How does one ensure job security in this field?

[uRabbit]

My fiance's mother is an LPN and recently was let go from her job. Yesterday she was put on suspension. Today she was fired. A year before that, she was - along with all the other LPN's - were let go from a hospital.

This is all very unsettling, as I'm looking at forking out a very pretty penny over the next ten years for a career that BLS says is growing 23% from 2006 to 2016.

I am looking at BSU to get my RN rather than my previous choices of Apollo or CWI, as BSU is accredited.

What else can one do?

[diane227, LPN, RN]

I fear that at some point LPN's may be pushed completely out of the nursing picture. There is a nursing shortage but it depends on where you live and what kind of nursing you want to do. Some nursing areas are harder to fill than others. Med surg positions are harder to fill than positions in the ICU or the ED. In any area that you want to work in, you need to do what ever extra education that you can do to make yourself more marketable. For example, if you know that you want to work in the ED, then go ahead and get your BLS and you might want to get your EMT certification as well.

You are going to have to do well in your clinicals and I should tell you that if you can get a part time job in a hospital doing anything while you are in nursing school it will be to your advantage. I worked part time as a CNA while in nursing school and slid right into a job at that facility after graduation. I did not have to interview anywhere. Had a job waiting for me.

You may have to be willing to move. Don't look on Craig's list or Monster. Go to the web and search for hospitals in certain cities where you think you might want to live and go to those hospital web sites and see what type of positions they have open. As as RN you will be able to find a job, you just may have to spend some time doing what you don't want to do to get to where you finally want to be.

I knew I always wanted to work in the largest county trauma center I could find close to me but they did not hire new grads. So I did one year of med surg, two years of critical care and then went over and got myself a job at the trauma center where I finally became the director. It takes time, but you can do it if you want to bad enough. Good Luck.

[uRabbit]

I'd love to work in surg, and plan to move to the Seattle area. Also, I am going to get my CNA so I can do that during school. The pay isn't as good as my current job, but CNA is not only more convenient for hours, but also they may offer tuition reimbursement, and as you said, may provide a job fresh out of school.

Thank you very much!