Is it just nurses or........

[BABYJADE06]

I read the posts on this site often and I always seem to see threads related to nurses not being able to obtain jobs. My question is whether or not nurses are the only major HEALTH profession facing this issue. The reason why I asked is because I have friends who have graduated pharmacy school and all of them were able to obtain jobs. As a matter of fact, they all had multiple job offers. Also, my neighbor's daughter graduated school and is an occupational therapist and she said that she and all of the others who graduated as occupational therapists from her school were also able to obtain jobs w/o any issues. So, in healthcare is it just nurses who are having a hard time finding employment? If so, what makes it easier for a pharmacist, occupational therapist or any other health profession to get a job? I mean after all, we all experienced the same recession right?

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

If so, what makes it easier for a pharmacist, occupational therapist or any other health profession to get a job? I mean after all, we all experienced the same recession right?

Supply and demand. How many applicants for how many positions.

[cabanaboy]

//"They should also do away with the popular, second degree nursing programs.

There are no "second degree" medical schools for physicians assistants, dental asistants, for dental school, or paralegals for law school. These programs are adding to the glut of nurses in the community fighting for jobs. "//

What am I missing here? You want all RN's to have a BSN. So, I if I have a bachelors degree already, how do I become a RN? Start from scratch and take all my general studies courses over?

And, PA's, dental assistants, and paralegals don't require a bachelors degree, like you want all RN's to have. And dental and medical school is in addition to a bachelors. Your examples aren't analogous.

[tex42cares]

One way to curb all this is to stop all the outsourcing and in-sourcing from every job market and job sector. The other point is to take a look at the big push in the disadvantaged areas in every state to send every somewhat qualified HS or Ged graduate to school.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

One way to curb all this is to stop all the outsourcing and in-sourcing from every job market and job sector. The other point is to take a look at the big push in the disadvantaged areas in every state to send every somewhat qualified HS or Ged graduate to school.

I am a bit confused by the bolded statement. It is bad to encourage kids in underprivileged areas to go to school?

[tex42cares]

I am a bit confused by the bolded statement. It is bad to encourage kids in underprivileged areas to go to school?

No that is not what I said .. I stated that there is a push in every disadvantaged area to send all HS or Ged graduates to school. It is not bad to encourage kids and adults to go advance their choice of education. I am of the opinion that the best of any job or profession are the ones that really want to be there, and the one's that are passionate about what they do. (I say this only because what I have seen in my 15+ years of HR Staffing & Recruitment)

Perhaps not every grad wants to further their education, perhaps the passion is just not there. In some situations the kids get there and they find out what sounded good , and fun just is not a match .

Why not just encourage all kids and all adults in all areas to go and advance your choice of education and or enhance your career skills. :redpinkhe

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

Teachers all have at least a Bachelors degree as entry into practice, and most if not all earn graduate degrees after they enter the professsion. Most nurses have barely an Associates Degree. Teachers are almost univerally unionized! The retire with full medical benefits, a pension they can live comfortably on. Most nurses don't have any pension, and retire with NO medical benefits, nada.

How does a nurse "barely" have an Associate's Degree? You either have one, or you don't.

[tex42cares]

Yup kinda wondering what barely the ADN thing was??

So a ADN does not give the same quality of ethics or respect or level of care???

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

Yup kinda wondering what barely the ADN thing was??

So a ADN does not give the same quality of ethics or respect or level of care???

That, or it sounds like someone obtaining an ADN was just "dumb luck" and it could have gone either way.

Would lindarn say the same about a teacher, that they "barely" have their Bachelor's degree?

The post was obviously meant to put down ADN nurses as not being good enough (since "they" should change it and make a BSN the entry level degree and all), but last time I checked I took the same NCLEX as a BSN and passed it. I worked with a gal who got a BSN who didn't pass her NCLEX until the fourth try....does that mean SHE barely has her BSN?

If I could pass the licensing exam with my ADN, it would stand to reason I didn't NEED my BSN. Right?

Does an MD "barely" have his/her doctorate?

The reason there are too many nurses is two-fold: facilities are cutting POSITIONS, making the nurses they have do more with less (increasing the number of patients they care for per shift, for example), that's one; the other is that there are simply too many nursing programs out there. They operate on and perpetuate the "nursing shortage" myth. If there were less programs to attend overall, there would not be the crunch there is now to find employment.

Sure, most teachers are union, but any that I know sure don't like what they are getting paid, union or not. Also, take a look at what has been going on in WI with their unionized employees, and the changes in collective bargaining rights, benefits, etc. Would I want to change nursing to a union here? Nope.

The wording was meant as a put down, so congrats, it worked.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

No that is not what I said .. I stated that there is a push in every disadvantaged area to send all HS or Ged graduates to school. It is not bad to encourage kids and adults to go advance their choice of education. I am of the opinion that the best of any job or profession are the ones that really want to be there, and the one's that are passionate about what they do. (I say this only because what I have seen in my 15+ years of HR Staffing & Recruitment)

Perhaps not every grad wants to further their education, perhaps the passion is just not there. In some situations the kids get there and they find out what sounded good , and fun just is not a match .

