Great Article on "Shortage" of Nurses

Nurses COVID

Updated:   Published

I found this article and I think it speaks to some of the misconceptions about the shortage of nurses and how Covid has had an impact on this equation, particularly as it relates to new graduate RNs.

Finding a job can be challenging for newly graduated nurses

Happy reading!

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Specializes in Critical Care.

The "Nursing shortage" refers to whether or not there are enough practicing nurses to provide appropriate care to patients.  It actually has nothing to do with whether or not employers chose to staff the appropriate number of nurses to provide appropriate care to their patients, that's a completely separate measurement which is the nursing job vacancy rate.

When people like the author of this article argue that (because they are having a harder time than expected finding an nursing job) there isn't really a nursing shortage, what they're arguing is that hospitals and employers provide an adequate number of nursing staff to appropriately care for patients, which does a huge disservice to Nursing.  

 

 

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Hi,

I have read your response 3 or 4 times now, and I am really unsure of exactly what you are trying to say, especially this: "what they're arguing is that hospitals and employers provide an adequate number of nursing staff to appropriately care for patients, which does a huge disservice to Nursing."

Are you trying to establish that a new grad's relatively innocuous article is somehow casting aspersions on the hiring practices, or not, of hospitals?  Is it not congruous to have enough staff to care for patients?  

Additionally, I've no clue how your bifurcated explanation of the "nursing shortage" and "nursing vacancy rate" is even relevant.   It appears you have gotten involved in semantics. 

Finally, I am completely baffled as to how you inferred this author was somehow casting aspersions on nurse-to-patient ratios, knowledge of which they would not be privy to--on a widespread scale, anyway--, across the spectrum of an absolute plethora of healthcare facilities. 

My final analysis: the author was offering up an autobiographical tale and you, Muno, had a response to said writing that was hardly conducive. 

November 1---was not the evening of the big, full moon?!

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Specializes in school nurse.
On 10/31/2020 at 10:13 PM, MunoRN said:

 

When people like the author of this article argue that (because they are having a harder time than expected finding an nursing job) there isn't really a nursing shortage, what they're arguing is that hospitals and employers provide an adequate number of nursing staff to appropriately care for patients, which does a huge disservice to Nursing.  

 

 

I disagree with your inference that casting doubt on the shortage issue implies that hospitals have sufficient staffing. Quite the opposite. If ratios and assignments are unreasonable and there is no shortage, the first issue to be addressed is the refusal of hospitals to staff properly.

Also, if there really was such a shortage, new grads would be snapped up and there would be hiring bonuses galore for experienced nurses.

Like in the past when there were actual shortages.

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My sentiments exactly.  Additionally, why take umbrage with a neophyte's perception of events anyway? 

I did a lot of research on this matter, and the fact remains there is most definitely a shortage of nurses, but the shortage is of "experienced" nurses.  New nurses are having challenges finding jobs. 

Add to this, the awful confluence of events with Covid that led to retired nurses graciously returning to the workforce (thank you), and elective surgeries having gone way, way down (b/c no one wants to even so much as go near a hospital unless it is necessary), and the money to hire and the human capital to precept  are both under pressure because of what has happened this year.

But you are right, if there was a true shortage, new nurses would be working and experienced nurses would be getting walk-in bonuses.

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In the current times we live in, there are varying influences on staffing levels, needs and positions left unfilled.  The reality is that most hospitals have shifted nurses from less active positions (out-pt procedures, elective surgeries, training) to more acute care positions were the needs are greater.  This has left openings that new grads might fill to be placed on hold temporary.  For management it  is also is a balancing act when it comes to retaining trained safe who will be needed in the future and balancing the budget.  Do they strain the budget by hiring inexperienced new grads or try to maintain financial health.  By retaining train staff that can be cross-trained, this allows more staffing variability as a whole.  It is also a calculated risk that relocated staff will hang with the facility rather than being upset and leave with the chaos we are now living through.  These, of course, depend on the location and number of patients to be served.  Rural have less flexibility than urban.  High density greater needs than less.  Chronically understaffed entities (Isolated rural hospitals, Lower paying, Long Term Care, Indian Health) may not apply in staff numbers; may not be financially able to absorb the increased costs; or be the most desirable choices for most.  As a new grad, one might have to think out of the box and find a job you didn't know you will love.  Yes, we have a nursing shortage when we are in normal use times, but right now with COVID-19 things have been skewed.  Until we get back to whatever the post pandemic norm is, openings will remain variable and determined by experience, situation and need.     

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This new graduate certainly faced many challenges.  COVID-related decreases in elective procedures is one of them.  I wonder if it was also challenging that she really wanted to be in the Washington, D.C. area, which already has many of its own schools of nursing: Georgetown, GW, Catholic U., in addition to the Baltimore schools: UMSON and Johns Hopkins.  Many of these students would have already done clinicals or precepted at the DC area hospitals.  Spring 2020 would have been a very difficult time for an outsider to break into this market.

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Thank you to both MarylandMom and SeasonedOne.  I appreciate your balanced and thoughtful contributions to this thread.

New grads are having challenges.  Another factor is the absolute plethora of traveling nurses (thank you) moving about the country to help with Covid.  Many come to an area, leave to go to another area-of-need, and then return to the original areas, where they first worked, to address the growing need, once again.  

There are a lot of factors plaguing new grads in 2020, but in the fullness-of-time, we might return to some sort of normal, or at least I hope anyway, where these challenges will be less and opportunities to work and learn will be more.

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