Is nursing still a good career choice?

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · May 30, 2012

employment of registered nurses is projected to rise by 22 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to the
u.s.departmentoflabor

well, we are four years into that, how's 2008 to 2012 going so far?

Kittypower123, BSN, RN · May 30, 2012

It really depends on your area. I live outside Houston, when I first started looking for a job, I couldn't even get an interview at a hospital because I didn't have a BSN (and wasn't willing to endure an hour comute each way to work in downtown Houston). If I had been willing to endure the commute, I probably would have found a hospital job. As it stands, I ended up working in LTC and am happy about how things turned out.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · May 30, 2012

Well, we are four years into that, how's 2008 to 2012 going so far?

They are not going to post any information in an election year. If they do...I wouldn't believe the information released.

Blakbuttrfly · May 30, 2012

At the end of the day we all chose this career path. There will forever be sick people, there will be forever people who are current nurses that will retire and leave as any company. Bbut one thing is for sure and 2 for certain healthcare is a must. There may not be a hospital in your community or close to your community that will hire new grads so you will have to GO where the job is!! Point Blank..Its kinda too late to stress if the jobs will be there or not...None of us know for sure we can only go by what the experts and the statistics say ....per Us News Best Jobs 2012 they have rated Registered Nurses as the #1 job out of 25...The 25 Best Jobs | Best Jobs | US News Careers take that for what its worth!

DoGoodThenGo · May 30, 2012

Yes, nursing is still an excellent career choice if one goes into the thing with eyes open and for the right reasons.

The evolution of using skilled nurses effectively and efficiently, a process that began as facilities removed nurses from clerical and low administrative duties (replaced by UAPs and clerks) has continued and indeed is accelerating as insurance companies, the federal government and others demand healthcare costs be brought down.

Leaving the issue of staffing aside for the moment the other major trends are towards more preventative (keeping persons from being admitted to hospitals and or readmitted), and moving care into the community (out-patient, home, ambulatory, assisted living and long term care). Hospitals are more becoming focused on levels of acute and sub acute care.

This likely means going forward while there may be an increased need for nurses in future, where and how they will practice will be different than things were say in the 1980's or even today.

earthcrosser · May 30, 2012

Big Texas cities can be tough to find employment in right now. There are tons of schools churning out new grad nurses and only so many spots for them. The market is very competitive. Definitely go for your BSN if you are serious about doing it - ADNs are having an even harder time getting jobs. Scheduling also may or may not be flexible...not every place will have self scheduling, and there are always holidays and weekends that must be worked. I love my job, but sometimes, it can be hard working on a holiday away fom your family. But it must be done. That being said, if you feel like nursing is what you want to do, go for it...but do your research and make sure you have a realistic expectation for what your job outlook and schedule will be like when you graduate. Best of luck!

DoGoodThenGo · May 30, 2012

Big Texas cities can be tough to find employment in right now. There are tons of schools churning out new grad nurses and only so many spots for them. The market is very competitive. Definitely go for your BSN if you are serious about doing it - ADNs are having an even harder time getting jobs. Scheduling also may or may not be flexible...not every place will have self scheduling, and there are always holidays and weekends that must be worked. I love my job, but sometimes, it can be hard working on a holiday away fom your family. But it must be done. That being said, if you feel like nursing is what you want to do, go for it...but do your research and make sure you have a realistic expectation for what your job outlook and schedule will be like when you graduate. Best of luck!

There is the other problem!

Everyone from the federal government on down is promoting nursing as a *safe* and viable career choice for everyone from the unemployed/laid-off/second (third, fourth, fifth...) to high school graduates.

Problem is many facilites have moved from the warm body approach and aren't hiring anyone with a RN license just because. In many areas of this country hospitals are spoilt for choice when it comes to filling openings and are being extremely picky who gets those spots.

Schools are pumping out all these grads saying "you'll find a job, if not right away.... because sooner or later the nursing shortage will return....". What they don't say is while that very well may be true new grads with zero experience have a finite shelf life. After about two years without even a nibble much less a part time acute care gig the chances of being hired almost drops off a cliff. Who *will* get hired? A new recent grad at that time who suits.

PrincessRN101 · May 30, 2012

So, I have been doing some research...apparently, the RN job market isn't what it used to be when I first began considering a career in nursing.My question is....is it a good idea to go to nursing school at this economic time? I am in no hurry. I am a former teacher and currently a SAHM to two boys, and can enter the workforce now or a little later (we will be strictly budgeted, but we make it fine).I wanted to become a nurse to get the best of both worlds...a meaningful career with flexible scheduling...and the opportunity to be home with my babies more that I could as a teacher.But, I am getting discouraged reading these boards about the job market. I don't want to put 10,000 dollars into an education (even though I will really enjoy the challenge of school and enjoy the academic stimulation) if I won't be able to find employment afterwards. I live about 50 miles outside of Dallas, so can tap into both urban and rural markets when I graduate.Will I be a less desirable hire if I go to school, but don't find a job immediately? Anyone have any thoughts? Any insight is appreciated!

