Is there a "Nurse Shortage" Lie?

[New_Man_Nurse]

Is there a nursing shortage lie? Does this keep the colleges full of students?

Defined: a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. something intended or serving to convey a false impression; imposture.

After becoming a AS-RN, I was told Hospitals would no longer be hiring AS-RNs, the obvious option was to get that BSN. After getting the BSN the hospitals said, there are many people, many fine candidates with 4.0 GPA's, you were not selected. Landing a job in Home Health se.0emed like at least some way to continue to serve. Hospitals were saying that 5 years in Home Health didn't amount to 1 year of acute care, and he couldn't be hired on a med/surg floor. Ok then, a terminal degree would fulfill that life time goal of being educated, what should one do? Change professional from the "worlds most trusted profession, to some other profession?

Not really, a 4.0 GPA and a great understanding of the profession, it won't hurt to grab that Master's before I'm too old. So the Master's, my home health company and those friends had no time for a case manager that didn't work Mondays thru Sundays, so a break again from home health to become a top educated RN. What an honor right. Maybe not. 350 applications later and not one interview, or call, nothing but fake headhunters with "behavioral questions", is this ageism, a flooded market?

Master's done! 4.0, Suma Cun Laude, time to get that med surg outta the way, no more education needed. Advanced Practice wouldn't really be nursing, its is being a provider. Whats next? Another 300 applications, same answer, we found someone that was a better candidate for all 300 jobs? Then a headhunter for a major hospital told me. "I don't know why that a new RN can't be hired, that 1 year experience policy is stupid", no one can work without 1 year acute experience, and no one can be hired without it"? I simply can't place you in any position, sorry.

So, FNP? DNP? Folks if there was really a shortage of nurses I would be working everywhere. The truth is the hospitals are playing the traveler game. Several excuses are being used for refusing to hire nurses with adequate wages, and benefits. "We want to make sure you are a good fit". "We want to make sure after you are orientated, you aren't going to leave"! These excuses are just the ranting of the monopoly that is the health care system I guess.

See: Council of Economic Advisors Brief. (2016, October). Labor Market Monopsony: Trends, consequences, and policy responses. Retrieved from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/page/files/20161025_monopsony_labor_mrkt_cea.pdf

Shouldn't our colleges be informing students, and potential students about how this lie of shortages is not related to, or how it doesn't translate into substantial employment? This isn's a shortage its a "At-Will" employment fraud. IT forces nurses into signing a "At-Will" contract, instead of promoting a "good cause" employment contract. The nature of employment is contractual, signing an at-will contract destroys the definition of Federal Labor Laws, and is a fraud on nurses.

There is no shortage, only greed and deception. (Mostly greed). We are nurses, and at every practice level we do the job, we get it done, we put everyone else first, in the traditions of Flo, and Rogers, Watson, and Lewin. We are agents of change, satisfying customers, providing quality care within legal scope, cost effectively saving the bottom line, without lowering the safety and standard of evidence based practice, we are art, we are caring, we are the ethic, the bottom line, those that stand up when our patients cannot.

Are we jokes? I say we are and every new person that finds this calling should know the immoral and unethical lie you will be told. Is there another explanation? So you want to be a nurse? Do you?

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I would say it's not a lie- but rather the shortage is regional. If you are in Southern California- there is a surplus and many, many new graduates move away to get experience in acute care. If you are in Indianapolis (my area), new grads with ADNs are snatched up upon graduation by all of the major hospital systems. Rural America is begging for nurses as well.

More and more jobs are moving outside the hospital as well, so the competition for hospital jobs is more robust in surplus areas, exacerbating the new grad problem.

[OldDude]

I would say it's not a lie- but rather the shortage is regional. If you are in Southern California- there is a surplus and many, many new graduates move away to get experience in acute care. If you are in Indianapolis (my area), new grads with ADNs are snatched up upon graduation by all of the major hospital systems. Rural America is begging for nurses as well.

More and more jobs are moving outside the hospital as well, so the competition for hospital jobs is more robust in surplus areas, exacerbating the new grad problem.

True this...in my neck of the woods, if you're a RN and not working it's because you don't want to.

[203bravo, MSN, APRN]

True this...in my neck of the woods, if you're a RN and not working it's because you don't want to.

Same here

[mtmkjr, BSN]

I had a really hard time following your post. Is this summary correct?:

ASN: no hospital would hire without BSN, settled for Home Health (5 years?)

BSN: 350 applications/interviews led to "better candidates"

MSN: 300 applications... no response at all

What area of the country do you live?

[RNperdiem, RN]

Some places are more desirable to live. In some places in the country, people are moving in in large numbers. These places tend to be affluent, often urban, well-educated and in-demand. Nursing jobs can be harder to come by.

Other places need nurses. They are in less desirable areas where people tend to move away from, not to.

[caliotter3]

I had a really hard time following your post. Is this summary correct?:

ASN: no hospital would hire without BSN, settled for Home Health (5 years?)

BSN: 350 applications/interviews led to "better candidates"

MSN: 300 applications... no response at all

What area of the country do you live?

Sounds like he's looking for work in San Francisco and outlying environs.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I know you all have seen my big long diatribe in that other thread. So I'm sure you know my answer to that question.

[OldDude]

I know you all have seen my big long diatribe in that other thread. So I'm sure you know my answer to that question.

No improvement?

[klone, MSN, RN]

Nope. Sigh.

[OldDude]

Nope. Sigh.

Ugh. The area you described sounds like a nice place to live and work.

[Aunt Slappy]

Sounds like he's looking for work in San Francisco and outlying environs.

Oh honey, you should've joined us in flyover country ages ago. You'd be a seasoned nurse with tons of experience by now.

By the way, how much student debt have you racked up getting all these degrees without working?