Is it true that nursing career is on the decline?

SummitRN, BSN, RN · Mar 21, 2011

What you have heard is true, that nursing jobs are much harder to find, and extremely difficult for new graduate nurses (taking 6-24months).

This varies by area and we all hope that when the economy recovers, things will get easier. But when will that be?

Student4_life · Mar 21, 2011

Over the last 10 years the national amount of new grads entering the market has doubled and with more schools opening to meet the demand (65% of qualified students in California did not get into a nursing program(CA is my data sample, it is the only state I have found that just hands over piles of data, and its growth in graduates parallels the national frowth) there is no end in sight for the growth of nursing students.

This being said, there will still be jobs for new grads, but the competition for them is just going to grow fierce.

Mom/Nurse2b · Mar 21, 2011

It is also true that we are in a recession and jobs are scarce for EVERYONE. Nurses and Nursing students were under the false impression that their industry was safe from layoffs and cutbacks, but they are feeling the pinch now, that everyone else in every other industry has been feeling for two years now.

jennyjo · Mar 21, 2011

I think it all works in cycles. There was just a hiring freeze at our local hospital. Now my mom, who works there, says they are hiring a bunch of RN's. It seems to work that way in my neck of the woods, but nursing jobs are usually abundant here too. I see ads all the time. I am in Western PA. I bet it's different everywhere. The recession has hit some places much harder than others. There will always be a need for GOOD nurses.