Is Shortage in Nursing really a hoax?

elkpark · Nov 14, 2017

There hasn't been a true shortage for a long time. There are parts of the country that have a shortage, and, in many parts of the country, the nursing "market" is entirely saturated. There are some issues with distribution of nurses around the country, but no real shortage.

guest517 · Nov 28, 2017

Well I do think some schools advertise that there is a shortage just for the sake of advertisement but I truly do believe in SOME states their are shortages. I live in Ohio, and their has been a shortage for about 2 years now. If you notice, a lot of nurses complain about having to work extra hard due to being short staffed. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics projections, by 2022 there will be more than 1 million jobs for RNs. It really does make sense, the baby booming population are elderly or disabled by now and a majority of the current nurses are in their 50s and will retire soon.

elkpark · Nov 28, 2017

If you notice, a lot of nurses complain about having to work extra hard due to being short staffed.

That's typically because employers choose to keep staffing low for financial reasons, not because they couldn't hire more nurses tomorrow if they wanted to.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics projections, by 2022 there will be more than 1 million jobs for RNs. It really does make sense, the baby booming population are elderly or disabled by now and a majority of the current nurses are in their 50s and will retire soon.

A) Different government agencies have different numbers and opinions on this. The DHHS section specifically related to US healthcare services and providers is predicting a large national surplus of RNs by 2025. Guess we'll just have to wait and see which prediction turns out to be more accurate.

B) Nurses in their 50s are going to be retiring soon? I and plenty of other nurses I know are in our 60s and have no plans to retire any time soon.

guest517 · Nov 28, 2017

B) Nurses in their 50s are going to be retiring soon? I and plenty of other nurses I know are in our 60s and have no plans to retire any time soon.

Thats fine but I highly doubt a majority of Nurses in their 60s and 70s will still be working unless they had no choice. Most nurses are around 40-50 they can't work FOREVER, statistics prove it. Again, this doesn't have to apply to YOU or the "plenty of other nurses you know" but it likely applies to the majority of people in the age group

Mavrick, BSN, RN · Nov 29, 2017

Thats fine but I highly doubt a majority of Nurses in their 60s and 70s will still be working unless they had no choice. Most nurses are around 40-50 they can't work FOREVER, statistics prove it. Again, this doesn't have to apply to YOU or the "plenty of other nurses you know" but it likely applies to the majority of people in the age group

There is quite a difference between soon and forever. People making decisions about nursing school want to know if there will be a job for them when they finish school. Nurses in their 40s and 50s now can easily work another 10 to 15 years. Not "forever" but long enough to put a real burden on people who need a job after graduation to pay back student loans and won't be able to find one in some markets.

I'm 62 and have every intention of working another 5 years before giving up my plum PACU position.

RobtheORNurse · Feb 7, 2018

There are geographic shortages. Georgia has a severe nursing shortage. Where I live, there is a nursing school on every corner it seems and there are few job openings. So the answer is Yes and No.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Feb 8, 2018

Nurses in their 50s are going to be retiring soon?
I and plenty of other nurses I know are in our 60s and have no plans to retire any time soon.

I plan to work full-time (12x3) until I'm 70 and then PD until I'm unable to...

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Feb 8, 2018

There may in fact be a shortage of nurses looking to take underpaid, overworked, crappy jobs... there is no shortage at all of nurses for good-paying jobs in good organizations... none... at all...

When looking at BLS statistics and projections, note that the vast majority of jobs with high predicted growth also pay very poorly... things like home health aide and the like. Nursing is an incredibly broad field and few blanket statements about "nursing" are generally accurate.

PeeWeeQ, ADN, RN, EMT-B · Feb 9, 2018

It depends on where you are and what is going on there. I live in Western Wisconsin. We are a growing community (with a very large elderly population). We have A LOT of LTC facilities, many regular, outpatient clinics, several outpatient surgery centers, 2 hospitals, and 1 more hospital being built. We have a technical college that offers an ADN and a UW college that offers a BSN. And no--we do not have enough nurses here. Not by a long shot...

Oldmahubbard · Feb 25, 2018

I have been a nurse for almost 30 years and there has never been a shortage of nurses for the good nursing jobs. I doubt there ever will be.

As far as people continuing to work into their 60's and 70's?

Very few nurses working today will have a pension. That means they will eventually have to live on their Social Security check, and their own savings, which is what a company sponsored 401k is essentially.

A typical social security benefit is 1500-2000 dollars a month. Depending on your work history. Can you live on it?

Even if you can sock as much as 500 dollars a month in a 401k, how long will it take before you have significant savings? The answer is decades.

The average 401k has less than 100,000 dollars.

I think a lot of people will have to keep working.

car48 · Oct 28, 2018

Day after I passed NCLEX I sent out 2 resumes. That afternoon I got a call, and an interview the next day. The day after the interview I was called and hired. The day after that the second place I sent a resume to called to set up an appointment (had the job, didn't go). The day after that I got a call from the hospital that I was hired at for another interview in another department (didn't go, had my job). My pay is normal for my area, and I start with 4 weeks vacation (never had 4 weeks, esp. not starting out). I have zero healthcare experience other than being a new RN, and I do not have my BSN yet.

My area may have a nursing shortage. Never heard of one, but that could be the case. One of the reasons people say there is a gender wage gap (which there isn't) is because men are more willing than women to move to where the work is. Take crappy hours for more pay. Work more OT. And go into more specialties. Outside of the mythical wage gap, if you are willing to do those things you will get good work. I already told my boss I am willing to work Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. I also requested to work nights and weekends for more pay while going to school to get my BSN. I have volunteered to learn whatever they will teach me. I understand if not everyone wants to do stuff like that, but that is a life decision and what your priorities are.

Please do not bite off my head with the facts I just posted if you are a female who prioritizes as I stated above. These are general trends and not specific to an individual. It is not sexist to say "most nurses are women" if in fact most nurses are women. That is not to say that there are no male nurses, I am one. It is also not sexist to say men tend to work more OT. Men do work more OT. That is not to say women do not work OT.

Also to the last poster and social security. If you are close to retirement you will probably get SS. But for anyone under the age of 50 if you think you are going to get it brace yourself... the only way you are getting it is if you are dirt poor at retirement. The government is probably going to 'means test' (which is code for stealing money from people who contributed to social security based off of how much they retired with). The money has been spent and social security will go bankrupt in less than 15 years. If you are 65 and only have 100k in a 401k that is your own fault. There are many great ways to save for retirement (IRAs) so if you have neglected to do so you only have yourself to blame. By not saving when you were younger you have chosen to work till you drop.

Also your assertion that saving 500 a month will not add up to much is untrue. The reality of compounded interest goes like this. If when you were 18 you got a job that paid 24k a year and you put away 4.5% (the same amount the government steals from your check in the form of social security) and your employer (who also has to pay 4.5% to social security for employing you) also contributes that same 4.5% when you retire at 65 with a typical return of 8% you will retire with a million. And that is if you never make more than 24k during your entire life. Where saving 500 a month is not a lot of money is if you started saving when you were 60 and plan on retiring at 65. But again, if you waited until 60 that is your fault.