Why not just encourage all kids and all adults in all areas to go and advance your choice of education and or enhance your career skills. :redpinkhe

Ok thanks for clearing that up. I was confused by what you were meaning and that clears it up better. I would personally think that I would want to "push" more to people in the disadvantages areas in hopes that they can break out of the cycle and start a better cycle for their family. So I wasn't sure what you were getting at. Anyway I fully support going for something you would enjoy but I would push for something that would give one the ability to be able to be self supportive.

I have 4 kids. My oldest unfortunately didn't have the same early on advantages his younger siblings had. Because of this, unfortunately he seems to struggle more in school. (I think it has more to do with this then other factors because the other kids seem to be brainiacs and not in the sense that they LOVE school per-say, but they have always been very intelligent and score very high on the state testing. They seem to naturally get really good grades.) Anyway, my older son struggles in school a lot more. Some of it is his doing, but things just don't come to him as naturally. Freshman year has been a tremendous struggle and at this point I am trying to help him succeed and stay afloat at passing levels.

Of course I want my kids to go on in school and go to college and be successful in life but I am starting to see that doesn't have to mean jumping right into a university. My oldest son really wants to join the marines. (I am really trying to persuade him to go navy but he isn't budging) He wants to make a career of it, although that might change. Once he is in he thinks after a few years he will consider college and have them pay for it but most likely still stay in the service. He would like to go to a University for the whole college experience but it's not a likely option at this point with what's going on in HS.

After really going through things with him I am fulling supportive of him wanting to enlist. Still want it to be Navy but it is what it is. Although it's not going straight into college, it's doing something productive and successful with his life.

I am guessing this is what you were getting at but summing it up in a few sentences opposed to my novel?? lol

[wazeout]

That, or it sounds like someone obtaining an ADN was just "dumb luck" and it could have gone either way.

Would lindarn say the same about a teacher, that they "barely" have their Bachelor's degree?

The post was obviously meant to put down ADN nurses as not being good enough (since "they" should change it and make a BSN the entry level degree and all), but last time I checked I took the same NCLEX as a BSN and passed it. I worked with a gal who got a BSN who didn't pass her NCLEX until the fourth try....does that mean SHE barely has her BSN?

If I could pass the licensing exam with my ADN, it would stand to reason I didn't NEED my BSN. Right?

Does an MD "barely" have his/her doctorate?

The reason there are too many nurses is two-fold: facilities are cutting POSITIONS, making the nurses they have do more with less (increasing the number of patients they care for per shift, for example), that's one; the other is that there are simply too many nursing programs out there. They operate on and perpetuate the "nursing shortage" myth. If there were less programs to attend overall, there would not be the crunch there is now to find employment.

Sure, most teachers are union, but any that I know sure don't like what they are getting paid, union or not. Also, take a look at what has been going on in WI with their unionized employees, and the changes in collective bargaining rights, benefits, etc. Would I want to change nursing to a union here? Nope.

The wording was meant as a put down, so congrats, it worked.

I'm inclined to agree with you, but I would also like to add that it appears that--by reading these posts at least--nurses are more willing to blame themselves and the future of nursing (which would be new nurses entering the profession) instead of focusing their frustrations where they belong. Having a higher degree is fine, but having on the job experience in place of that higher degree is just as good. In other words, just because a person doesn't have a degree doesn't mean that they don't use their brain to do their jobs and learn how to do it well. I'm not against higher education, and fully understand that it can be a great equalizer, but please I don't really need to understand the allegory of the cave in order to be an excellent nurse or doctor for that matter--maybe a teacher in literature or journalist or some sort of writer could benefit from it.

Other industries fight and are lobbying congress to penalize corps that ship jobs over-seas by not giving them any tax breaks among other things. Whether its working or not time will tell, but at least these workers of those industries are focusing the blame where it belongs in terms of some of the reasons for them lost jobs in their fields. Our industry may not be sending jobs over-seas, but they are still giving up are jobs to over-seas by bringing nurses here to fill the nursing shortages here instead of hiring the nurses that are graduating from all these schools to meet the demand of the shortage.

There is no need for these hospitals to insource tens of thousands of nurses from other countries when there are tens of thousands of nurses passing the NCLEX RN and PN that are looking for jobs.

[GiantJerk]

I don't know what it is from with nurses. I'm blessed that I did not have trouble finding a job.

I didn't either. I had a job waiting for me when I graduated. I think it just depends on where you live.

[OC_An Khe]

One thing that having a higher degree would do is cut down the supply of RN's.

For those entering the profession now, or planning to in the near future the higher degree will be of enormous value over your 3 to 4 decades of your potential working career.

The current dearth in hiring is simply a supply demand imbalance caused by the current economic state. When the demand for nursing increases the jobs will follow. Unfortunately, I don't see the economy improving very fast.