Is the nursing profession causing its own RN shortage?

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With all the RN's going to NP school, is the profession significantly contributing to the RN shortage? Between retirement and RN's in line to become NP's it seems our unit is on a constant hunt for staff.

Specializes in geriatrics.

I decided before I finished nursing school to spend 4 years as a bedside nurse and move on. So far, I've been a unit manager and I am soon moving to an educator role. It's either administration, education or research for me.

Patient ratios are insane and the workloads continue to rise. Yet more nurses enter the profession each year because of the "nursing shortage" myth. Perhaps there would be a nursing shortage if all these floors were adequately staffed but that's never going to happen.

That's why many new grads and experienced nurses decide to pursue roles away from the bedside. You can't blame them because the working conditions are terrible.

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Dranger, those are called patients. We all have them. What, do you think you have the market on the sickest people ever? A good manager will get you through that. As unbearable as the population is, a good manager is the one who sets the tone and the morale flows from there.

What do you mean sickest? There are plenty more sicker than what I listed. Did you not see the trend?

No you do not understand when 100% of your patient population is like this it wears on you. I honestly don't care what the Dx is most of the time. But certain Dx bring certain attitudes. When you have co-workers who left for another facility and then report back that they are happy and specifically address the patient population, that means something.

Look I get it, people are sick and people don't always choose why they are sick. But you would have to be extremely naive if you want to compare a heroin addict who just injected into their PICC line and threw a SCD machine at a nurse to little old confused grandma who broke her hip.

Managers are dealt a certain hand of cards sometimes and there is nothing they can do. I am the first to call out bad management, but in some situations when there are limited funds and it is in a terrible area there is only so much you can do.

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What is? To what post are you referring?

ETA: Okay, I see your edit.

Yes, critters are sometimes in wounds. I'm thinking he meant "infected", but hey, in this crazy world, who knows, right?

I meant infected but I have seen infested with maggots before. Actually I think the maggots helped to stop the spread of infection in that situation. :alien:

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What do you mean sickest? There are plenty more sicker than what I listed. Did you not see the trend?

No you do not understand when 100% of your patient population is like this it wears on you. I honestly don't care what the Dx is most of the time. But certain Dx bring certain attitudes. When you have co-workers who left for another facility and then report back that they are happy and specifically address the patient population, that means something.

Look I get it, people are sick and people don't always choose why they are sick. But you would have to be extremely naive if you want to compare a heroin addict who just injected into their PICC line and threw a SCD machine at a nurse to little old confused grandma who broke her hip.

Managers are dealt a certain hand of cards sometimes and there is nothing they can do. I am the first to call out bad management, but in some situations when there are limited funds and it is in a terrible area there is only so much you can do.

Hahhahahahaa. Me? Naïve? I may not have been a nurse for "a million years", but honestly, you talk as if you are cornering the market.

"No, you don't understand..." Really?

There will always be SICK people. Sicker than anyone can imagine. And there will always be a patient story that trumps everyone else's.

The patients never change. They just keep coming.

A good manager? You never forget.

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I meant infected but I have seen infested with maggots before. Actually I think the maggots helped to stop the spread of infection in that situation. :alien:

We used to PLACE maggots.

I've seen it done twice.

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Hahhahahahaa. Me? Naïve? I may not have been a nurse for "a million years", but honestly, you talk as if you are cornering the market.

"No, you don't understand..." Really?

There will always be SICK people. Sicker than anyone can imagine. And there will always be a patient story that trumps everyone else's.

The patients never change. They just keep coming.

A good manager? You never forget.

I am not cornering market but I have never been at a place where the population of these types of patients is so high and with employee exit surveys specifically stating that as a major reason for leaving.

I wouldn't consider my manager bad she just doesn't have much to work with. High level managers are the cut-throat ones.

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We used to PLACE maggots.

I've seen it done twice.

I have heard that as well, maybe wound vacs and debridement kicked maggots to the curb

Leeches too? Haha

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Specializes in ER, cardiac, addictions.

I'm currently on the last leg of getting a BSN. (After 35 years in this profession, my employer decided to make BSN's mandatory. Not exactly mandatory, mind you, but just mandatory enough that I'm considered unqualified to work anywhere in the system except in my current job.)

3/4 of the way through, what I've noticed is that virtually every nursing class I've had is little more than an advertisement for getting a higher degree and specializing. My advanced assessment class advertised NP school. My community health and informatics classes advertised those specialties. I've learned very little that will benefit me in my present job as a staff nurse.

I do have to wonder what effect this has on new nurses. Are they gradually absorbing the message that bedside nursing is just a stepping stone to what nursing is really about? If so, who's going to take care of the patients, if half the staff nurses are studying for higher level clinical and administrative positions?

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Specializes in SICU.

Let me speak for myself ... After 4 years of bedside nursing , I am done! I see advanced practice as the next step. I'd rather be abused and belittled while wearing a white coat and sipping coffee than while breaking my back physically and being covered with blood/urine/poop every shift and taking 3 patients in an high acuity ICU because we have to float our staff to cover the other critical care specialties. [emoji1]🤑[emoji118]

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
I am not cornering market but I have never been at a place where the population of these types of patients is so high and with employee exit surveys specifically stating that as a major reason for leaving.

I wouldn't consider my manager bad she just doesn't have much to work with. High level managers are the cut-throat ones.

In my view management is management. Yes there is upper management and lower management, but THEY set the culture of the nursing department.

If the staff are leaving in droves, consistently because of the patient population that is also a management problem. Management interviews them, hires them, prepares them for the job, and is expected to support and regulate them to insure excellent delivery of nursing care.

If those staff are so sorely disappointed by the actual work on the unit then the management is doing a bad job of getting the right people in the right jobs. Or they are bad at making certain that they are giving people the information that they need to make good employment decisions. Or management is not supporting the staff as they deal with difficult patients and families, or...

I think you get my drift.

Management cannot get a pass. Good management can get people to love shoveling crap, bad managers can make people hate polishing gold.

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Specializes in ICU,ER,med-Surg,Geri,Correctional.

In order for the big greed factor to take over our hospitals. They have to get rid of the vintage nurses who have seen the drastic downfall of healthcare. There is still a great deal of older nurse in the workforce who still remember the days of healthcare service as opposed to healthcare business. Its not the fault of the new nurses. They just never had the glory days. That many of us miss. We still share the tales of those days and it causes distress at times to us older nurses who adapted to the transition but still knows deep down that very good patient care is less important, and the appearance of Very Good healthcare is the selling point. So to make it easier they need to get an abundance of nurses in the batting cage and ready to run on the field, while slowly letting the older nurses go. So this shortage has been in the making for a long time. Its the supply and demand factor. The more nurses they have looking for jobs, then the less money and amenities they need to use to recruit. Also they can handpick the nurse that seem to fit their agenda.. How many new nurses to you see not being able to find jobs? Around here much more than expected. But while they are waiting in the wings the older nurses must move out. just my opinion.....

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Let me speak for myself ... After 4 years of bedside nursing , I am done! I see advanced practice as the next step. I'd rather be abused and belittled while wearing a white coat and sipping coffee than while breaking my back physically and being covered with blood/urine/poop every shift and taking 3 patients in an high acuity ICU because we have to float our staff to cover the other critical care specialties. [emoji1]������[emoji118]

Yeah advanced practice where every other bedside nurse is going...

Less belittlement maybe but more competition for jobs and dilution of pay.

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