where are the nursing shortages?

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I am hearing that there are shortages in some areas while some are cutting back jobs.

Can anyone tell me for sure where thet know there are nursing shortages in the U.S or Canada.

Thanks

I am hearing that there are shortages in some areas while some are cutting back jobs.

Can anyone tell me for sure where thet know there are nursing shortages in the U.S or Canada.

Thanks

Colorado has shortages in most areas.

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I imagine they are looking at facility FTE's unfilled. But the facilities LIKE staffing us short...I guess this is missed by lots of nurses. Once we've had the experience of replying to flyers, postcards, recruitment letters..noting a gazillion advertisements in the paper, then reply only to be stalled, told they're not hiring, et..one begins to get the picture. They may consider hiring that 'perfect nurse specimen' but many are not desperate to hire nurses, believe me.

Can someone explain this to me? I've seen this posted many times. Basically you're claiming they're running ads, spending all this money recruiting NOT to hire people ???

This makes no sense whatsoever. They could simply not run the ads, etc. and save the money

Unless you're going to claim that hospitals run ads, etc. just to placate existing staff and mislead them about shortages ... which, quite frankly, seems really ludricrous and highly unlikely.

:rolleyes:

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There are two kinds of nursing shortages (as I see it):

One is the kind the hospitals put in print for the media to talk about, yet when it comes to hiring nurses, "nothing is available".

The other shortage is what I call the "true nursing shortage" where nurses are in short supply, and hospitals truly do have a hard time filling positions.

Separate the ones that are TRUE shortages from the ones that are all a bunch of "hype", and you'll find yourself a job in no time. :)

==================

I agree with the above. Our facility has not hired full time RN's but 25 casual to part time and you know what? Once these new grads were finished orientation, they went to the states which I don't blame them at all because they were not being given shifts. 2 Shifts in a week doesn't pay the bills.

Sarah

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Can someone explain this to me? I've seen this posted many times. Basically you're claiming they're running ads, spending all this money recruiting NOT to hire people ???

This makes no sense whatsoever. They could simply not run the ads, etc. and save the money

Unless you're going to claim that hospitals run ads, etc. just to placate existing staff and mislead them about shortages ... which, quite frankly, seems really ludricrous and highly unlikely.

:rolleyes:

I too have seen this theory being posted many times and also thought that the idea seemed crazy.

However, this poster was working here in TX and I can only tell you what happened to me.

When I was waiting to take my RN boards, I had only one hospital I wanted to work at so I sent my resume and waited and waited and waited.

I had one friend who worked in the NICU there and she kept telling me that her boss was waiting to hear from me and wanted to interview me. I never called her back because I didn't want to work NICU and figured one of the adult ICU managers would be calling me at any time. Wrong. 2 months go by.

In a panic, I sent my resume to every hospital in Houston even though I really didn't want to work in the city I knew that I needed a job even if it meant a long commute.

Every last hospital in Houston called me within a day of faxing my resume or applying online. Every interview in Houston I went to offered me a job with an internship in the specialty of my choice. I could have done anything I wanted in Houston. Why would the only hospital I wanted to work at out of the city seem to be not interested in me? And why would the NICU manager there be "dying" to interview me when I never had any peds experience in my life and was a new RN when MICU, SICU, CVICU,OR, etc. had no interest in me whatsoever?

It's because the NICU manager wants new people that her current nurses already know and refer. Same as everywhere else at this hospital. You basically have to know someone to get in there. I finally did, with much persistance and basically harassing the recruiters and nurse managers, got an adult ICU position but it was like pulling teeth. At the same time the Houston hospitals were calling my phone constantly waiting for my decision on whether I was taking a position at one of their facilities!

I thought, what is going on here? Why would one hospital seem unaffected by the shortage and turn into a "good ole boys club" when it comes to hiring while the others seem desparate for help?

I have since even tried to help get a PCT/nursing assistant hired in here and it was difficult.

This hospital, by the way, runs full page color ads in popular nursing magazines and in the papers on a steady basis. There are billboards along the freeway advertising for nursing positions. They also frequently send recruiters up to Canada and my Canadian colleagues all got jobs through their job fairs in Canada.

