Is there REALLY a nursing shortage?

Nurses General Nursing

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This is an interesting article guys/gals...

Here's the letter I wrote to the President, Vice-President, U.S. Congress Rep. and Senator:

"I'm an R.N. and I recently started working as an agency nurse because the pay is so much better and the hours are very flexible. The hospital system in my area that uses most of the agency nurses is in the process of hiring foreign labor to cut costs and fill positions. I read an article, "Is there REALLY a nursing shortage?" by Richard Armstrong and what he said really concerned me. It is true that American jobs are going overseas and there are over 8 million Americans out of work. People who go to school for certain professions do not have jobs when they graduate. Where is the AMERICAN DREAM going??? I realize our country is a melting pot and all, but what about OUR JOBS for US HERE???!!!

Please abolish the H-1B program. Americans need to demand that employers not be allowed to replace American workers with foreigners... I'm finally not living paycheck to paycheck as a nurse and I'm finally able to get ahead... But now there is this big black cloud looming over my head and it's full of foreign nurses trying to get out of THEIR country to take MY job. :( Why are you letting this happen to your fellow Americans???

Sincerely,

Marie L. Schultz

Shreveport, Louisiana"

I don't know if it will help or not, but I figured it was worth a try. Nurses from India, Africa and Thailand (among others) are coming to the Shreveport area to fill gaps of this so-called nursing shortage so that the hospital system I work at won't have to use agency nurses. Instead of paying American nurses better... this is what is happening. Nice. Very nice.

Do you see this happening where YOU are??? I just started working agency and that's all I'm doing right now. I love it. I just started April 19th, 2004 and here it is... not one month later and 15 foreigners are starting in the next week or so as a "pilot" for the other 3 hospitals of this hospital chain. This hospital chain uses most agency nurses here in Shreveport. They're trying to get rid of agency nurses all together by using these other nurses.

Again I ask: Do you see this happening where YOU are???

Thanks in advance. :o :angryfire

The answer to the question likely depends on what area of nursing, shift, etc. For instance, where I work, in hospice, there is always a problem finding staffing for continuous care cases on nights and weekends.

I'm sure some parts of the country have plenty of applicants for every job, while other areas can't fill their openings.

Since there is, however poorly justified, a seeming plethora of different levels of training/certification in staffing in hospitals, doctors offices, etc, a shortage of nurses can be mitigated by substitution--at least in the minds of many.

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While I understand that the government has the power to make or break certain livelihoods and that we as citizens can't just sit back and expect government representatives to make choices that will be best for us an individuals or as a society, I don't understand the great faith that many of those same people seem to have in "free market" either. Companies where increasing profitability is the bottom line also make choices that make or break livelihoods and we as consumers and employees only have so much power to influence their choices, especially for services like health care where choosing to go without isn't often a reasonable option.

A privately run company is just as likely to push for utilizing med aides as is a government-funded agency as everyone tries to keep costs down. I certainly don't think the government can solve every problem or should have unilateral power over things like administering health care. But I also don't think solely leaving it to the powers of free market will necessarily lead to better outcomes across the board.

I don't think it's ever as simple as choosing between "free market" or "government-involvement."

The difference is that there are usually choices of which private company you use, while there is only one government, and no alternatives.

At this time, government, thru Medicare, is rather the de facto price setter, since private payers can hang their hat on the "the government said this is a fair price" argument.

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Yes there is especially in New Zealand, I talked to a one of the

nurse in the Wairaki region and they informed me that they had to

close one of their wards because they were lacking nurses their.

They have tried to encourage more students to take up nursing courses

or for immigrants who are RN to try to take up the Competency Assessment Program so that they can practice nursing there.

They have informed me of the benefits of practicing nursing in New Zealand.

Kindly check on one of the link for more information: www.immigratenz.co.nz/visa

I will try to research more on New Zealand.

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The difference is that there are usually choices of which private company you use, while there is only one government, and no alternatives.

At this time, government, thru Medicare, is rather the de facto price setter, since private payers can hang their hat on the "the government said this is a fair price" argument.

I agree that there are problems with government setting the prices, etc. However, there are ALSO problems with leaving it all to the free market to set prices and offer services. For example, if certain health care services don't offer much in the way of profit, there's not much incentive for for-profit organizations to offer such services. Eventually, if the demand is high enough, someone somewhere will find a way to provide that service profitably but that might take years and meanwhile consumers may not have access to the health services they need.

