Let me be clear there is NO nursing shortage!!!!!!!!! and now THIS????

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Let me be clear: THERE IS NO NURSING SHORTAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so ****** OFF right now. There are literally thousands of new grads, like myself, who are struggling ALL OVER THE U.S. who can't find jobs for the life of them. This is absurd!!

I have applied to over 30 jobs and cannot get a single call back. I have spent numerous nights sobbing in my bed because I can't afford my loans starting in December and might have to consider filing bankruptcy. :crying2::bluecry1::crying2::bluecry1:

And now, to hear that a Florida congressman wants to "import" foreign nursing to "combat the current nursing shortage" is more than I can take (http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/111_HR_2536.html). Are you serious? Pleas tell me you're JOKING!!!

Why did I foolishly even consider becoming a nurse in the first place (besides it being my childhood dream)? What a waste of time. :banghead:

I just can't take this anymore.................

Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

I was talking about last year....not the dark ages. I still have new grads coming in saying they can or will only work day shift and couldn't I please change some other people around so they could have the 7-3. I try not to laugh at them but I tell them I have nights or evenings and if a day position becomes available, of course they will be considered after it's posted and no one with more seniority wants it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I was talking about last year....not the dark ages. I still have new grads coming in saying they can or will only work day shift and couldn't I please change some other people around so they could have the 7-3. I try not to laugh at them but I tell them I have nights or evenings and if a day position becomes available, of course they will be considered after it's posted and no one with more seniority wants it.

No way!!! In Illinois, there really hasn't been a nursing 'shortage' for over a year now. At one time, there was no choice for me BUT to hire and train new grads. And yes, these new grads would actually demand (not ask me but demand) day shift, NO weekends or holidays and wanted the same rate of pay as a brand new LPN that I was paying RN's with several years under their belts! So yes, I so understand what you are saying. The worst thing about these grads is that at that time, I was even allowed (by corporate) to hire them license pending for 3 months prior. I would send them to every single class that I could and developed a 'Skills Checklist' and paired them with the best nurses to ensure they were comfortable as a nurse, as well as safe. MY nurses would then tell me how they refused to take direction, and were arguementative with procedures!! After all of that, as soon as they passed their exams, they would quit!!! Soooo, frustrating. I wouldn't do it again. And now, will only hire 1 new grad at a time and then ONLY after they have their license.

Like I said in a previous post, I haven't had to deal with that at all. The new grads that have been coming to me are mainly RN's. The hospitals are not hiring new grads here so they come to LTC for jobs. While their skills and knowledge are better and they stay longer, even they leave as soon as they get 6 months of experience to go to the hospital to get 'a real job'!

This is not every nurse though, please don't mistake me, I do not wish to bash anyone. I've read some hurtful comments here and don't wish to feed that, I just write what I experience. I have had the extreme priveledge of working with some of the most knowledgeable, loving, competent PEOPLE in my nursing career.

I am sorry that you are still in this position, but hey, any nursing students or new grads....here is a wonderful opportunity for any of you that can relocate!!! Heck, I may look into this myself!! Hang in there mermaid, with soo many new grads out there, and the economy the way it is (as well as the number of us nurses out there getting older :crying2: lol, your part of the country is bound to catch up to ours. While bad for nursing, it does make it a little easier on hiring.

Best of luck to you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

In Massachusetts you can no longer work as a graduate nurse so at least I know they've passed the boards!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
my nurses would then tell me how they refused to take direction, and were arguementative with procedures!! after all of that, as soon as they passed their exams, they would quit!!! soooo, frustrating. i wouldn't do it again. and now, will only hire 1 new grad at a time and then only after they have their license.

i am sorry that you are still in this position, but hey, any nursing students or new grads....here is a wonderful opportunity for any of you that can relocate!!!

how sickening. pathetic. this makes me pull my hair out even more!!! i would bend. over. backwards. and do your every command if i would be offered a job. i am sooooo annoyed hat these other bratty new grads got their way while i *struggle* to make ends meet and find a job. i am very easy going and love love love to learn (esp. from seasoned nurses - i hang on their every word).

i am losing my mind- and i'm not trying to be funny. my job count is now up to 52. i never give myself credit or pat myself on the back, but i think i have a pretty darn good résumé and have a huge heart and a passion for nursing and i am getting blown off right and left. i have never felt so depressed in my life. to hear about these ungrateful new grads sends me over the edge.