But unless you know someone, good luck with actually getting interviewed there.

Why do they go through all the effort and expense of advertising only to have your resume collecting dust on some recruiter or managers desk?

I have no idea but it happens.

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU~CCRN,CNRN.
I too have seen this theory being posted many times and also thought that the idea seemed crazy.

However, this poster was working here in TX and I can only tell you what happened to me.

When I was waiting to take my RN boards, I had only one hospital I wanted to work at so I sent my resume and waited and waited and waited.

I had one friend who worked in the NICU there and she kept telling me that her boss was waiting to hear from me and wanted to interview me. I never called her back because I didn't want to work NICU and figured one of the adult ICU managers would be calling me at any time. Wrong. 2 months go by.

In a panic, I sent my resume to every hospital in Houston even though I really didn't want to work in the city I knew that I needed a job even if it meant a long commute.

Every last hospital in Houston called me within a day of faxing my resume or applying online. Every interview in Houston I went to offered me a job with an internship in the specialty of my choice. I could have done anything I wanted in Houston. Why would the only hospital I wanted to work at out of the city seem to be not interested in me? And why would the NICU manager there be "dying" to interview me when I never had any peds experience in my life and was a new RN when MICU, SICU, CVICU,OR, etc. had no interest in me whatsoever?

It's because the NICU manager wants new people that her current nurses already know and refer. Same as everywhere else at this hospital. You basically have to know someone to get in there. I finally did, with much persistance and basically harassing the recruiters and nurse managers, got an adult ICU position but it was like pulling teeth. At the same time the Houston hospitals were calling my phone constantly waiting for my decision on whether I was taking a position at one of their facilities!

I thought, what is going on here? Why would one hospital seem unaffected by the shortage and turn into a "good ole boys club" when it comes to hiring while the others seem desparate for help?

I have since even tried to help get a PCT/nursing assistant hired in here and it was difficult.

This hospital, by the way, runs full page color ads in popular nursing magazines and in the papers on a steady basis. There are billboards along the freeway advertising for nursing positions. They also frequently send recruiters up to Canada and my Canadian colleagues all got jobs through their job fairs in Canada.

But unless you know someone, good luck with actually getting interviewed there.

Why do they go through all the effort and expense of advertising only to have your resume collecting dust on some recruiter or managers desk?

I have no idea but it happens.

This happened to me about 10 years ago, I was a new grad working on a medsurg floor for only about 6 months. I was overwhelmed and disappointed in this work and wanted to work ICU. I talked with the Nurse Manager and she did not want to hire me because of my minimal nursing experience. She said it cost alot of money to train for adult ICU...So she told me to work in a medsurg floor for at least a year before she would even consider me.

2 weeks later, she called and said they were desperate and would consider hiring me. I was on "orientation" for 3 months, and it took a full year before I realized what in the heck I was doing.

What it boils down to, they want experienced critical care nurses first. I don't get it..but I guess it comes down to the expense of training a nurse in critical care as opposed to hiring a nurse with experience! Go figure. I demand a high salary now with my experience, and have had multiple job offers in the past, but our salaries are still too low for my taste!

Just my thoughts...

Good luck in ICU...it's the best experience I've ever had and wouldn't change it for the world...

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It's because the NICU manager wants new people that her current nurses already know and refer. Same as everywhere else at this hospital. You basically have to know someone to get in there.

Ok, well, that's office politics. And I do understand that. Employers do all kinds of stupid things because of office politics. If they want to hire someone they know or who is referred ... well ... that's not out of left field.

But that doesn't mean there isn't a shortage. And that doesn't mean there's some conspiracy to create a false impression of shortage ... which is what some of these posts imply.

Thanks for the insight.

:coollook:

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Ok, well, that's office politics. And I do understand that. Employers do all kinds of stupid things because of office politics. If they want to hire someone they know or who is referred ... well ... that's not out of left field.

But that doesn't mean there isn't a shortage. And that doesn't mean there's some conspiracy to create a false impression of shortage ... which is what some of these posts imply.

Thanks for the insight.