Take individual health insurance as a example. I've been hearing recently about more affordable individual health insurance policies costing under $200/mo and covering standard primary care as well. But for years, if you were looking for an individual health insurance policy, and you carefully shopped around for a good deal, it could easily cost over $400/mo and still involve high deductibles.

We know that increased demand for services can influence the private sector to change and offer new services. Increased demand can also influence the public sector to change as well. For example, my local DMV now offers appointments so that you don't have to wait in line for certain services. Yes, the DMV is known for long waits and inefficiency. But I also get long waits and inefficiency when I call my cell phone or cable company. Sure, I can switch providers, but I've discovered that I still face the same problem with the other companies.

Again, I'm not saying there aren't problems with government involvement. It's just that there are also problems with leaving health care provision completely to the free market.

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I have felt for some time that there has been no nursing shortage in our area. Recently, one of the bigger hospitals laid off a number of nurses and replaced them with new grads. Another hospital has a hiring freeze and it is a rumor that my hospital has a hiring freeze. And the existing staff nurses feel tremendous pressure and competition and one-up-man-ship. Directors have been laid off and areas combined. The word is that after two rounds of ancillary staff lay offs, they are trying their best to prevent nursing lay offs. But we have a nurse tech who sleeps a couple of hours each night???? And a nurse who takes hour breaks??? Those of us who try to remain professional are quite puzzled by seeming favoritism. Some are forced to work every weekend and others say they'll quit if they don't get their desired schedule. The new grads who earn less seem to have a lot of clout over scheduling, etc. Some staff were scheduled to work ALL the holidays and others didn't have to work one holiday. All previous staffing policies are gone and we do what is required to staff the floor. Even seniority seems to have dissolved. And if we ask why things are out of balance with the schedule or perks, we get silence or are told that our director must staff the floor the best they see fit. And I love our director and have always had a good working relationship with them in the past, but things are becoming very confusing and blurred. We even have one nurse who verbally, sexually harasses patients and I am afraid to report it for my job's sake. I figure that if the patient's wish to complain I hope they do. I will pretend I don't hear it so I don't get fired. :confused::confused:

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Specializes in CNA.

Maybe a Nurse shortage in smaller communities,but in the city the demand is high.

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First, I have worked agency for twenty five hyears and have never had a probelm finding work.

Second, there are no more H1-B visas, the last one was issued in February for an application that was submitted last September. The quota is full for this year, and they don't expect it to open to nurses for next year. The only way that a nurse can come to the US is with a green card, which gives her rights to residency. The hospitals cannot pay cheaper rates to a nurse with a green card. A hospital has the right to fill its staff however it deems necessary. The reason for agency nurses are to fill the gap until a hospital gets their staffing back up, not to give you a higher income. The hospitals are not cutting thier costs, they are filling the positions that they are budgeted for. This has been going on for years. Especially if you are an ICU or Specialty RN that works agency. And for me also with the OR. Even if a hospital hires new nurses, there orieintation is minimum of three months, someone has to work during that time. if it is OR, it can be six months or more. There are always going to be nurses quitting.......and the hospital cannot just decide to bring over a foreign nurse and have them begin work tomorrow, it takes about 18 months in many places for the nurse finally to be in the US working. So these nurses were hired way before you even considered going "agency", as much as 18 months ago. :uhoh21:

Thanks for the explanation... I'm still in school so I don't have a lot of ideas regarding issues like this... if it's even an issue at all :)

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.... We even have one nurse who verbally, sexually harasses patients and I am afraid to report it for my job's sake. I figure that if the patient's wish to complain I hope they do. I will pretend I don't hear it so I don't get fired. :confused::confused:

Sexually harrassing a patient SUUUCKS!! I feel bad for you. I don't even know what to say. I wish I could just tell you to report the bastard and everything will work out, but I don't know your hospital. My mom, many years ago, went through restructuring at her hospital. Lay-offs, rumors of selling off the hospital.. but at the end, time took care of everything. Everyone's still there and she's getting ready to retire. This happened years back, but time will take care of most issues. Best of luck to you and hope everything works out!

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kafene, thanks so much for the up words, I've been needing them, feeling low.

jingle2bells, which cities have the demand you speak of? In case of....ha!:clown:

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Maybe a Nurse shortage in smaller communities,but in the city the demand is high.

Which city is that? In Philly, near where I live, some hospitals have hiring freezes and I have read reports here on AN of new grads having trouble getting jobs.

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Specializes in M/S, Tele, Peds, ER.

Ha, I came to the same conclusion when I became a travel nurse.

I wonder...

If all the travel nurses and agency nurses stopped moving around and took staff positions, would there be a "nursing shortage"?

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