What Nursing Shortage?

[GoodEnuf]

I've not subscribed to this nursing shortage at all. I believe there are plenty of nurses out there. The problem is that many are leaving the profession for reasons we are all well aware of. It would seem that nurses are in a position to "call the shots" in the midst of this supply and demand crisis. But that does not appear to be the case. I would return to nursing if I could find a true part-time job with part-time hours. What I have encountered is extreme rigidity and inability to accomodate a nurses' request to work a parttime schedule. I believe there are many nurses who would return to nursing on a part-time basis to avoid the full-time hassles of the profession. That is why I believe the term "nursing shortage" is a crock. Perhaps it is the strategy of administrators to demonstrate the need for more unlicensed personnel to take over nursing gaps to increase their pocketbooks. What do you think?

[SmilingBluEyes]

Originally posted by -jt

And what if you just stop doing all those things & just take care of the pts? We have to just stop trying to do it all & let administration deal with the backlash. Like when the phone rings & rings & all the doctors & managers are complaining that they cant thru to the ICU, youll get your secretary back. If you do her job too, the powers that be wont notice that a secretary is even needed. BTW its against the law to work overtime & not be paid If youre being called in on your day off, thats Overtime and overtime has to be paid or they get reported to the feds & can be fined. Overtime pay is usally Time & a half - we can take it in extra days off or in money.

Excellent post! I agree, we all need to do this. It's the only way some things will ever change in our favor.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I just ran across a recent article that does a fairly good job of discussing the shortage. It's available online for free.

http://ipsappo3.lwwonline.com/content/getfile/5579/25/21/fulltext.pdf

The home page of the Nursing2003 Journal in which it was published is:

http://www.nursing2003.com

Once at the home page, you can look under "journal contents" and then go to the January, 2003 issue.

llg

[tonchitoRN]

i say if it is not your job don't do it. true, if you answer the phone, answer the door and clean the floor then it certainly looks like you can handle it and do not need any extra help. now get a md complain that no one answers the phone and see how administration jumps. they will attempt to intimidate you to answer the phone in the beginning but the 2nd time the md complains they will get a secty in your unit. since when are nurses going to open their eyes and be a nurse and stop solving every one else's problems.

[GoodEnuf]

I totally agree with llg's reasons why people with RN licenses aren't working....I'm one of them (I actually do part-time volunteer work as a nurse). My biggest frustration is that I hear such loud crying from hospitals unable to fill nursing positions yet they continue to impose strict and rigid requirements on nurses who offer to work under different requirements. They would rather turn you down for not meeting their demands rather than seek alternative means to getting more nursing staff. It appears that the nursing profession has absolutely no clout even when we're in high demand!

[OzNurse69]

Wow, I didn't realise my job was so flexible until I read some of your posts. On my unit we have people who:

- work 2 days per week, from 8:30 - 4 to fit in with childcare hours

- start am shifts at 7:30 instead of 7 cos childcare doesn't start until 7

- don't work pm's or nights during the week

- only work weekends/only work weekdays

- do 10 or 12 hour nights cos it suits them

- finish early (2:30) so they can get home to pick kids up from school

- work school terms only (salary sacrifice during the term so their income is averaged out over the year - slightly lower when they are at work, but they get 12 wks paid time off per year)

And we all self-roster, so if someone has a problem with the roster, they only have themselves to blame!!

But in spite of this, & the fact that the permanent staff are a really good bunch of people to work with, we still run short & have to use 2-3 agency staff every day....... No answers, I'm afraid.....

[MrsK1223]

"It's easy to say, "Give me a big raise," but it's another thing to find the money to pay for big raises for the millions of nurses out there"

This may be true but I've seen some pretty fancy smancy administrative departments (huge offices, fireplaces, living room furniture, huge expensive desks and tons of extra staff sitting at desks answering phones, to go there looks like you've walked into the Ritz Carlton) and some pretty unnecessary fancy equipment in HR that they don't know how to use and complain about having to use it. I see a lot of shirts being bought and embroidered for the employees, marketing strategies that are costing a bunch among other things. The only people I see smiling and laughing and enjoying lunches are the ones that don't do patient care.

I don't know how to start to make it better....if anyone who hates to hear us complain and states we need to take action, then you lead us and let us know what we can do or better yet what are doing to make it better. I'd love to know so I can join you.