So is there really a nursing shortage?

[VegGal]

I've been a nurse (LPN) for several years, and a fairly new RN now in California. While in school, both ASN and now my BSN I kept hearing about the huge nursing shortage we're facing, and how much worse it's going to get, and I still hear it. Then I read posts from experienced nurses on here who state that there's no nursing shortage in most US cities.

So which one is true? I read about how the Baby Boomers will need many more nurses, and I also read how there aren't enough Gen X and Millennials to take over the Baby Boomer Nurses' jobs once they retire. I also read statistics by the ACA 2010 that state that we're facing a major nursing shortage and how many more nurses are needed, and in fact many agencies and companies have been bringing in foreign nurses to fill these so-called vacancies in nursing.

So what's the real truth? In my state of California I see lots of nursing jobs posted all the time, and I wonder if it's because of nurses retiring, quitting, new positions being created, or if it's truly a shortage of nurses at all times. What do you think? Is there a shortage? Do you see a shortage in your city / state?

[VegGal, BSN, RN]

This again? My honest opinion:

1. There is a shortage of nurses willing to work for $15/hr and no benefits, there is no shortage of nurses that will work for a decent wage, benefits and working conditions. I don't think I've gone to work in the last couple years when the first words out of someones mouth weren't "its crazy and we're short staffed tonite"

2. As far as new grads finding work, I truly don't believe nursing school teaches a person how to be an RN, it teaches one to pass the NCLEX which as percentage rate is how schools are rated. I believe if nursing education actually trained work ready RN's that would alleviate much of the glut of new grads unable to find work.

I don't believe you can teach someone how to be an RN. That comes from experience gained from working, and not something that ANY school can give a student, but I think I understand what you meant.

I do like your policy of not working if they're short-staffed and "crazy" though. However, most of us are not at that stage in our careers. I for one have to go in when called as my mountain of school debt is slowly reducing with every day of overtime I do.

[VegGal, BSN, RN]

I retired last week at 63. 12 hour shifts and fighting MS did me in. Worked the last 19 years of my working life for a great facility. I will probably look into hospice or home infusion work in the near future. I'm giving myself 6 months work free.

Congratulations on your 6 months of work-free, but I'm sorry to hear about the MS and 12 hour shifts affecting you All the best you with your future plans. :)

[VegGal, BSN, RN]

The work environment in Acute care is very difficult due to short staffing as hospitals don't want to spend the money on hiring more nurses , etc...However, the experience is very valuable and I would suggest you get a yr or two under your belt. The broader your experience, the more hireable you are and will have more options for employment.

I worked in PICU and Trauma for 19 yrs. This made it more difficult for me to find work in a different specialty. Although I certainly have many "transferable" skills, it was too long in one specialty to make it "easier" to change. The experience I had before PICU, although quite solid, was considered outdated and also may have lead to some age discrimination.

In summation, broaden your skills in areas that you would enjoy. Not suggesting you force yourself to take a position where you will be unhappy.

Thank you BeenThere. I appreciate the advice, and you're right. What you said does make a lot of sense, and I'll definitely think about it some more as being more experienced in various areas will definitely help me in my future goals.

For now, I just completed my BSN, and I think I'll find more doors opening for me vs. when I was an ASN. Although I know it's not essential to have a BSN and many nurses have ADNs and do fine with those degrees until they retire, where I live in CA, the standard seems to be a BSN, and while some LTC nurses don't have BSNs, many at hospitals in the area do. Either way, I'll have to start thinking about what I want to do next, and work towards achieving that.

Thanks again!

[BeenThere2012, ASN, RN]

Personally as an "old" Gen-x'er I am always keeping an eye out for a better opportunity. I have the Boomer values of hard work, loyalty and only calling out sick when dead. But I have begun to see how little all that is appreciated by some employers. They want a warm body, that's it. And pay raises are ridiculously low, if at all. I began to open my eyes and see that I, alone, will be the one to take care of me. My employer has does not have my back. I have to. Praise for a job well-done is not forthcoming. I have to pat myself on the back for doing a good job and being a nurse who strives for excellence.

Some employers actually forbid, in writing, discussing pay and compensation among coworkers. I see that as a way to keep their staff "under control" and not to rock the boat when they see a brand-spanking-new graduate making a couple dollars less an hour than those with 20, 30 or more years' experience make.

Forcing nurses who have 30 or more years' experience to go back to school to earn a BSN or MSN makes them want to quit. After all, who in their right mind, would take on 10s of thousands of dollars of debt to advance their education, yet still make no more than the ADN working by his or her side---especially when retirement is looming? I think it's a clever plan to get rid of outspoken seasoned nurses, and replace them all with what (they hope) are malleable new graduates.

Ah, but "they" did not count on the new generation being smarter than that, and seeing that it pays for them to job-hop or go for that NP or CRNA ASAP cause that is where the money and opportunity for advancement are. So hospitals are increasingly and chronically poorly-staffed with a continuing flow of new grads who have zero intention of sticking around, putting up the with the insanity floor nursing has become. The oldies are gone, and patients suffer. This is where I see the "shortage" exists, not of sheer volume of nurses, but the right skills and experience mix to keep patients safe and units running smoothly.

It's quite a dilemma, really. What you get is a unit with nurses with less than 2 years' experience, running the show, not knowing WHAT they do not KNOW.

