Is this nursing shortage scream blown out of proportion?

[BethulieRN]

I am in my senior year of nursing school, and also worked for 8 years as a nurse assistant in an LTC facility here in west suburb Illinois.

I have many new RN grads friends(Spring07) who are finding difficulty to land jobs in many hospitals and nursing homes in my area; they are all saying "we are not taking new grads at this moment".

So, as a future grad myself(Fall 07) I decided to start looking early to apply at hospitals and LTC facilities. Seven of them did answer by thanking me to have considered their facility, however they are not taking new grads at this moment so they suggested I check back in the near future. I also did speak with the DON in my facility, she said that right now they are over staffed with nurses so it is unlikely that they soon will start taking new grads.

This morning, I witnessed two nurses in my facility discussing how disappointed they were to not be including in working this memorial day holiday; even thought it was their day to work. Also, in the break room was a yellow note asking nurses if they do not want to work this memorial day holiday to write their name on the board so they can be excused.

I just would like to know if you nurses out there in Illinois or other States are experiencing the same problem. I just feel that I have worked very hard to almost finishing my nursing program, and I am very scared if there is no jobs for me out there. Let me know about your area because I am willing to move if I have to.

[Joe NightingMale, MSN, RN]

The nursing shortage varies by area. In some areas demand meets supply, in others it doesn't. While there may be an overall shortage, there may not be one where you are.

You might want to do some research and see which areas have a sufficient supply and which areas don't.

[leslie :-D]

boston is maxed out.

so many new grads, have problems getting into the hospitals.

definitely a surplus, here.

leslie

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

In the Texas panhandle there has been a surplus of nurses for years. Jobs are hard to come by and are very low paying.

With the increases in nursing school admissions, new grads and foreign nurses. I predict a national nursing surplus within ten years.

I've been saying for years that I believe there is no nursing shortage.

[llg, PhD, RN]

As others have suggested, it's not just a "yes" or "no" answer. The situation varies from place to place, from specialty to specialty, etc. There are a lot of specific factors that influence any particular situation.

For example ... If you live in an area with lots of nursing schools churning out dozens of new grads every few months, the local hospitals may be "full" of new grads. New grads take require extra resources to get oriented and a hospital might not be able to hire new grads at the moment even though they have some openings for experienced nurses. Until the new grads from May and June get through orientation and settled into their roles, some hospitals may not be hiring any more.

In some cases, there are certain hospital units that are very short-staff, but not others. The short-staffed units may be the kind that don't attract many new grads and/or for which it is difficult to orient new grads. So, they have vacancies, but your friends aren't finding jobs there.

In some cases, there will be facilities located in communities that are popular to live in. Those hospitals may have few vacancies. However, 50 miles away, there may be a shortage of nurses because nurses don't want to live in that area of the region.

Finally, some hospitals are more hesitant to hire new grads than they used to be because they have "been burned" several times by new grads who are only looking to work for a year in a hospital, then move into some other type of work. The hospital pays out $20,000 - $50,000 to orient the new grad, but doesn't get a sufficient return on its investment when the new grad doesn't stay in the job very long. So, some hospitals are being very picky and choosey about which new grads to take.

etc. etc. etc. The shortage is real, but it is not uniform all over the place.

[ABQLNDRN]

Well, we're short here in New Mexico! Come work here! We'd love to have you! The weather is great and it's a beautiful place to live!

[harley007]

St. Francis Hospital, Connecticut is to hiring an additional 372 RN's with it's planned expantion. They just opened "The Connecticut Joint Institute", within the hospital, and with the required experience they are paying a $15,000.00 hiring bonus/$5000.00 for any staff RN recruited in any area. The hospital is in Hartford but staff travels in from all our surrounding areas and from all over Connecticut. Come on down, we need you! (check out the web site, then call Human Resourses as many times not all positions are advertised.) GOOD LUCK!

[ohmeowzer RN, RN]

here in las vegas any hospital will hire you w/ your RN license the minute you walk in the door. you can also obtain a big sign on bonus. we have a huge nursing shortage. i am sorry you are having such a hard time. i am sure you will find something.. have you tried looking at private duty or hospice? my prayers are with you.

[kstec, LPN]

I'm a LPN in northern Illinois and I would have no problem getting a job anywhere except a hospital. But our 3 hospitals are always hiring RN's. Sometimes I look on each individual hospitals website and wonder how they can run with so many openings for RN's. Around here all places are looking for nurses, especially RN's.

[MikeyJ, RN]

I second the shortage here in Las Vegas -- MASSIVE shortage of nurses. Even though we have a few more nursing schools in the area, our Dean of Nursing told us that only 30% of new grads stay in the area. Most of them relocate to California after graduation. It is also due to the fact that our area (especially Las Vegas) has grown so quickly and hospitals are constantly being built and need to be staffed. Many nurses do not stay here because of our high cost of living.

But there are many areas around the country that have numerous nursing schools pumping out new grads every year, and there are just not enough jobs to go around.