Is there REALLY a nursing shortage?

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · May 16, 2004

I guess you missed the part where I also mentioned cheap Mexican immigrant labor working for the California agriculture industry. If you limit immigration, you can bet that food prices will rise since, California supplies half the food for the country, if not more than that.
Of course, it will never happen since nobody wants to pay higher food prices.

I would be willing to pay higher food prices.

Since obesity and poor physical fitness are such a problem in the U.S. How about a summer program for agricultural jobs for highschool students?

I know I'm reaching. I'm sure it would never work.

Dixiedi · May 16, 2004

I guess you missed the part where I also mentioned cheap Mexican immigrant labor working for the California agriculture industry. If you limit immigration, you can bet that food prices will rise since, California supplies half the food for the country, if not more than that.
Of course, it will never happen since nobody wants to pay higher food prices.

Those Mexican folks are not called immagrants, they are called migrant. They come over, move from area to area doing work WE will not do. When the growing season ends, they move to the next. These folks are not posing the same problems. There are Mexican folks who come up here, get a green card and stay on. They should be restricted. Severely, just as I mentioned in a previous post.

However, the illegal migrant workers take a hell of a risk doing what they do. It's their choice and well, I don't want to pay more for groceries. I could add that if a migrant worker wants to apply for a green card to do migrant work legally, then it sounds like a good idea to me, That 10 bucks in taxes sure adds up every week. However, the green card should be limited to migrant farm work. Not working? Return to Mexico.

By the way, here is a link that may show you that Ca does not provide as much as you think in the way of feeding Americans. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0104730.html

Sheri257 · May 16, 2004

There are Mexican folks who come up here, get a green card and stay on. They should be restricted. Severely, just as I mentioned in a previous post ...
I could add that if a migrant worker wants to apply for a green card to do migrant work legally, then it sounds like a good idea to me ...

Your post is somewhat confusing. You're saying Mexican immigrants (or migrant workers, if you prefer) should be severely restricted, but in the next paragraph you say it's ok.

The bottom line is that the agriculture industry says they can't compete and keep prices low without them and, consequently, has fought various attempts to limit immigration. If you want to call them migrants, ok, but most stay once they come here.

BTW, that document only lists seven crops. California produces over 350 crops and is the number one producer and exporting state in the country, and has been for 50 years.

:smokin:

Dixiedi · May 16, 2004

Your post is somewhat confusing. You're saying Mexican immigrants (or migrant workers, if you prefer) should be severely restricted, but in the next paragraph you say it's ok.
The bottom line is that the agriculture industry says they can't compete and keep prices low without them and, consequently, has fought various attempts to limit immigration. If you want to call them migrants, ok, but most stay once they come here.
BTW, that document only lists seven crops. California produces over 350 crops and is the number one producer and exporting state in the country, and has been for 50 years.

I said it is OK for the illegal migrant workers to take the chances they take. It's their choice and they do not detract from our jobs. However, if they want to apply for a green card to relieve themselves of the chances of getting deported, fine. But, that green card should be ONLY for migrant farm work. No other job. Migrant farm work. Period. Besides, we would them be able to collect a little income tax from them and the condition of their green card be "Migrant Farm work. No work, return to Mexico." We all benefit. If they don't want to pay the income tax to "be legal" then they continue to risk being deported. Their choice.

Torachan · May 17, 2004

angel337 - please excuse my ignorance but what is a med-tech?

Sheri257 · May 17, 2004

I said it is OK for the illegal migrant workers to take the chances they take. It's their choice and they do not detract from our jobs. However, if they want to apply for a green card to relieve themselves of the chances of getting deported, fine. But, that green card should be ONLY for migrant farm work. No other job. Migrant farm work. Period. Besides, we would them be able to collect a little income tax from them and the condition of their green card be "Migrant Farm work. No work, return to Mexico." We all benefit. If they don't want to pay the income tax to "be legal" then they continue to risk being deported. Their choice.

First you said no immigrants at all. But now it's ok for immigrants to come here and work as farm workers, and only as farm workers, so you can continue to buy cheap food, but they can't do anything else.

Well, I guess that's what this is really about. Immigration is ok as long as it serves your own self interests, but not if it doesn't.

:lol2:

Saved_by_Grace · May 17, 2004

What I will never understand is that if there is such a "shortage" of nurses, then why on earth don't they expand the nursing programs? At my little community college alone there were 306 applicants for the fall nursing program and only 45 students were accepted. I know all across America there are 2-4 year waiting lists to get into the nursing programs. Wouldn't expanding the programs to train more nurses help alleviate the shortage or is that too simple?

nightingale, RN · May 17, 2004

What I will never understand is that if there is such a "shortage" of nurses, then why on earth don't they expand the nursing programs? At my little community college alone there were 306 applicants for the fall nursing program and only 45 students were accepted. I know all across America there are 2-4 year waiting lists to get into the nursing programs. Wouldn't expanding the programs to train more nurses help alleviate the shortage or is that too simple?

WannabeLPN: Because there is also a shortage of Nursing Instructors.

Torchan:Med-Tech is someone specifically trained to administer meds. It is legal here in Colorado . Can ya tell I am NOT a big advocate of it? Would anyone else like to expand on that answer?

night;)

Saved_by_Grace · May 17, 2004

WannabeLPN: Because there is also a shortage of Nursing Instructors.
Torchan:Med-Tech is someone specifically trained to administer meds. It is legal here in Colorado . Can ya tell I am NOT a big advocate of it? Would anyone else like to expand on that answer?
night;)

:imbar :confused: Ok Nightngale, that makes sense. Don't know why I didn't know about that part of the shortage as well. Thank you!

angel337, MSN, RN · May 17, 2004

angel337 - please excuse my ignorance but what is a med-tech?

i learned about med techs on this board. i had not heard of them either until then. supposedly they are technicians who are trained to pass meds under the direction of the RN or LPN. they offer the program in only a few states. like i said i don't have a lot of information on it and maybe you can find it on this board by doing a search. i honestly don't see how this kind of job could be created. i don't see how this would work in acute care maybe it is only in LTC.

Sheri257 · May 17, 2004

:imbar Ok Nightngale, that makes sense. Don't know why I didn't know about that part of the shortage as well. Thank you!

Another obstacle is arranging for the hospitals to take more students for clinicals. At least, that's what my school administrators say.

I agree that people tend to ignore the schools when they talk about the shortage. It's weird since, obviously, it's a major factor.

:smokin:

TheBigBadDog · May 17, 2004

This stupid idea has been propagated by hospitals and the other abusers of nurses. It is a matter of supply and demand, they only want to pay low wages so the supply is low. If wages go up the supply will increase! If the supply increases the wages will go down. The supply is low because most nurses leave this field because once they enter nursing they find out how crappy they are treated by hospitals, doctors, etc. Wages in other fields are much higher at the middle and upper experience brackets. The U.S. Congress has undertaken a WAR against the nurses in the U.S. to keep our wages low through keeping the supply of nurses excessively high! American nurses will return to nursing as the wages rise and hospitals change thier policies and treatment of nurses.