Here Now Gone Tomorrow

roser13, ASN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

There is no nursing shortage. Whoever told you that is mis-informed.

LPN's are being phased out in many markets. Check your local hospitals, clinics, etc., to see if they actually do still hire LPN's.

nursej22, MSN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

In my area of the country there are very few schools that offer a bridge from LVN to RN.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

There is no nursing shortage; in many area there is a nursing surplus.

Before you make a decision; look at your market, the school that you are interesting and go from there.

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

There is no age limit for nursing, but floor nursing is very physically demanding. There are some more plum positions, but those are typically taken by nurses with years of experience- not new graduates. I'm a little over 40 and it's tough on me. It's always in the back of my mind that I may not be able to keep this up too much longer, although I am very healthy presently. I don't know too many nurses (of any age) that don't ache here and there, at least on occasion.

I'm not trying to be discouraging, but make sure you have a good understanding of what your getting yourself into. This is especially important if you're taking out any kind of loans. You'll want to make sure that you're employed and able to pay them back.

I would probably skip LVN for various reasons, including your age. You have a better chance of moving into a less physically demanding position with the higher degree.

And like some others have said, there is no nursing shortage as is often suggested by schools. Many new graduates struggle to secure any position and some new graduates have to leave their home cities or states to find work.

Good luck to you whatever you decide.

WonderingWhichWay · Apr 10, 2016

First off, I do not plan to take out any loans. Given that it should take about 24 months I should be able to handle that financially.

Second, I have been told by many people ( both in the field, and out that they are not able to find enough people to fill the positions)that there was a shortage. If not a shortage I will restate that has a surplus of positions.Perhaps this is occurring where I am located. I do not plan to make any moves although I will drive to a position if necessary. I would limit my drive time to 45 minutes- 1 hour one way.

I have looked at several Job listing sites and have found many openings listed. To me that would infer that there are many openings and they are not finding enough people to fill these positions. I might add that I have looked at these Job Boards several weeks in a row.

I have not spoken to any schools on the topic of shortages. Of course, they are in it to get as many students in their programs as possible and they paint a picture of severe shortage. Since they are not out in field they may lose touch with what exactly is needed. I find this to be true in most fields.

If you all knew someone who wanted to enter a medical field what would you suggest? I really had my heart set on nursing and while some of you stated that you did not want to discourage it did come out that way in a sense. If there is no shortage of nurses I suppose you would also say that is no shortage of any positions in the medical fields. Would that be the case?

Libby1987 · Apr 10, 2016

It can be hard to very hard to fill positions with experienced nurses. The pickle many new grads or under experienced nurses find themselves in is that there are many less of the desirable positions that don't require experience than the surplus of inexperienced nurses.

GrumpyRN, NP · Apr 10, 2016

Hi, I realise that what I say may not be relevant as I am from the UK and a totally different system. I am 60 years old, I work in a job where I can sit down a lot - writing notes, examining patients etc. - but I would never advise someone of 55 to start nurse training. It is a very physically demanding job and employers tend to look for younger people (I hurt a lot during and after shifts). Also, and I agree this may not be the same but, when did you get your degrees? Is a degree you got 20-30 years ago still current and usable?

Plus, and please do not take offence as it is meant constructively, you have been told by 3 people on this thread who are "in the business" that there is no nursing shortage but you are disagreeing with them.

Good luck with your plans.

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

I have looked at several Job listing sites and have found many openings listed. To me that would infer that there are many openings and they are not finding enough people to fill these positions. I might add that I have looked at these Job Boards several weeks in a row.

I'm not sure what job boards you're looking at, but many are not reliable. You'll see that when you actually start attempting to apply for those jobs. Even listings on a hospital's site are often "generic" and run all the time.

Legitimate listings are around too, or course ....but many of those are not open to new graduates. The ones that are open to new graduates may have many, many applicants per available position. It might be worth it to contact a few hospitals in your area and ask about their new graduate programs. Ask how many spaces they have verses number of applications they receive, for example.

It's great that you wouldn't have to take out loans for school. That's a huge plus that makes everything a little less scary. If things don't work out or you're not able to work for very long, at least you won't find yourself below zero.

I'm not sure how the market is for other jobs in healthcare as nursing is the only healthcare job I've ever had.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Apr 10, 2016

Job boards are not a valid resource to determine job prospects. Many unions mandate positions be posted even if no intention to fill or fill the position with internal candidates. Many ghost jobs are posted that will never be filled

Whoever told you LPN is eliminated to mandate BSN only needs to provide a source as that is simply not true.

Very few acute care settings use LPNs. Most LPNs work home health, private duty, hospice, LTC rehab

Marisette, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

Job boards are not good indicators of nursing job availability. I notice some jobs show up over and over again. I have applied to various positions and received the thank your for applying response and less frequently the "we have found somebody that better meets out needs" response.

You seem to be in a good position to pursue nursing if you don't need to take out loans, and you can rely on previous retirement income if you find that you don't like nursing.

Education alone will not get you a good position in nursing or prepare you to be a good nurse. The happier and more successful nurses appear to have a combination of both. I think you have to be prepared to spend time in clinical areas to develop nursing skills after completion of education. If you have an opportunity, to do some volunteer work, it may answer your questions better than anything posted on this board. I know some BSN nurses without the experience in my area that have not succeeded in finding employment.

I won't discourage you from going into nursing. You may be an excellent nurse and heaven knows you may be the excellent nurse taking care of me or my family members. If this is your passion, by all means pursue it. I don't think given my personality traits and current state of healthcare, that going into nursing is something I would do again.

In most states, the over supply of nurses, has resulted in difficult working conditions. Management makes unreasonable demands because they can replace the nurse who dares questions anything in the workplace. I have experienced more competition and a certain blame mentality in the workplace as everyone in the health care is trying to be in compliance with government mandates for quality care and patient satisfaction.

Having said all of this, it sometimes better to follow the heart than the mind. You only live once and if you can afford it, follow your heart. Good luck.

FurBabyMom, MSN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

I have said this before...there are areas of the country with enough or too many nurses, and areas with not enough. The areas with not enough are generally areas that are less "ideal" to most people than the areas where there are too many/enough nurses. When I worked in Appalachia - I could have just about any job I wanted - nobody outside that area wanted to move there.

I will agree with others - places hiring LPNs/LVNs are becoming few and far between.

Others are correct, at this time, there is no requirement for a BSN as a new grad/entry to practice. There are some professional organizations endorsing this movement but as of yet there is no real movement or change on it. You CAN get a job as an ASN/ADN grad. Many hospitals are beginning to require a BSN or require a BSN within so many years for those who are hired without it. I do not personally believe a BSN should be the be all end all requirement, but I do believe we need to become more standardized in our education for entry to practice. (I say this as a BSN grad who is looking at grad school in my (hopefully) imminent future).

You have to make the decisions that are best for you. Ultimately, only you can make those decisions. But I would suggest researching it thoroughly.