So, I am adopting the Millennial attitude, "do what is best for me, because no one else will". I am no longer settling, staying for years upon years in one place, only to be worked to the bone for little reward and zero appreciation-----that is no longer on my radar. Seeing myself into retirement, happy, content and reasonably well-compensated, is. I am no longer afraid to move on if things are unsatisfactory. An unhappy, burned-out nurse helps no one: not her patients, not management, and certainly, not herself. I can't continue to fill others' cups when they are in need, if mine is empty. I also have to consider my wellbeing, happiness and attitude directly affect my family and if I am unhappy, it isn't good for the spouse, kids or grandkids.

Anyhow the point of that little diatribe is, while there may or not be a shortage as most perceive it, I have to do what is right for me in the end. You see, it's never too late for an old Boomer or Gen-X'er to learn from the Millennials, after all.

Right on! I am with you! The only issue I see is that we all must be proactive in planning our retirements on our own. Staying with one system in order to get full retirement won't happen. Job security isn't there any longer anyway.

[Ellie G]

I live on the East Coast, grad 6 years ago with a 3.5 BSN. Did work a couple of months in temp jobs which didnt last. Never got answers to resumes. Most hospitals want to hire from within and wont hire unless you have 2 years recent hospital experience. What state are you in where they hire new grads so readily? I am 64 now, grad at 57 so of course now age discrimination is an issue as well. I was diagnosed with breast cancer during the interim and treated for Stage I. So far so good. Now I just take $12 an hour clerical jobs to have as little stress as possible. I just dont need it.

age discrimination is definitely a factor. Graduating at 57 immediately puts you in a difficult spot when looking for a job as a new grad. Did you try illustrating the non-nursing experience you had that you could carry over to nursing? I just retired at 62 last week but I had been a nurse for a long time It's hard on your body as well as your mind. Sorry it all didn't work out for you. I wish employers would realise that older workers have a lot to bring to the table. We're usually set in our living area, we don't have to take off because of young kids and that helps us be more flexible with scheduling and most of the time we are secure in ourselves by then

[Ellie G]

Right on! I am with you! The only issue I see is that we all must be proactive in planning our retirements on our own. Staying with one system in order to get full retirement won't happen. Job security isn't there any longer anyway.

I stayed with one System for 19 years and just retired with a $1500 monthly check for life and $29,000

[SmilingBluEyes]

Right on! I am with you! The only issue I see is that we all must be proactive in planning our retirements on our own. Staying with one system in order to get full retirement won't happen. Job security isn't there any longer anyway.

There is a really interesting thread on retirement planning----at possibly the expense of providing tuition for our kids to attend college. You should check it out. Very interesting

[DoGoodThenGo]

IMHO the nursing profession will be in a state of flux for the next decade or even decades as the changes brought by Obamacare and other influences reverberate through healthcare in this country.

Already we have seen (and will likely see more) of large hospitals closing and or shrinking down to smaller facilities. Again here in NYC we've lost about 12 or more hospitals in the past fifteen years. Those that remain are shrinking inpatient beds (Beth Israel is closing a 700+ bed hospital and replacing it with one that has about 200 beds, a stand alone urgent care facility, and host of outpatient clinics and so forth. Less inpatient beds and or a focus on shorter stays and fewer readmissions means there will likely be less hospital jobs for nurses in any given area in future.

Nurses of course will still be needed but the focus will be in outpatient, ambulatory, home care, and so forth.

As for the constant argument that soon hordes of baby boomer nurses will retire and that will open up slots; I shouldn't be too sure that will apply everywhere. Again places are closing and or finding ways to reduce inpatient beds; which in turn translates into less need for nursing staff. The increasing trend towards stand alone urgent care (instead of an ER attached to a hospital), is often proving something many thought unthinkable even a decade ago; a free standing "ER" alone serving the medical needs of a community without a full service hospital attached.

Much as many (including oneself) mourn the closing of Saint Vincent's that Lenox Hill urgent care center seems to be serving the community well. What is interesting is that when Mount Sinai announced the closure of Beth Israel they stated the shutting down of Saint Vincent's had really no effect on their patient numbers. So where are the residents of Greenwich Village, West Village, Chelsea, Tribeca and so forth going for healthcare?

Here in NYC you are also seeing an arms race as Mount Sinai, NYP and Northwell are opening community "physician practice offices" everywhere. The idea again is to bring healthcare into the community with an eye on keeping persons out of hospitals.

None of these places employ anywhere near the nurse staffing of a full service hospital. That perhaps is what appeals to the bean counters.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Until I started working in management positions, I used to think that when nurses retired, those spots would open up. Instead, the workforce is shrinking. Many positions will not be replaced in favour of cost savings.

[DoGoodThenGo]

Until I started working in management positions, I used to think that when nurses retired, those spots would open up. Instead, the workforce is shrinking. Many positions will not be replaced in favour of cost savings.

Trend for years now across most all sectors of the USA labor market has been a shrinking work force by attrition. When someone is let go, retires, or whatever in many instances they are not replaced. Rather that workload is redistributed among the remaining employees. Sometimes they are given a raise in wages/benefits, sometimes not.

[Josie, RN/LCSW]

The term "Nursing Shortage" is a misnomer - it doesn't mean that there is a 'shortage' of available nurses (I mean, how can there be....with hundreds of schools graduating full classes of new nurses every semester); what it means is that, due to budget restrictions, employers 'short staff' in order to show maximum profit. The so-called "shortage" refers to too few nurses and too many patients - which is an intentional situation on the part of employers. It does NOT in any way mean that nurses are wanted and can't be found.

[guest769224]

a brand-spanking-new graduate making a couple dollars less an hour than those with 20, 30 or more years' experience make.

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Do new grads in your area really make only a few dollars less than veteran nurses?

I find that really surprising. In my hospital system experienced nurses make at least $15/hr more than new graduates do. And I'm in a non-union state.