you said "this is a great opportunity" but what were you referring to?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
how sickening. pathetic. this makes me pull my hair out even more!!! i would bend. over. backwards. and do your every command if i would be offered a job. i am sooooo annoyed hat these other bratty new grads got their way while i *struggle* to make ends meet and find a job. i am very easy going and love love love to learn (esp. from seasoned nurses - i hang on their every word).

i am losing my mind- and i'm not trying to be funny. my job count is now up to 52. i never give myself credit or pat myself on the back, but i think i have a pretty darn good résumé and have a huge heart and a passion for nursing and i am getting blown off right and left. i have never felt so depressed in my life. to hear about these ungrateful new grads sends me over the edge.

you said "this is a great opportunity" but what were you referring to?

just a thought here... i've been reading your posts with much interest because, in spite of some opinions on this board, i actually do care about out of work nurses no matter where they are and it helps me to see all sides of the picture.

i've seen your passion and attitude in other nurses that can't get a job and the only thing i can come up with is that they/you are too eager to get the job.

there is a psychology at play when you are conducting a job interview, there are many qualified candidates that i have passed on during the hiring process because they were too eager to get the job. my experience tells me that these people tend to burn out fast or worse yet can be plants from competition to learn about how we do business and steal corporate secrets.

i don't believe this is the case with you, but i do feel that you may be sending off this vibe of desperation when you are talking in interviews or even by the way you phrase information in your resume.

it may be beneficial to have a professional rework your resume; they may not charge much and if you are lucky then someone you know may be able to do it for free.

the interview process should be complete answers to questions but not delving too far into personal information or feelings. yet you can't be cold.

i know from the posts here that you are actively seeking work, i also know from other posts here and the job banks that i see on a daily basis that there are jobs out there. hopefully with a little adjustment here and there you can get matched up with the job you deserve and need.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Scheduling has always been a nightmare for most head nurses. Hospitals are 24/7 places and most units aside from perhaps OR require staffing on the same. Given that a majority of nurses have been female there is of course the problems that come from nurses who are wives and or mothers trying to balance their career with the home front.

Being as this may find it galling that a GN or new RN would expect to waltz into a facility and dictate they will do this shift and not that, and certain days of the year are off limits.

One of the few benefits of senority is being a few pegs up on the pecking order when it comes to days off, vacation time and or other scheduling matters. This is true of most all employment situations, not just hospitals.

Sure, not many like working nights, weekends (even if it is every other) and major holidays, but suck it up and pay your dues.

Being as the above may, have heard many "top" hospitals here in NYC offer straight shifts, and some, IIRC allow one to choose no weekends.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CTICU.
how sickening. pathetic. this makes me pull my hair out even more!!! i would bend. over. backwards. and do your every command if i would be offered a job. i am sooooo annoyed hat these other bratty new grads got their way while i *struggle* to make ends meet and find a job. i am very easy going and love love love to learn (esp. from seasoned nurses - i hang on their every word).

i am losing my mind- and i'm not trying to be funny. my job count is now up to 52. i never give myself credit or pat myself on the back, but i think i have a pretty darn good résumé and have a huge heart and a passion for nursing and i am getting blown off right and left. i have never felt so depressed in my life. to hear about these ungrateful new grads sends me over the edge.

you said "this is a great opportunity" but what were you referring to?

seriously, if you want to move to pittsburgh, i could get you a job tomorrow.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I went to this nurse executives web site. There are 9 positions open. All are for experienced nurses, doesn't seem like a crisis. Why not market to areas where there is a nursing surplus.

Heck, for the 40K to import nurses that would be a great sign on bonus.

MedSurgRN thank you. I don't know how you found this article but I found it fascinating as well as infuriating!! :angryfire

Especially after reading post after post after post about how hard it is for nurses today to get a job.

I would encourage the other readers here to open this link and read it. The is an article written by Yvette Mooney RN a VP of Patient Care Services at South Nassau Community Hospital. She is advocating that the US 'relax restrictions on foreign trained nurses'! Yes, she is a nurse. I made a suggestion that she talk to some of the new grads and returning nurses pleading for jobs as well as some others.

