Is the latest economy fail affecting nursing jobs?

[Hellostudentnurssee]

I'm only a nursing student and a CNA (many years) and it's IMPOSSIBLE to find a job anywhere. I'm lucky my old group home was approved with more hours/workers but they even said they had to cut back. I was a nurse delegated CNA and I made $13/hr 3 years ago and now it's $11.50/hr. The hospitals aren't even hiring PCTs and that's what I've been needing and craving to work for. My classmate was lucky to be hired a few years back and she said her manager told her no one is hiring.

I don't know how it is with any new grad nurses or even experienced nurses... I can't even imagine how it is for you guys. I know many (ignorant) people seem to think because of the numerous postings on any job that's an RN (or nursing related), it guarantees a job but that's not true. The hospitals just don't seem to be hiring right now and it sucks. Also, my mom has been a nurse for more than 25 years (yup, one of the vet nurses) and she's even scared of losing her job. She's been at her current workplace for about 20 years and her and the other "senior" nurses are extra cautious and careful. One little move can easily be "reported" and (God forbid) fired. Yay - way for management to save money and bring in 2 nurses in exchange for 1 experienced one. It's all scaring me. I hope this is just a phase and we'll all get jobs.

But seriously, I'm getting annoyed at people who still think nurses can "easily" get jobs these days... *sigh*

EDIT: Yeah, I've been applying for a PCT position since the beginning of this year. I've had alot more clinical experience since then and re-wrote my resume and cover letter. It usually takes them months to respond back but I applied for a PCT job yesterday and I immediately got the reject response today. I noticed, they took out all their PCT positions. They had about 5 of them last month and they're suddenly gone. It's so frustrating. I'm worried for my own learning/experience and my nursing future and career.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Contrary to popular belief, healthcare jobs are surely NOT recession-proof. Nursing jobs are certainly affected by the sluggish economy.

For example, some nurses would remain unemployed for 6 months or longer during the recession of the early 1990s as they looked for jobs. That nursing glut continued well into the middle 1990s before easing into a so-called "shortage" in the late 1990s.

During slumping economies, patients avoid having elective surgeries because they are fearful of taking the time off work that is needed for full recovery, which results in low hospital census. When hospital census is low, less nurses are needed to keep the floor running. When less nurses are needed, the results include hiring freezes and cancellations of new grad RN training programs.

More people become unemployed during these rough times and, as a result, lose their health insurance. Uninsured people are definitely not inclined to seek healthcare unless it is an absolute emergency. In addition, medical bills incurred by uninsured patients tend to go unpaid, which means less money for healthcare facilities. If facilities are raking in less revenue, this results in less money for hiring new employees.

Some facilities will slash costs to the bare bone by keeping all of the nurses while eliminating ancillary positions: CNAs, techs, phlebotomy, housekeeping, etc. This causes the floor nurses to pick up additional slack, and contributes even further to overburdened bedside conditions.

Part-time and PRN/per diem nurses accept full-time positions during recessions to keep their households afloat when a breadwinner spouse loses his/her job without notice. Plenty of retired nurses are reactivating their nursing licenses and returning to the nursing workforce due to the effects of rapidly dwindling retirement funds. Many of the nurses who have reached retirement age simply cannot afford to retire because they lost too much money when the banking system collapsed a couple of years ago.

This is simply some food for thought.