the secret to nursing is remembering that you can get hurt/injured working accordingly, being careful with these patients and not getting yourself hurt with these patients. because the patients are coming in heavier and heavier... so you have to know how to play the game

Tankweti · May 31, 2012

I am a BSN, RN grad in 2010 and have never found a nursing job and I am now working in a med clerical job. And I grad with a 3.5 GPA. No one seems to care about GPA, however. In any event, I work in a hospital currently (they did not respond to my nursing resume but did to my med transcrip resume because I had experience there). I have access to medical journals there and was able to read a copy of "The Hospitalist" recently. They were talking about when universal health care comes in in 2014. They said bluntly that, despite the surge in patient numbers when all US citizens will be forced to have insurance, there will be no corresponding surge in the adding of beds. They said it costs 1 million dollars to add a new bed to a unit (they gave no breakdown as to why it costs that much). They also said that, nationwide, it is unlikely that new staff will be added (this includes doctors by the way, not just nurses). So what will be coming down the pike will be a huge increase in patients with a further shortening of hospital time (this was also mentioned in the Hospitalist) - that people will be discharged even faster as there will be no more beds added. This will mean a cranking up in the stress levels of nurses on the floor who will be expected to run even faster than they currently do. Roller skates wont even cut it. I believe that this is when we will see a mass exodus of older nurses who will then decide it will be time to

Tankweti · May 31, 2012

I grad in 2010, BSN, RN, 3.5 GPA, still no job. Have now taken job as med transcript which is what I used to do before. Got hired by hosp I applied to for nursing (got no ans) but they did ans my transcrip app as I had 25 yrs experience. In any event, by 2014 we will see a mass exodus of experienced nurses as they all retire. I read a copy of the Hospitalist at my hospital, which stated that when health care hits and everyone is insured that no new beds will be added (it stated they cost 1 million dollars, with no breakdown as to why) and that new staff will likely not be added, including MD's. Also, patients will be discharged even faster than they are now, due to the bed shortage. The Hospitalist sees all this coming and is warning insiders. This disastrous situation is a recipe for loss of licensure, esp for nurses. When we see nurses retiring and positions suddenly opening up, know that the above will be the reason. Also, in response to another poster, unfortunately, the economy is not going to "fix itself". The USA will probably be the last to go down, and by that I mean a currency crash where the dollar will be officially worthless. There is no way we can ever pay back the trillions we currently owe. Just look at what is happening in Europe. It can and will happen here as we are all, by virtue of globalism, economically related and intertwined. I believe that hospitals here will be as they are in 3rd world countries (I have lived and traveled extensively in Africa, so I know whereof I speak.) In such places, hospitals and top tier medical care are only for those who can pay cash, i.e. the rich. Insurance does not exist. Those who cannot pay cash must either go to government hospitals (very poor, little resources) or go home to die. Hard fact but true and it is the way we are heading. Watch for community hospitals shutting down. This was spoken about in a New Yorker magazine article from last year. They posited that we will wind up with tertiary hospitals only and no community hospitals. Many people will be a 2-3 hour drive away from life saving help. There is really no way to stop all of this as the machine is already in motion as we speak. If you think about it, most health care is now funded by the Fed govt, either via Medicaid or Medicare. Pull the plug on that because they are broke and what is left?

Barbara K. · May 31, 2012

Great comment, Tankweti. Too many people still don't see this.

DoGoodThenGo · May 31, 2012

I am a BSN, RN grad in 2010 and have never found a nursing job and I am now working in a med clerical job. And I grad with a 3.5 GPA. No one seems to care about GPA, however. In any event, I work in a hospital currently (they did not respond to my nursing resume but did to my med transcrip resume because I had experience there). I have access to medical journals there and was able to read a copy of "The Hospitalist" recently. They were talking about when universal health care comes in in 2014. They said bluntly that, despite the surge in patient numbers when all US citizens will be forced to have insurance, there will be no corresponding surge in the adding of beds. They said it costs 1 million dollars to add a new bed to a unit (they gave no breakdown as to why it costs that much). They also said that, nationwide, it is unlikely that new staff will be added (this includes doctors by the way, not just nurses). So what will be coming down the pike will be a huge increase in patients with a further shortening of hospital time (this was also mentioned in the Hospitalist) - that people will be discharged even faster as there will be no more beds added. This will mean a cranking up in the stress levels of nurses on the floor who will be expected to run even faster than they currently do. Roller skates wont even cut it. I believe that this is when we will see a mass exodus of older nurses who will then decide it will be time to

Hospitals aren't planning on adding beds for some of the reasons one stated before. They are becoming places where patients go for *acute* care. Once pt is deemed stable enough no longer to require skilled in hospital beside care they will be (and are now) discharged to home, LTC, or nursing home. The first two may or may not be covered by a blend of home care staff (RN, LPN, techs/aides), but the trend is clear, long stays in hospitals that aren't justified by Medicare or insurance standards are coming to an end.

In short what has happened with "drive through" L&D where new moms and infants are sent home

To the extent hospitals around NYC are "adding" beds it is to turn double and quad patient rooms into single private rooms for all patients. If the plans for a new Saint Vincent's had gone through the new hospital would have had something like 30% less in-patient beds.