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.
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.
i have applied to all positions in all areas. .... there are so many positions that state (in caps): no new grads accepted; we will not take new grads, new grads need not apply and so on and so forth. i feel like i have the plague.
how are we supposed to fill this nursing "shortage" if nobody will hire us and give us a chance???
yes, the call for entry level positions is very low.
one question, have you applied to work for non-profits? they tend to be more willing to take new graduates and even though the pay is not as high as in a hospital setting it is still a nursing practice and will give you experience to get the hospital jobs later.
i don't know what state you are in, but if you are close to canada you may want to consider working there for a short time.. some provinces allow us-licensed rns to go work as lpns without having to go through the examination process... also, while it isn't your plan it could be an option to get the experience under your belt to be more competitive in the job market.
Specializes in Float Pool, acute care, management/leadership.
The projections that we are looking at show that if the recession eases off the economy as expected that within 2 years we should see nationwide hiring for nurses begin to reach late 1990s levels.
That is encouraging to hear. I've been toiling over choosing an Accelerated BSN program or just doing a traditional 2 year program. I suppose reading the aforementioned will make it easier to choose a 2 year program. It will definitely be more cost efficient as well.
That is encouraging to hear. I've been toiling over choosing an accelerated BSN program or just doing a traditional 2 year program. I suppose reading the aforementioned will make it easier to choose a 2 year program. It will definitely be more cost efficient as well.
If I were in your position then I would go with the BSN program. The impending shortage is going to be driving employers to look overseas where there are no 2-year courses. The BSN will make you far more competitive in the job market.
That's my opinion anyway. You should consider where you want to practice and talk to nurses in that area to see what the hiring trends have been and see if you can get a feel for what the major hospitals are looking for.
This issue is not about xenophobia... it is about economic survival for many thousands of new-graduate nurses and nursing students presently in the US.
Absolutely! There's just something so wrong with a system that screams "shortage" so they can exploit nurse immigrants but they refuse to hire US nursing graduates who are begging for jobs and who are struggling economically.
I am from SoCal (Orange County). We are still hiring nurses like crazy. Not AS crazy as one year ago, but still crazy. There is no surplus of nurses in the geological area in which I work.
There's a 5.2% vacancy rate in SoCal (ref: California Institute for Nursing & Health Care - Statewide Summary of RN Hiring Survey July 2009). It's hard to see how that would require "hiring like crazy" but then I don't know how to quantify the term "crazy."
When you look at national figures the numbers bear out that we need SOME nurses immediately
"SOME"... up to 20,000 per year as authorized by this bill?
According to whom?
but we need LOTS and LOTS of nurses within 5 years... far more than US nursing schools can provide.
Hospitals are not hiring a huge percentage of the people graduating. That undermines your assertion that US nursing schools can't provide them. Unless you mean that nursing schools can't provide experienced nurses. In that, you're right. That's why we need hospitals to be hiring and training new grads and actively recruiting experienced nurses to step up to the more clinically advanced roles.
It's simply false (and self-serving on behalf of the bills backers) to assert that we need to open the gates to non-resident nurses.
If new grads continue to be unemployable, what do you suppose is going to happen to enrollment in nursing schools? How is that going to solve your "shortage" (the very existence of which I still challenge)?
When you look at national figures the numbers bear out that we need SOME nurses immediately but we need LOTS and LOTS of nurses within 5 years... far more than US nursing schools can provide.
Excellent point. ITA.
Also, when hospitals look overseas for nurses they have more strict qualifiers for hiring, nurses from outside the USA must have experience in a clinical hospital setting and they must be BSN graduates. They are not looking for fresh grads overseas so I don't see how the entry level positions will be consumed by foreign nurses.
Additionally, those with 5 years of clinical experience, MD/RNs and Nursing Master's degree holders are plentiful overseas whereas limited in the USA and these are valuable employees for US hospitals, this is why they qualify for a specific visa class that is not affected by retrogression.
I think a lot depends on the geographic area from which the nurses come. It's one thing to recruit well-educated, experienced RNs from countries in which educated, experienced RNs are plentiful---but completely different to recruit nurses from third world countries that are experiencing their own shortages. It also strikes me as disingenuous for those who stand to profit from nurse immigration---the immigration attorneys, the agencies, health care facilities---to be touting the "excellence" of foreign-educated nurses and screaming "shortage" while they disparage US nursing education. If they didn't have a financial stake in recruiting and hiring foreign-educated nurses, would they be lobbying so hard to introduce and pass legislation that would facilitate such recruitment and hiring?
