Longtime posters here have begun commenting that there are now a lot of posts from new grads who can't find jobs--posts you never would have seen a few years ago. I know in some areas it's still very easy to find new grad jobs, but in the areas where it's difficult, it's a big problem.
If hospitals and other facilities aren't hiring new grads, the nursing shortage will probably be even worse than predicted in those areas in ten years, as those grads give up on nursing or move to other areas.
What can or should be done to improve these conditions? Government incentives to hospitals? Does anyone even care?
I'm 41, with a (very shy) daughter almost in middle school. My husband works for the state, and after many years of crappy pay and benefits, we're hoping for retirement at 52, when he can get another job and collect a pension. Leaving now wouldn't be a good parenting or financial decision.
If I were young, unmarried, and not a parent, relocating would be a possibility. Or maybe when my husband retires from his current job and my daughter is grown, we'd be willing to move. But for right now, we feel we have to stay put.
I was always under the impression that special ed teaching jobs were easier to get than regular teaching jobs d/t the fact that fewer people want them. I think it is a very noble profession.
Have you ever considered speech therapy?? I hear that is a very good field and you could still put your special ed skills to use. That is what I wish i would have went into. You probably could just go for the masters and I think some universities offer it online. It is a very broad field - you could work in a school, hospital, rehab center,ect. That way you wouldn't have to totally start all over such as with nursing.
I would be careful about only going into it for the $$$
It's not ONLY money for me. If I were offered a nursing job today, I'd take a 50% pay cut. Even if India took all of my work away, I'd be able to find a management position in my field that pays better than nursing wage and is a 9-5 job. But I've done that, and it near drove me nuts. There's something about working in a cubicle all day, dealing with ***head sales guys, and working my tail off to earn corporate more money that drains me. It was all exciting for awhile because I have managed to do so well, but after a time I began to miss *making a difference to another human being.*
Money's good, and I need a certain amount of money to be able to stay where I am and keep my daughter's life stable. But at this point, I need my heart filled, along with my wallet. I used to teach, so I know about high stress for no pay. But leaving at the end of the day knowing that I helped someone through something important is something money can't buy. If I can make a decent income and make a difference, I'm going for it.
I was always under the impression that special ed teaching jobs were easier to get than regular teaching jobs d/t the fact that fewer people want them. I think it is a very noble profession.
Have you ever considered speech therapy?? I hear that is a very good field and you could still put your special ed skills to use. That is what I wish i would have went into. You probably could just go for the masters and I think some universities offer it online. It is a very broad field - you could work in a school, hospital, rehab center,ect. That way you wouldn't have to totally start all over such as with nursing.
Around here bilingual special ed and teaching the emotionally disturbed are usually the areas in need. Other than that, I'd have to have an "in".
I thought about speech therapy, but the job market for that isn't so hot here. And most speech therapists I know hate their jobs about as much as nurses and teachers do.
I already have a master's degree, and I looked into speech path, OT, and PT, and I'd need more prereqs for those than I need for nursing. And the sciences are a blast, and there's much more of that in nursing.
Sorry Editor2RN:uhoh21: I was implying to the other poster who seems to be most interested in the paycheck.
No problem! I understand. When I was an undergraduate one of my favorite professors used to tell teaching students that if they wanted to be a teacher to have summers off, they'd find the school year to be the longest and most painful year of their life.
If you hate your job, no amount of money or time off is worth going in to work.
Longtime posters here have begun commenting that there are now a lot of posts from new grads who can't find jobs--posts you never would have seen a few years ago. I know in some areas it's still very easy to find new grad jobs, but in the areas where it's difficult, it's a big problem.
If hospitals and other facilities aren't hiring new grads, the nursing shortage will probably be even worse than predicted in those areas in ten years, as those grads give up on nursing or move to other areas.
What can or should be done to improve these conditions? Government incentives to hospitals? Does anyone even care?
When my husband graduated from nursing school in 1993 it was the only time we had ever seen ads in the paper saying "no newgrads please". Most of his class had to go into long term care or rehab. A few months later he had no trouble getting on with a hospital but right out of school he had so many nasty interviews. Now those same facilities solicit him all the time.
