Letter Campaign to Oprah regarding the so called "Nursing Shortage"

newtress, LPN · Sep 17, 2009

I just got on and sent a clear and supportive message to the producers page on how important this topic is. Hope more will send a message to the producers, it was quite simple to do. Great idea. Would love for all nurses to have some exposure to disbanding the truth behind the nursing shortage.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Sep 17, 2009

one of the reasons there is a shortage is because it is a crappy (Literally!!) job. Not everyone can get past that and see the big picture about providing a much-needed service. In fact, a lot of people do not understand the word "service". Wonder if Oprah would do nursing if she needed a job?

cabanaboy · Sep 18, 2009

What you are trying to accomplish by doing this? Why would Oprah and her viewers be interested in this topic?

newtress, LPN · Sep 18, 2009

May I ask first if you are a nurse? I'm certain that the OP felt that the nursing shortage was an interesting topic for viewers, especially other nurses out there that do watch the Oprah show and the rest of the viewers that may hear or talk about it and may not know what it really means, or the impact healthcare professionals may have on healthcare reform. Might be more interesting than a one hour show about how to do a makeover on cluttered closet space.

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2009

You should have various points of view, especially from those who are experienced.

I will be honest with you. I do not have trouble finding a job. I have multiple years of experience in different areas and have people trying to recruit me to this day, even though I am working.

I think, truly, this phenomena of not having a job is only applicable to those without experience.

dannyc12 · Sep 18, 2009

Job losses are a problem in many professions.

We are in the midst of one of the worst financial crises in our history.

Of course even jobs that suffer a shortage in good (or even not so good) times are going to be negatively affected in a disaster.

I'm not sure what you would like her to do. Fix the economy? Tell people not to become nurses? Say the "Nursing Shortage" is a temporarily a myth but will return when our economic situation stabilizes?

cabanaboy · Sep 18, 2009

May I ask first if you are a nurse? I'm certain that the OP felt that the nursing shortage was an interesting topic for viewers, especially other nurses out there that do watch the Oprah show and the rest of the viewers that may hear or talk about it and may not know what it really means, or the impact healthcare professionals may have on healthcare reform. Might be more interesting than a one hour show about how to do a makeover on cluttered closet space.

I am a student nurse. My wife is a new grad who has a job, but it was much much tougher to get then what we were expecting. I believe once we have some experience we will have many more options available to us. I also believe that once the economy gets better, there will again be a bigger demand for nurses. Even if the economy doesn't improve for awhile, the older nursing workforce will begin to retire. That combined with an aging population will create a bigger demand for nurses.

I'm not sure what Oprah is going to do for us. I don't really think anyone other than nurses care about whether or not the nursing shortage is a myth (something that even us nurses don't agree on). And, Oprah isn't going to tell us anything we don't already know.

wanderlust99 · Sep 18, 2009

Oprah isn't interested in helping the nursing profession or she would have years ago. Plus her ratings have gone down quite a bit lately.

darcicat · Sep 18, 2009

As this is a thread that I supported, I guess I should answer the question "what do you want to see done?"

Honestly, I would like to see more money thrown at healthcare overall, but also to ongoing nursing education, loan forgiveness, RN to BSN programs, etc. Take the "cash for clunkers" rebates and throw them at public servants. I'd like the state to quit cutting hospital budgets and freezing New Grad programs. I'd like the "powers that be" to realize that even jobs as foolproof as nursing and teaching are effected by this recession. I'd like recruiters and the rest of the world to quit looking at new grads like we must have done something wrong to wind up without a job after getting our nursing license.

Yes, I am personally upset by the fact that when I started studying for this there were 15,000 dollar signing bonuses and now I can't get a job to start paying back my student loans that are due next month. I got into this profession because I wanted what I did to matter everyday. There are a lot easier ways to make a nurses salary, but I can't even get a job as a CNA or a unit secretary because I am overqualified. I have a BA, a BSN, honors to high heaven, and an RN license. Everyone knows that the job they offer will just be a holding pattern for me - and they are right!

Yeah, I realize that the world didn't guarantee me anything, but who would have thought that the economy would ever have gotten so bad that a nurse wouldn't be able to find a job?

Why do I think that Oprah would care? I don't know if she would personally care, like I said I don't really watch. But I do think that just the sheer volume of nurses that exist in the country would give a ready market for the topic. Maybe only nurses would care, but we are many. That might make her care. Additionally, discussions regarding the economy and healthcare concerns are prevalent now. Why not add an additional view point?

And maybe, just maybe, the program would show older nurses, nurses in management, people in hiring positions, and those with experience that it would be okay to take us newbies under their wings, bring on a few interns, hire a few nurses a unit secretaries, or somehow keep us new grads doing something, anything that keeps us learning. Volunteering is fine, but teach us while you use us for free.

So whatever, write, don't write. I don't care. I didn't think this would spark that many feelings in the negative. Right now I feel impotent, I feel sad, and I feel angry. I need hope. Enough hope to manage yet another call to a recruiter where they tell me there is nothing for New Grads. Enough hope to manage hearing that all of the 25 job postings currently up are only for people with 2-3+ years experience. Enough hope to keep plugging away even when I realize that I can't even get my old retail job back because they too are downsizing.

All people start off their careers shiny and new, and I have always heard that nurses eat their young, but I am an optimist, an activist, and a supporter. I believe that nursing is a great profession. I feel lucky to be a nurse, I don't want to be jaded. But is a new grad without a job even a nurse? According to the rest of the world, apparently not.

newtress, LPN · Sep 18, 2009

You have just stated exactly what I think and feel and this mind blowing experience that I am also currently having. I can't get a position in nursing at all. I was sitting at a table filling out yet another 6 page lengthy application and there were some nurses talking away right outside the DON's office door talking about "oh what are we going to do, we don't have anybody on such and such floor, I can't do a double to fill in, I guess we're gonna have to get some agency in here etc." and I have applied more than once at this acute care facility and they won't hire anybody or call you in for one single interview. These upper nursing management people are partly to blame for this also. They will post nursing positions online, in the classified newspapers and in their HR dept but end up not hiring anyone. I spend 5 days a week going in person to do this paperwork, and try to speak to these DON's and they dodge you, don't return calls, have people screen their calls saying they are in a meeting or out. I think sometimes they are using the same lines everywhere: our budget cuts, were on a freeze, recession, economy. And there's my friends who are working that tell me there's no one on the third hall tonight 11 to 7, guess I have to work two halls tonight. They are just overboard on getting by without safe staff ratios because the blanket excuses I mentioned above keeps their overhead and payroll down. It is an excuse now used as much as the trend of not hiring or utilizing new grads either. Completely Bogus.

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Sep 18, 2009

Nursing shortage is still plenty obvious here. We're constantly working short and it's just because they can't hire enough people for the positions. We have people on orientation almost constantly, but it barely keeps up with people moving to new departments or retiring.