's, 2 very young children at home and a husband :)

Just my thoughts....

Marilyn

Right On Marilyn

Hang in there and go fo it

Too old?

After being on my own since the age of 17 and never having had any help from my family with college, I finally finished my nursing degree at the age of 40 with two school-age kids and a husband who was, at least in the early stages, lukewarm to the whole idea. I arranged my own childcare and financing, still volunteered at the kids' school every chance I got, and still got them to soccer/basketball practices and games. Sure, there were 3 years with very little sleep and student loans that I am still paying off - but my family still loves me (even the recalcitrant husband) and to top it all off I graduated with honors.

Would I do it again? You bet. I will admit that there have been some ups and downs but overall these have been the best years of my life. What this has done for my self-esteem has been incredible, plus you cannot imagine the side benefits of having your children seeing you really work and study for something. I think it has really strengthened their work and educational ethic.

Funny twist of fate .... the dotcom bust hit my hubby pretty hard... now he is very grateful that he has a wife who can get a job anywhere and who will always be in demand (never mind that she also loves what she does). We are living with less but happy and living well!!!

It is never too late to realize a dream...but you really have to want it. Nursing is not an easy job and you will (probably) not get rich doing it, so unless it is something you really feel called to do, then I would really think twice, in spite of job security.

If med school had been even remotely possible for me at age 28 you would not have been able to keep me away. It's all about what you want and how much you really want it.

Specializes in Going to Peds!.

Ooops! Tom, you seem to be under the false impression that I'm male. Last I looked, I lacked the the necessary equipment. LOL! :chuckle I just mean that a LONG time ago, when I was younger & more naive, I thought DOCTOR was what I wanted. I was wrong. My experiences with my deliveries & NICU nurses who cared for my babies for the durations of their hospital stays showed me otherwise. I'm very secure in what I want now. Eyes wide open. (Although, I know I'll still have a few more eye-openers along the way. We all do.) My husband didn't keep me out of school. I kept myself out with all the reasons we tell ourselves why 'now' isn't the 'right' time. With 3 children for whom I do the majority of the parenting, I can't imagine piling on 8 YEARS of schooling to graduate with a boatload of student loans to get MD after my name. I really wish I had listened to my grandfather. He told me to go to school 1st, then get married. He was right. I'm not looking at nursing as a 'get rich quick' profession. I know it's not. It's a passion. Just so happens to be a livable, decent wage to be earned whilst doing it. I will NOT regret staying home with my children for the 1st 2 years of each of their lives. With their pre-term births & subsequent needs, it was well-worth placing my education on hold for them. Falling in love & getting married was a mistake because I married a man who misrepresented himself to me. Obviously, we will be divorcing. Although, we are trying to maintain civil cohabitation until after I'm finished with school. I'm not sure I want to go into something like PA. I'll wait & see. Who knows? I have a Dr friend who has 3 PhDs & went to med school in his 40s. Who knows what tomorrow may bring us?

Amelia

Specializes in Going to Peds!.
I am 30 now and will be starting medical school in 2 years, most of my pre-med classmates are in their 30's and 40's and a few 50 year olds.

Congratulations, Marilyn! I wish you well in furthering your education.

I know myself very well. I couldn't possibly keep up with the hours. I'm a very nocturnal person who prefers to sleep in the mornings. If I could convince my clinicals instructors to schedule them for the night shifts, I'd be set! :chuckle I already know I'll be working primarily as a night shift nurse. It's just the way my clock is set. I realize now that even when I WAS 22, I would have never been able to keep up with intern's hours.

Amelia

I'm going into nursing because I always wanted to go into medicine. Right after high school, I was all prepared to attend a small private college as a pre-med student. Then, life got in the way, and I put off college. Then, I fell in love (stupid) & got married (stupid on top of stupid!). Well then I had to have babies (not stupid - they light up my life!). I'm just now getting back around to my education. It's too late in life & I'm too old to be even remotely considering med school. (I don't think I have the energy to keep up with the 22 year old classmates.) QUOTE]

hmm there are a *lot* of "older" pre-med and medical students. I am 30 now and will be starting medical school in 2 years, most of my pre-med classmates are in their 30's and 40's and a few 50 year olds. Medical schools like to see life experience :) There are a lot of medical schools that seek out non-traditional and "older" students just because we have more to offer and more maturity.