I would be careful about only going into it for the $$$
I've already said I'll probably pass it up because of the requirements. I was looking into finance/engineering instead before I looked into nursing so my college credits have nothing to do with nursing. I also wouldn't try to bash other members because money is what most nurses want. Proof? Look at the wait list for correctional facilities in California, and the ANA lobbies to stifle nursing programs from developing.
it appears to me as if you are hostile towards nursing because the shortage is so vast that highly qualified students are flocking to schools forcing you to have to complete additional prereqs and acheive higher grades... If you are not interested in being a nurse and have nothing positive to say (as it appears here you do not) please find another forum to post on. I love hearing from those outside the profession as they generally have valid input, but I feel your contributions have been to merely stir up emotions...
Wendy79, I am sorry you legitimate and valuable thread has been turned into this. Please know I care about the saturation of the new grad nursing market in my area and do agree that something needs to be done, but what? Let's get this thread back on track!
it appears to me as if you are hostile towards nursing because the shortage is so vast that highly qualified students are flocking to schools forcing you to have to complete additional prereqs and acheive higher grades...
Huh? It's not that the prereqs are bad. It's just that I haven't completed them since those courses weren't a part of my other major. I can easily get the grades. Engineering students aren't dumb. It's the waiting period that sickens me. I'd love it if they did that to engineering, but they send all these foreigners here every year and outsource the jobs. BTW, I didn't mean to offend anyone here. It's just that this is one reason why the health care system we have is screwed up. What's so bad about talking about the shortage and the reasons why there is one?
The local government should stop giving money to colleges to turn out more and more nursing students. If you look at the interantional forum you can see first hand what happens when nursing schools multiple.
Everyone IN nursing knows that even in ares of nursing shortage that there is no new grad shortage. Hospitals are looking for experienced nurses.
The local governments should give the money to health care facilities to offset the expense of training new grads. In times of budget crunches one of the easiest items to reduce is the money spent for orientation. Hire less new grads and your budget goes way down.
The problem is that with the decline in diploma schools new grads leave school needing extensive orientation and someone has to pay the price of getting them the experience needed in order to make them desirable.
For one thing, that isn't what this thread is about. There are numerous threads about the causes of the nursing shortage if that's what you want to talk about. Also, none of us appreciate being told (by someone not in the field, no less) that we could find jobs if we just looked harder.
I wouldn't go into the military because I'm not willing to move anywhere in the world. I applaud those who are. When I went into nursing, it was with the understanding that there were jobs available, just about anywhere. It was what I was told throughout school, too. If I'd had any idea it would be hard to find jobs, I would have worked during nursing school in order to make connections. This isn't a sob story; I just want to know if anyone can come up with concrete suggestions. I also think the more awareness of this problem, the better. Perhaps nurse managers reading this thread will push for their hospitals to take more new graduates.
I agree, it's a supply and demand issue, and it doesn't make sense at this time to decrease supply by graduating fewer nurses. I feel like the solutions to the nursing shortage have been shortsighted: graduate more nurses, yes, but then where do they go? Again looking ten years ahead, when many nurses want to retire, will the nursing shortage be worse than expected because today's new graduates are leaving nursing or leaving the state to find other jobs?
Thanks Nurse Salt. I agree that Wendy79 brings up a very valid point. I right now am very discouraged about my nursing career (long story) basically related to this issue, however.
I suspect we will begin hearing more about this dilemma soon as grad RN's start hitting the job market and run into trouble getting into acute care positions....which is going to be happening soon.
trace_element
32 Posts
I was always under the impression that special ed teaching jobs were easier to get than regular teaching jobs d/t the fact that fewer people want them. I think it is a very noble profession.
Have you ever considered speech therapy?? I hear that is a very good field and you could still put your special ed skills to use. That is what I wish i would have went into. You probably could just go for the masters and I think some universities offer it online. It is a very broad field - you could work in a school, hospital, rehab center,ect. That way you wouldn't have to totally start all over such as with nursing.