It is through this type of media that the public is lied to and can't understand what nurses in the US are going through. If we don't have our say 'publicly' the public will continue to only have one point of view. Please read her artcle 'OPINION: Grant US visas to foreign-trained nurses'. It was an eye opener for me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
how sickening. pathetic. this makes me pull my hair out even more!!! i would bend. over. backwards. and do your every command if i would be offered a job. i am sooooo annoyed hat these other bratty new grads got their way while i *struggle* to make ends meet and find a job. i am very easy going and love love love to learn (esp. from seasoned nurses - i hang on their every word).

i am losing my mind- and i'm not trying to be funny. my job count is now up to 52. i never give myself credit or pat myself on the back, but i think i have a pretty darn good résumé and have a huge heart and a passion for nursing and i am getting blown off right and left. i have never felt so depressed in my life. to hear about these ungrateful new grads sends me over the edge.

you said "this is a great opportunity" but what were you referring to?

i was referring to the original poster that can't get any nurses to work by her (i believe it was mermaid). she has many openings and apparently what is happening in so many parts of the us has not caught up with her yet and she has a need for good nurses. while it is not feasible for everyone to relocate, people do this all the time. it is just another possiblility.

i hate to hear you so stressed and when you say 'you're loosing your mind' it worries me. i really feel for you. read the post following your response. i believe that she/he is making a valid point. if you go to the interview so desperate (i don't know if you are or not, only you can look back and see your behavior) but if you do, i have in the past reacted to this type of behavior. not for the reasons cited by this poster, but what i have experienced is that when a nurse comes at me like this, i wonder what she is hiding. i have had nurses do this only to find out that they had been fired, were not team players, only needed to fill time due to kids vactions or because their spouse lost their job, or they were buying a new house, but when they get their needs met (money) they quit on me. it's just something to think about.

hang in there and know that it will work out. over the years the nursing 'shortages' have come and gone. my worry right now is for the patients. it seems that in the past the only way to get the hospitals to pay attention that the overload of work and lack or orientaiton or the hiring freeze on nurses would only be lifted after some very bad patient outcomes! it is a scary proposition to be sick in todays world indeed. if only the public knew ...or remembered. we wouldn't be where we are now.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in being a Credible Source.

It's hard not to be desperate when you're approaching bankruptcy because you can't earn a living.

It's hard not to be desperate when you see the opportunities evaporating.

It's hard not to be desperate when you see hundreds of people competing for the same few jobs that you are.

It's hard not to be desperate when you can't afford medical insurance.

It's hard not to be desperate when the nursing schools are churning out thousands more graduates every semester than there are jobs for them.

And it's hard not to be desperate when you see the government considering policies like the mass importation of foreign nurses to further dilute the workforce and take jobs that could otherwise be used to employ people who are already residing in this country.

I try not to show it but hell yes, I'm desperate.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, home health, med surg, pain management.

I'm not a new grad, but I might as well be. I am an older RN who has about 8 yrs of experience in varied fields, but I've been out a while (children and aging parents took priority over career). I recently took a reentry program - on my dime - to make myself more hireable. Right off the bat I have 2 strikes against me, 1) my length of absence from the field, and 2) I'm only an AD, and increasingly finding more institutes require (or prefer) BSNs. Since the beginning of this year I've been actively applying for anything I thought I would be even remotely qualified to do (tech, unit sec., phlebotomist, cardiac monitor, admissions rep- which I did before becoming a nurse) in addition to RN positions. Most of my apps get kicked out within 24 hours. I'm willing to relocate, willing to work for less pay to start, willing to work PRN, whatever. I'm finding that it appears to be not a nurse shortage, but a job shortage, and employers have the luxury of picking only the "cream of the crop" - those with up-to-date experience, and lots of it - to fill the scant openings. Believe me, I can sympathize with all the new grads who feel like you're at the bottom of the heap. But I keep hearing "don't give up," so most every morning I try again. Today I'm going to try calling sitter agencies.:twocents:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER/Trauma, Home Care, Corrections.

The bill's sponsor was Robert Wexler, Democrat from the Miami area. This guy is an extreme liberal and I see no reason for him to support a bill which would expand the supply of nurses during a recession. It is more likely some kind of payback to the Hospital Industry for supporting Obamacare. Some elements of the bill, such as increased funding for Nursing Education, are positive, and will kick in several years from now. Considering that the ANA and some healthcare labor unions have supported the Obama plan, this bill can only be viewed as a stab in the back.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment