Let's talk: Nursing Shortage?

[Yellow90]

Nursing Shortage Start in the Classroom

Nursing Shortage: Cal State System

What's going on? I did not know there was a nursing shortage *sarcasm*. I graduated in June 2013 and find it extremely difficult to get a hospital job. Currently, I do work in a surgery center and love it, however, I want to do inpatient. With that said, I have my associate's degree in nursing and am enrolled in an RN-BSN program.

The problem with this propaganda of "Nursing Shortage" does not seem relevant at this time. Most hospitals require 1 year of experience or preferred, BSN preferred. It makes it hard for ADN's to get a job although they are also an RN.

Let me just say, I have heard many times for every new grad position a hospital receives over 500 applicants. Some places receive so many applicants they state they will only consider the first 25 or the for a new grad position the first 100, 200, etc.... You get the point.

There are many nurses out there and California has thousands of new nurses. Hospitals just do not want to train new nurses because it costs $40,000 to train a new nurse. And if you are wondering where I found this information it's just what I hear on other forums.

In this article Nursing Shortage: Cal State System, it states CS San Bernardino accepts 108 a year. The article is making it seem like that is a small amount.

There is a Facebook group called New Grad RN in California which I am part of. There you can find many unemployed nurses looking for a job.

THERE IS NO NURSING SHORTAGE at least in California. There are plenty of community colleges and universities that graduate hundred of nurses a twice a year. Yes twice a year because You have your nurses that graduate in Fall and Spring. It is so hard for new nurses to get a job ADN or BSN, in all honesty harder for ADN's, that colleges are now starting externships post- nursing school when you are an RN to help you gain experience and make you more competitive. Let me name a few schools, College of the Canyons, Saddleback College. There are also programs being created by hospitals such as one in Fairfield, CA that YOU pay for the training. New graduate RN's are willing to work as CNA's if it means it will land them an RN job in the future.

There are plenty of nurses to fill open positions who are smart and worth the training.

I believe it is safer to say that it is a market of supply and demand. There is plenty of supply (nurses) but the demand (jobs) is very competitive.

It is just a shame that people, not in healthcare, believe there is this current "Nursing Shortage."

[applesxoranges, BSN, RN]

There is no shortage. Even the most experienced nurses are starting to feel the burn. A competing hospital system managed to a significant number of nurses and ancillary staff to retire.

One thing that does bug me is the thought that hospitals can support having large number of new grad residencies year after year. People need to realize that their dream hospital job may not be there for them and they need to branch out before they graduate. I was lucky to have two job offers before I graduated and when I considered switching before a year, I've had four hospitals call me for interviews within a week due to my experience as a paramedic.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

There's a wide spread perception that gerontology is not a specialty, but in fact since the population is aging any experience with seniors is valuable. That means LTC, oncology, rehab, psych, home care, medicine units, emergency. Seniors will continue to dominate these areas.

I hold additional certifications in gerontologic nursing. That combined with my charge experience made my job search much easier than I anticipated. I found a good position within five weeks of looking.

There is no nursing shortage, but once you have three or more years of experience in a certain area, your search will be easier. New grads should accept whatever they can get and try to stay in that position for as long as it is tolerable.

The key is making a less desirable area work somehow until you find a better position which takes time and patience.

[Palliative Care, DNP]

There is no shortage in my neck of the woods. In fact RNs have been laid off from the local hospital and a whole unit was closed. I tell my children to go into other areas of healthcare if that's what they want.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

It is an extremely expensive and difficult process with a high failure rate to train new grads or experienced non-specialists. In all the reality the shortage is not a bad thing for me personally because it drives my wages up but it is not easy finding people to work with.

I am in the process of leaving two of my jobs and at the one job where I only provide vascular access services they have not been able to find someone for over 6 months now. That employer does not have the ability to train a novice nurse, it simply takes too long and the volume isn't high enough to train someone. In the hospital to orientate into vascular access is a minimum 6 month process to be considered minimally competent.

At the hospital I am also leaving it takes months to be fully competent in infusion therapy. Just putting someone through to get their chemo card, learn how to give biologics and enzymes etc takes a while. It is rather an expensive process to train a new grad who may or may not stay with the unit. They will train experienced nurses sometimes but generally will only pull from the oncology, crit care, ED units.

Sounds like your employers are looking for purple squirrels.

[Asystole RN]

well I can MAYBE see why they wouldn't hire a new grad but if you won't hire someone changing a specialty then of course there is going to be a diminishing pool of applicants. Hell, the existing specialists will eventually die of old age. Nurses have to be trained in a specialty. And if ya don't want to train new blood of course you have a shortage in specialties.

But trust me hospital administrator types know this, and like the shortage...the current, trained nurses do the work of two!

We will hire and train those changing specialties but only after exhaustively searching for those with experience within the speciality. We won't just do without but a great effort is made to find skilled and experienced nurses.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I am hitting brick walls left and right in trying to specialize. Nearing three years of stepdown experience, but my resumes get rejected all over the place because I don't have one year of whatever the specialty is, though 19/20 of the items listed in the column of desired attributes are present in abundance within my repertoire. It is frankly pretty absurd. If I want to stay in PCU/tele/med-surg/stepdown they are busting down my door. But want to move to ER/ICU/L&D/IR/Pre-op etc etc etc? Nope.

These days it is all about who you know and very little about your actual resume. Know the right people and the job is yours. Know nobody and your chances are zilch, because the computer tosses you out before anyone even sees your resume.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

I am hitting brick walls left and right in trying to specialize. Nearing three years of stepdown experience, but my resumes get rejected all over the place because I don't have one year of whatever the specialty is, though 19/20 of the items listed in the column of desired attributes are present in abundance within my repertoire. It is frankly pretty absurd. If I want to stay in PCU/tele/med-surg/stepdown they are busting down my door. But want to move to ER/ICU/L&D/IR/Pre-op etc etc etc? Nope.

These days it is all about who you know and very little about your actual resume. Know the right people and the job is yours. Know nobody and your chances are zilch, because the computer tosses you out before anyone even sees your resume.

I agree it is about who you know!