One thing that distresses me about this whole issue is that it appears that most other countries have ONE educational level for entry to practice whereas the US has multiple levels. I think high quality nursing education should be accessible but is it time for the nursing profession in the United States to FINALLY adopt one educational level for entry to professional nursing practice? It seems to me that if the policy-makers and other stakeholders are so keen on hiring foreign-educated nurses with bachelor's degrees, it would behoove them to see that US schools are of similar standards. What does it say about our country and our system of nursing education that so many people disparage our schools of nursing and say that other countries do a better job of educating and preparing nurses?
I know it is frustrating for US graduates, the only advice I have is to look outside your local area, use the resources here on Allnurses to communicate with nurses and hiring officials all across the nation to find a city where you can move to and practice nursing. Short of that, I agree that with the recession at it's current state there are not many options for a lot of out of work nurses.
The projections that we are looking at show that if the recession eases off the economy as expected that within 2 years we should see nationwide hiring for nurses begin to reach late 1990s levels.
When I was a new grad in 1980, the nursing shortage was so acute that we used to joke that anyone with a pulse and a license could get a job. By the time I finished my BSN in 1983, the generic students in my class had difficulty finding jobs. I remember one new grad who took the only nursing job she could find---at a weight loss center---and another who had to wait tables because she could find nothing in nursing. The DRGs had recently come into vogue and hospital stays were becoming shorter, partly because of decreased reimbursements; as a result, many hospitals quit hiring nurses because of budgetary constraints. A few years later, things changed again. The economy will improve and, as a result, many nurses who are currently working for financial reasons will likely leave the profession, opening the doors for new graduates again.
I also wonder if some nursing students or potential nursing students will be so discouraged because of the current job situation for new grads that they will decide to pursue other professions.
That is encouraging to hear. I've been toiling over choosing an accelerated BSN program or just doing a traditional 2 year program. I suppose reading the aforementioned will make it easier to choose a 2 year program. It will definitely be more cost efficient as well.
By "traditional 2 year program" do you mean an associate's degree program? If you already have a bachelor's degree in another field, strongly consider the Accelerated BSN over an associate degree program. Even though ADN and BSN grads take the same NCLEX, many facilities---particularly magnet hospitals---prefer BSNs.
due to the economy hospitals are trying to cut down their budgets we didn't even get our raise this year, our hospital census stays full which is a good thing but, our hospital is on hiring frozen which mean if new postion opens they will not post the job for at least 90 days unless it's a critical unit staff and the preferences of hiring is given to people who already work their as a CCA or other unlicensed positions, so, my suggestion will be try to find a job in the hospital and in the mean time you can also apply for RN postions
This really upsets me!! Three years ago, our district brought a boat load of Filipino math and science teachers. I even helped them pass the teaching exams by letting them use my study guides.
Needless to say, with our economy this year, the district laid off many teachers. They couldn’t return the Filipino ladies?
Many of us are now sitting home with science credentials, and without a job to return to in September. Thanks a lot!! Forget about teaching. I’m retaking my prereqs hoping this doesn’t happen to me again, or I’m going to explode!!!!
I'm sure I can't add much that others haven't told you. I hope you've considered relocating etc, because they are hiring new grads in lots of areas of the country and I know you don't want to hear it but there are still lots of positions open in hospitals just not for new grads. The problem is that hiring a new grad (at least in my area) costs A LOT more up front and might not pay off because of high turn over in our field. It makes more fiscal sense to pay for a more experienced nurse now who can be in staffing in a few weeks vs a few months. I know it sucks though and hearing it doesn't make it any better. Just remember this time in 3 years or so. You will be coming on here complaining that they shouldn't be hiring new grads into your specialty because they aren't qualified but there's such a shortage that your hospital does it anyway :)
Hushdawg
644 Posts
yes, the call for entry level positions is very low.
one question, have you applied to work for non-profits? they tend to be more willing to take new graduates and even though the pay is not as high as in a hospital setting it is still a nursing practice and will give you experience to get the hospital jobs later.
i don't know what state you are in, but if you are close to canada you may want to consider working there for a short time.. some provinces allow us-licensed rns to go work as lpns without having to go through the examination process... also, while it isn't your plan it could be an option to get the experience under your belt to be more competitive in the job market.