I'm thinking about seeking another profession due to what I saw on T.V. last night

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I'm having second thoughts about being a nurse do to the shortage they are talking about. On 60 min. they had a segment on the nursing shortage. The nurses they interview said they aren't getting compensated for the work they do and the training they have had. Thety have to work double shifts and I now they work 12 hours a shift and that's ok but I don't want to do it 5 days a week. Just 3what am I getting myself into?

Media is sensationalized and will use whatever means necessary to scare the public and draw in viewers. While the nursing shortage is a problem, you can not draw a mass conclusion based on one or two hospitals. Of course they're going to pick the bottom feeder hospitals for their segment. You don't HAVE to do anything, and that includes working for organizations that force massive overtime and crappy bennies.

Kristy

I sometimes think the same thing, gordi24, but I try to put it into prespective.

I went into this because i love people and trying to care for them (corny as it sounds), and therefore started nursing.

My other friends all seem to have problems in their respective careers also, in any field, stress, low pay, huge workload etc etc......so I figure that thses issues don't necessarily affect only nurses. :)

Specializes in PCU, Critical Care, Observation.

Perpahs they are stirring up this controversy & publicizing it on tv so that the nursing shortage is addressed by someone higher up since it seems like so far not much is really changing.

What other field are you thinking of going into? I think it's normal to be nervous. I feel that way at times too----am I doing the right thing, is this truly want I want to do with my career, it will take a lot of years of school to get to the level I want to be, etc. All I can say is to follow your heart.

Jen

Jen, at this very early stage in my carreer, I am leaning toward ICU/CCU........ :)

Specializes in Float Pool, ICU/CCU, Med/Surg, Onc, Tele.

I figured if I could slog my way through almost 5 years of state agency correctional secretary hell, I can put up with just about anything! The great thing about nursing is, if you hate the place you're working just go somewhere else. With a big shortage, just about everywhere is looking for nurses, so TAKE YOUR PICK. That's what I intend to do, anyway! :D

I work 12 hour shifts and we only work 3 days a week. We are very seldom short staffed, but I work in a smaller rural hospital. I believe the biggest problem with short staffing is in the larger metropolitan areas. I agree that the media does over sensationalize things, but sometimes that's what gets people's attention. But there is a nursing shortage, and this certainly does call attention to it!

Yes, but when 75% of your segment is on importing nurses from foreign countries and not on solving the problem within...what's that gaining us? There technically is not a nursing shortage in the U.S. There are more RN's with licenses who are not practicing d/t the working conditions then we would need to fill all holes. If we would fix what was broken instead of hopping on the bandwagon of a temporary fix, we wouldn't have the problem we do.

Kristy

I thought that segment was totally accurate. It was second time I watched it. They only problem was that they included a segment on imported nurses in it. These two subject should have there own story told without being lumped together. The recent survey in Pa shows that 76% of licensed RNs in state are working in healthcare. That does not include people who let their license expire because they just have no interest in field. There are a lot of those.

I've been an RN for a year now in an SICU of a level 1 trauma center. The best piece of advice I can give is to join the ANA after graduation. This is nursing's organization and they fight for the rights of nursing. The saddest part is so few nurses join that the ANA isn't nearly as powerful as it could be. I realize that there is a long way to go to get to a perfect world, but we have come a long way.

Nurses work in more places than you can imagine so if you find yourself in a bad situation you can always change your direction.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

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