Nursing is not medicine, if you want to study and do *medicine* don't become a nurse. It took me 2 years to figure that out. And if you still think medical school is a no, what about Physician Assistant school?

And I do all that with what you call "life complications", taking a full load of pre-med classes making straight A's, 2 very young children at home and a husband :)

Just my thoughts....

Marilyn

Marilyn you didn't mention the options of becoming an NP, or CRNA. Are these not career paths that are at least equivalent to becoming a PA? I think part of the reason that older people are reluctant to consider medical school is the length of time involved. four or five year premed, four years in medical school, and then a residency of three to seven years. So the younger you are the more sense it makes to consider becoming a doctor relative to becoming an NP or CRNA (for someone interested more in the medical side) or am I missing something.

At the hospital I currently work at as a tech, they canned the new grad ed program :angryfire due to a 25million debt. The only reason I applied for the tech job in the ed was so I could slide right into the program........grrr. So budget cuts are a-plentiful. There are JOBS out there, but Im trying to avoid the whole 'med/surge thing.................. :) so im screwed :rotfl:

Specializes in Going to Peds!.
I think part of the reason that older people are reluctant to consider medical school is the length of time involved. four or five year premed, four years in medical school, and then a residency of three to seven years.

This is exactly why I feel that I'm too old to be doing it now. Others may feel differently. To each their own. Like I said, I felt one way when I was younger & didn't know any better. Now I feel differently.

Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.
Marilyn you didn't mention the options of becoming an NP, or CRNA. Are these not career paths that are at least equivalent to becoming a PA? I think part of the reason that older people are reluctant to consider medical school is the length of time involved. four or five year premed, four years in medical school, and then a residency of three to seven years. So the younger you are the more sense it makes to consider becoming a doctor relative to becoming an NP or CRNA (for someone interested more in the medical side) or am I missing something.

LOL "older people"?, that poster is only 28 I believe :)

Other than that, here is why I (kindly) disagree with you. NP and PA may take similiar length of time to complete school but they are *way* different in education. CRNA is in a whole other league unto their own.

If someone is not interested in nursing they are going to probably hate nursing school and working as a nurse, which a NP or CRNA would have to go through. Nursing school is hard as hell, very time consuming and you must be commited *as a nurse* and make sacrifices, so if you are interested in medicine but don't want to go through med school, invest the time to become a PA (bachelors degree + 2 years PA school....same as NP).

It took me 2 years to realize that--by really listening to nurses that I know, reading posts here, etc. I was not really ever interested in nursing I found out and everyone on this board will tell you you must REALLY want to be a nurse (because nursing is hard work and petients do not deserve a nurse who hates what she does), I had to come to terms that I did not- which was not easy for me since I spent 2 years completing my nursing school pre-req's. I felt I was to old to realize my dreams of becoming a doctor (I am 30, I will be 36 when I start my residency) so I felt becoming a NP would be the "easy" way to get my medicine fix and it's not.

Anyways, the point is moot because the poster has since clarified her situation after her first, kinda confusing post.

Marilyn

Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.
Congratulations, Marilyn! I wish you well in furthering your education.

I know myself very well. I couldn't possibly keep up with the hours. I'm a very nocturnal person who prefers to sleep in the mornings. If I could convince my clinicals instructors to schedule them for the night shifts, I'd be set! :chuckle I already know I'll be working primarily as a night shift nurse. It's just the way my clock is set. I realize now that even when I WAS 22, I would have never been able to keep up with intern's hours.

Amelia

Hey, maybe you can get a late afternoon or evening clinical shift? I know at my school we had the option of evenings or morning clinicals. And as far as intern's hours, it just depends on what residency you are in, they don't all work 80 hours a week (on the other hand they don't work just 40 either...lol).

Good luck! My original post was just to encourage you to fulfill your dreams no matter what, and it looks like you are :)

Marilyn

Specializes in Going to Peds!.
I now sky dive for fun.
Good Lord! You're giving me a heart attack! Actually, I prefer martial arts. Yes, I "beat people up" & "get my @$$ kicked" for fun! Sky diving! *shudder* Unless the plane's on fire & my bladder's empty, I'm not jumping! :chuckle
Specializes in Going to Peds!.
Anyways, the point is moot because the poster has since clarified her situation after her first, kinda confusing post.
Sorry about the confusing post! The clarity fairy fluttered by & escaped my grasp! :chuckle
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