Is there really "stability"?

caliotter3 · Jul 11, 2010

It's a chance you have to take. Just because one new grad nurse can't find a job in 15 months, does not mean that another one in the same circumstances might not find a job in 4 months. Nobody can predict the future. You just have to go out there and deal with it. The question is, "Do you want to go out to deal with the job market with a nursing license or without one?" A nursing license is a possible job somewhere sometime. It is one step ahead of someone who has no job skills, training, experience, or credentials. Like that saying, "Where will you be four years from now, if you don't go to nursing school?" You will be four years older, but you won't have a nursing degree or a nursing license, or a law degree, or a plumber's license, or a beautician's license... The same can be said for any career.

Anne36, LPN · Jul 11, 2010

I have to agree, the job market changes faster than the time it takes to get any degree these days. Nothing is a safe area anymore.

As soon as it is announced that there is a growing sector in the job market, the degrees for those programs get flooded. In Michigan the big 'talk' is "green" energy jobs. Its all talk because we all know that 99% of our energy is coming from fossil fuels no matter what. Plenty of people going to school for that and they will have fun looking for jobs afterward.

Anne36, LPN · Jul 11, 2010

I know a sector we can all get rich off of! Lets open up a school. We can have 3000 openings for pre-req's classes every year and 50 openings for the programs. We will make a killing on the books alone!

racquetmom · Jul 11, 2010

I hope people believe the economy will get better.....I hope our government have learned from their mistakes...... I hope all the people needing a job will have one......I hope foreclosures will end....I hope a lot of things, but the reality is there is no true crystal ball. One thing we all know for certain is that there will always be ill people. This is regarding OP's last two sentences about expensive school and not finding a position as a nurse. There are lots of people out there in other industries with many years experience being laid off and difficulty finding jobs right now with master's level. You stated you are finishing up a biology degree and already looking into a different field :confused: . Not cutting or being negative on your degree choice, but I happen to know a couple people that have a biology degree and work in completely different industries...meaning they never got a job for biology and both over the years have said because you need to have a Master's degree or you end up working lab tech positions or other entry level type. I am a believer that education is never wasted. A degree, any degree, should help someone get in the door. As you can see through your own life experience it is not just happening in nursing.

xInspiredx · Jul 11, 2010

Thanks for your input everyone! :)

@racquetmom I am not changing my area of emphasis, per se. It has to do more with frustration, confusion, and me being a scaredy cat basically. I mean, after reading so many negative posts, it definitely has a toll on you. I don't want to spend years on a waiting list, or not know if I will have a good chance of getting a job (as in being one of the 50 out of the 200+applicant pool-after completing the nursing program I mean). I know that I need to toughen it up, and "life is unfair", and "such is life". I have had a countless number of talks about that from my parents lol. The reality is, we ALL want a job that has stability, but where you can actually enjoy it. However, you become saddened when you read so many negative stories, or stories of people's expectations not being how they originally thought that they would be. Sigh, perhaps I just need to see a therapist, because I am going so crazy over this lol.

racquetmom · Jul 11, 2010

Yes, I agree with a lot of negativity out there. This website if full of wonderful information, tips, advice, and negativity. It is a place where people can vent because maybe friends and family don't get it. It is nice to have people who understand what you are talking about. I think there is stability as sad as it is, there will always be sick people. Every industry is having a hard time right now. I actually think we are in the better position than those that just graduated as it is a tough time right now. Two years from now I anticipate write your own ticket like it had been in the past....okay that might be stretching it a bit. I don't think you need to toughen up and life isn't fair because you haven't gotten the degree and been turned down for jobs. You are expecting something for your future based on what someone else is going through today. Someone posted that they lost their job after 2 years or so due to cutbacks and a 70 yr. old took their place due to senority. SEVENTY. I hope to be retired but there are a number of people who lost their 401K and IRA's and retirement dreams with this last fiascal and now have to work. Others stayed when they had originally planned to leave by now. It will not always be this way. Those nurses will retire and we will once again here about the shortfall. Population is still growing, hospitals are being built, and people are still fighting illness......that is your stability.

xInspiredx · Jul 11, 2010

Population is still growing, hospitals are being built, and people are still fighting illness......that is your stability.

Thanks for this! :)

I really appreciate your thoughtful posts (and others as well), so thank you again!

xInspiredx · Jul 12, 2010

I have a question about laying off in the hospital...

1. If you're a Nurse Practitioner, are you less likely to be laid off, due to the 'higher rank' you have over the RN's, LVN's, etc?

2. If you are laid off, how likely will you find a job elsewhere? Will the hospitals help you with this, and do referrals? Is there a chance to get re-admitted back to the hospital once they can re-hire more?

Thanks!

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 12, 2010

I know a sector we can all get rich off of! Lets open up a school. We can have 3000 openings for pre-req's classes every year and 50 openings for the programs. We will make a killing on the books alone!

That's exactly what some of the for-profit schools have done (and a few non-profits, too). They saw a demand for nurses and opened up new schools -- or bought old schools that were floundering. They charge outrageous tuition and fees ... call the program "accelerated" to justify the compression of the learning curve ... and don't care if half the students can't handle the compressed schedule or don't learn much because too much is being crammed in too fast.

They don't care that many students drop out or flunk out because of that compression or graduate only meeting the bare minimal requirements to sit for NCLEX. They have gotten their money -- paid by the students often taking out huge educational loans. They don't care that a lot of those students will struggle with those loans (or from their bad credit scores because they can't pay those huge loans back promptly). I read today in the Chronicle of Higher Education that 40% of all people taking out loans to attend for-profit schools are in default on their loans within the first few years after graduation. But the schools don't care because they have already gotten their money -- or I guess I should say our money as the taxpayers pay for those defaults.

That's a big reason why Congress is now investigating the for-profit sector of the education market. It appears that students are over-spending for education of dubious quality -- and using a lot of tax dollars to fill the wallets of the school owners.