:coollook:

What are you doing up this early? Isn't it like 04:30 am in CA?

I agree that it's office politics and that it is not an indication of no shortage.

But it's a mystery to me about all of the advertising and sending recruiters to Canada and at the same time having them being able to afford to be so selective.

My nurse manager recently told a colleague that "the shortage is over" when he informed her that our hospital was not keping up with the current market rate of pay for nurses.

Is she crazy or what? Has she not opened a Houston Chronicle lately?

All of my job hunting efforts and interviews occurred well over a year ago and some of these managers and recruiters are STILL trying to contact me about a job.

By the way, I just read that article on that nurse in Sacramento (I think) who got detained for being in a theater at some premiere that the governer was at and was told that she was a threat because she had a nursing unifrom on.

Did you hear about it?

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Specializes in SRNA.

I think the issue here (well, one of them) is that the "nursing shortage" has become a sort of marketing entity. "Got Milk?" "Just Do It" "Nursing Shortage" But that doesn't change the fact that there are tons of jobs available in nursing - at least here in the northeast - and that trend will probably continue for a while - possibly for decades. Most of the ICUs I know around here have an average turnover of about 2 years and they all hire new grads.

-S

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU~CCRN,CNRN.

Here in SW Florida there is currently a "hiring freeze" isn't that short for, you're SOL if you want to transfer internally?

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Although few seem to want to pay attention to the actual statistics, which do show a shortage, here they are:

http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w4.526/DC1

http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/rnproject/report.htm

So yes, there IS a shortage. There may not be a shortage in every area of the country but there is a shortage in many places.

However, some don't want to acknowledge the data because it doesn't fit with their "no shortage" agenda.

:rolleyes:

:angryfire I went to the above sites just for the fun of it. YES the stats indicate a shortage of nurses but you are missing the point.....There are thousands of USA nurses ready willing and able to work if it were not for the unsafe environment in our hospitals. Nurse/patient ratios put both at high risk. The "shortage" is not from a lack in the number of trained nurses ! It is due to the working conditions. If you read the article from above you would see that a lot of the older nurses have begun to return. This is because great strides have already been made in certain areas of the country curbing the high nurse/patient ratios. Contact your state nursing association and the ANA to get all of the facts....not just the ones posted by the government.....Check out the bill in the senate on the efforts of some to eliminate mandating nationwide.....Once these changes are made law; watch how many nurses will want to work and won't be able to get jobs because they'll already have been taken by foreign nurses.... :angryfire

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Columbia, Missouri

I am hearing that there are shortages in some areas while some are cutting back jobs.

Can anyone tell me for sure where thet know there are nursing shortages in the U.S or Canada.

Thanks

Up Vote Up Vote ×
This happened to me about 10 years ago, I was a new grad working on a medsurg floor for only about 6 months. I was overwhelmed and disappointed in this work and wanted to work ICU. I talked with the Nurse Manager and she did not want to hire me because of my minimal nursing experience. She said it cost alot of money to train for adult ICU...So she told me to work in a medsurg floor for at least a year before she would even consider me.

2 weeks later, she called and said they were desperate and would consider hiring me. I was on "orientation" for 3 months, and it took a full year before I realized what in the heck I was doing.

What it boils down to, they want experienced critical care nurses first. I don't get it..but I guess it comes down to the expense of training a nurse in critical care as opposed to hiring a nurse with experience! Go figure. I demand a high salary now with my experience, and have had multiple job offers in the past, but our salaries are still too low for my taste!

Just my thoughts...

Good luck in ICU...it's the best experience I've ever had and wouldn't change it for the world...

:confused: Everyone tells me I have to do 1-2 yrs. med-surge before I can even consider trying something like ICU. But I've been a new grad since May 04 and I simply won't kill myself in med-surge here in NY. They're always short staffed 10-14 pt's per nurse and the cna's don't exactly like new nurses and they let you know that (so do the RN's) eat their own so to speak but complain they're short staffed go figure ??? My license is so on the line doing that... it scares me to death. :chair: So I decided to stay on vacation since May and plan to start looking around April this year. I might just try doing it the way you did and see where it lands.....sounds like a good idea...

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