Having One of Those Days of Doubt Again....

DragonPurr · Mar 1, 2014

He said his mother told him that "a friend of hers applied for a nursing job and didn't get it because there are a lot of unemployed nurses in Delaware, where we live, and because they had 800 applicants for one job." So now, all of a sudden, there are too many nurses?! Yeah, right!

Not to rain on your parade, but if you are not taking what your MIL has said seriously, then you have not scoped out the current nursing climate accurately. There is NO nursing shortage and newly graduated nurses ARE having a very difficult time finding work in some areas.

Your "Yeah, right" comment leads me to believe you are just as clueless about the nursing arena as you have been about spending 7 years on a degree you have just now figured out isn't for you.

If you are serious about nursing you probably should do a lot more in depth research and maybe even get a job as a nursing assistant before making a big commitment to the nursing field.

Hope you figure out whatever is best for you, but don't switch tracks thinking the job market is better than the one you currently employ, because it isn't.

Good luck in whatever choices you make.

NightNurseRN13 · Mar 1, 2014

Positive vibes your way! I will say that if you get your CNAII while in nursing school and find a position doing that it will most likely be much easier to get a position as a RN on the floor you've been working on. If you don't like the floor you are on while working as a CNA then switch floors. It's a great way to get your foot in the door, figure out which unit will fit you and if you absolutely hate it then maybe nursing isn't for you. :)

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Mar 1, 2014

I am sorry you are feeling frustrated. However, your MIL's friend is right. There is no nursing shortage. Jobs vanished around 2009. Many states have as high as a 47% unemployment rate for new grads. Most facilities are requiring a BSN for new grads to be considered for employment. There are hundreds of applicants for very few jobs. A job density report for Delaware...

Delaware
[TABLE]
[TR]
[TH=align: left]City and Area[/TH]
[TH=align: right]Median Salary[/TH]
[TH=align: right]Employees[/TH]
[TH=align: right]Job Density[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dover[/TD]
[TD=align: right]$67,000[/TD]
[TD=align: right]1,070[/TD]
[TD=align: right]+16%[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Wilmington[/TD]
[TD=align: right]$72,000[/TD]
[TD=align: right]8,110[/TD]
[TD=align: right]+23%[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Nurses Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

The reason for this is multifactorial. The nursing shortage figures were calculated on nurses retiring...which they did not due to the crash of Wall Street. They were figured on a false inflation for needs based on a mandatory staffing bill being passed...which it still hasn't yet. The bad economy and so many people flocking to the "sure thing" saturated the field.

Nursing is tough out there right now with no relief in sight. Consider your choices carefully before spending your many on more education. I have read your previous posts if you are tired over the political cow manure be wary of the medical profession.

Go to the Google search box on each page...type in no nursing shortage or I can't find a job....read your results. Then make a decision.

[TABLE]

[TR]

[TH=align: left][/TH]

[TH=align: right][/TH]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[TD=align: right][/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[TD=align: right][/TD]

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[/TABLE]

calivianya, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2014

I had to move 400 miles to a very low income, somewhat rural area to find a job as a RN new graduate with my BSN. If you are not prepared to uproot your entire family and do the same, I honestly would not recommend you pick nursing as a career right now. You didn't say if you had kids or not - I feel like it's easier for people without them to pick up and move because kids can get pretty traumatized over having to change schools and lose contact with all of their friends, so if you don't have them and your husband is willing to uproot his life, too, maybe nursing is a good choice.

Because I was willing to move I had a job offer before graduation, so it is possible to get hired very quickly after getting your bachelor's if you are serious about moving to rural areas. I understand it can be a year or more in some places to find a job as a new graduate RN if you are in a bigger city. That's about as positive as I can get. Sorry if that's not what you were looking for.

SuperStaffer · Mar 31, 2014

He said his mother told him that "a friend of hers applied for a nursing job and didn't get it because there are a lot of unemployed nurses in Delaware, where we live, and because they had 800 applicants for one job." So now, all of a sudden, there are too many nurses?! Yeah, right!

Not to rain on your parade, but if you are not taking what your MIL has said seriously, then you have not scoped out the current nursing climate accurately. There is NO nursing shortage and newly graduated nurses ARE having a very difficult time finding work in some areas.
Your "Yeah, right" comment leads me to believe you are just as clueless about the nursing arena as you have been about spending 7 years on a degree you have just now figured out isn't for you.
If you are serious about nursing you probably should do a lot more in depth research and maybe even get a job as a nursing assistant before making a big commitment to the nursing field.
Hope you figure out whatever is best for you, but don't switch tracks thinking the job market is better than the one you currently employ, because it isn't.
Good luck in whatever choices you make.

I agree, there is no shortage and in several of the cities the hospitals are competing to get nurses from one facility to theirs. You should never listen to a mother in law. They are meant to be evile. At least mine is.

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2014

Oh gosh I am right there with you.

I am lucky that I have the opportunity to be currently enrolled in the nursing program and this is my second Bachelors (therefore, I am doubly lucky). I got my BA in Psych and that was me really selling myself short -- it kind of sounds like you're doing that, too.

My one disclaimer: one thing you're going to have to learn in nursing school is flexibility. So what if there is a 1:800 job:nurse ratio where you live? When you graduate (and you will cuz you're going to do awesome since you have such an advanced scholarly background), can you be flexible enough to consider moving? Is it mandatory that you must work in Delaware? Think about that.

If you can, or, if you can do everything in your power to be the most competitive new grad RN you can be (if you're pursuing a BSN, consider student nurse work, getting published, etc. etc.) then you are taking every appropriate action to deal with the odds apparently being stacked against you. These are the things that keep the fire lit under my bum. I'm lucky to live in CA so I know the difficulty of finding a job may not be quite so bad but it is still competitive. I am doing everything in my power to make sure I am as competitive as they come. And you know what? I'm actually able to have the energy and the passion and the drive to do these things because I am on the right path. Once you get accepted and start getting down to business you will be over-the-moon thrilled and driven, especially the farther you get from your former life in special ed.

Sometimes, the change is all it takes to dramatically transform you. I know it will happen for you if you're ready to embrace it. That's how it came to me and now I'm at triple the luck.

Good (triple) luck!

MedicalPartisan · Apr 1, 2014

Responding only in regard to the pay, nursing isn't some opulent career that many perceive it to be (I'm not implying that you were). If money plays a crucial (but not solitary, of course) role in your decision to become a nurse, consider this. In Florida, my friend who just became an RN on our surgical unit makes about $21.55/hour. After taxes and insurance for her and her child, her bi-weekly take-home checks are just under $1300. Now an ED RN I work with (who has been an RN for 14 years) claims his take-home is roughly only $300 more bi-weekly, $1600 at $28/hour.

I too have been second-guessing my career choice lately. While I want to be a nurse more than anything at the moment, this is 2014. Pay does matter. They always say don't choose a career for the money, do what you love. But it's hard to support that statement in today's world. What most people nowadays care about is job security, benefits, and decent pay, not a job that makes them happy. It's just a bit nerve-wrecking that nursing is becoming so prevalent with more and more people coming into the field. I definitely think the job security will be there for quite some time but what will begin to suffer is pay, incentives, sign-on bonuses, and more (because of the influx of nurses). I just can't believe that an ED nurse of 14 years is only making $300 more than a brand new floor nurse. And while I don't have a family yet, I feel like I won't be able to support one (the way I want to) on $2600 a month.

Sorry for pouring my thoughts into your thread. This post become more of a therapy session for myself rather than a response to you. :)