No jobs or nursing shortage-- Nursing isn't in demand!

U.S.A. New York

Published

Now that I have your attention..I have to say that I am a LPN. I turned down a RN program because of the way I see health care (particularly nursing) going. Seems to be slipping down hill at a sad rate. Pay is being cut, nurses are being laid off left and right, and thousands of BSN grads have been searching for ANY kind of position that they can get...some for over a year. What makes it worse, is, a lot of the new grads I know live here in NYC..where I live. You'd think it's better up here, but it's not.

I'm a new LPN and I know many people look down on LPN certificates...they feel we should go for our RN, BSN in specific. But please save that, because I went this route to get a feel for things and I'm hating what I am "feeling" so far. I left an eeeeeeassssssssy $48,000/year desk job to pursue nursing and I swear I could just kick myself some days. I really love helping others out, but the stress that I have been through, I am positive will only get worse once I really land my first nursing position..if I ever do :( I'm not picky and I literally would work anywhere. I have applied at 100 places, so far. Yes, you read it right..100. Before I started nursing school I had no degree..and I LITERALLY had 2-5 employers/agencies calling me, per day, for work..all ranging from $30,000-$65,000/year depending on the position. Not too bad, since I am not bilingual and truly don't have too much that stands out against others.

I guess this post is a vent. I'm not going to give up and I have yet to have landed that 1st nursing job. To be honest, I am already dreading it. I did my rotations at the hospital and saw what the RNs had to go through. It was just insane. Most of it was politics...cattiness...nonsense. All of them told me they can never relax when they go home because they are always worrying they did something wrong.

I'm in my late 20s and my family/everyone is pressuring me to "finish what I started"..but I am so sad about the way I see nursing going. I was ok with the stress and the workload..but the fact that thousands of BSN RNs are graduating every year and can't even land jobs...and the fact that they have to be virtual slaves/maids/housekeepers/customer service agents/etc. whilst dealing with all that other drama..just turns me off. I am praying/hoping that maybe it was the rotations that I did..maybe it was the facility..but I just cannot see how anyone in their right mind could stay in a field like this. I'm sorry..but $40,000-$60,000/year is just not enough.

Anyway..I love Human Biology...doing medical procedures on patients...and I even love being on my feet...so I am going to give this nursing gig a chance. I'm a little scared..again...100+ applications and not but 2 call backs that seemed to be so general they lead no where. I cannot move out of the city for marital/financial reasons...but have even opened myself up to cities within 1 hour of here. Hope something gives way. I'm praying nursing is a worthwhile career..but I have a feeling it's not what people hope for...and either way..I am just going to be very glad that I only spent 12 months finishing my LPN and trying it out this way first. *sigh* Anyone else frustrated out there?

I turned down the RN program, for now, because I wanted to get my feet wet. Why would I waste 3 more years a big chunk of tuition debt to be in the same situation I am in now? I have BSN friends who literally cannot land a job. Dozens of them...at first I thought it was just them..but after I keep running into them by the handfuls, I'm starting to think otherwise.

Like I said..I'm hoping that it's better than I thought it was. I don't expect flowers and sunshine, but it would be nice to know that people stand a chance in this field..it's pretty sad when you can't even be hired.

I will have to say something here. I am a recently graduated (December 2010) BSN prepared nurse, and I have literally applied to over 75 jobs since August of 2010. I decided to go ahead and try to nip the job hunt in the bud and fortunately got 6 calls back. Although 3 of these calls were to tell me that I was not qualified for the position, the other 3 turned into interviews. During all of these interviews, I was told that it was a good thing I had a BSN because if not, these agencies would not have even given a second glance to my resume. All through nursing school I have heard from friends and family how good of a choice nursing was due to the extreme "shortage." Little did I know until my last year of school that the shortage was, as you put it, nonexistent. In fact, here in Georgia, most hospitals in my area are on hiring freezes or making extreme cuts in staffing, so much so that I couldn't even get a job as an aide throughout school because hospitals literally couldn't hire me or afford me. Also, until my final semester in school, I was completely oblivious to the fast that most nursing students on average were not getting jobs until 6 months out, which is exactly why I began applying as early as I did to as many jobs as I could. After my recent interviews, I was fortunate enough to receive 2 job offers, but ONLY because I have a BSN since I have no previous nursing experience. In fact, one interviewer told me that she was in the process of completely redoing her staff and firing all LPNs on staff or requiring that they have an RN to work with, which is just more hiring and more money spent. I hate to say this, but if you really want to pursue a long-term career in nursing, you really do need to have a BSN to do so. Not only are hospitals only hiring BSN prepared nurses now, but they are also looking for many nurses to get more advanced degrees in the future, which can only be done with a BSN. All in all, I would suggest looking into working as an LPN (to get your experience and to pay for school as you go) while getting your BSN and applying anywhere feasible beginning at the start if your final semester of nursing school in order to get your name out there and to get a feel for what positions hospitals are generally hiring for at that time. Hope this helps and good luck with everything!

Specializes in geriatrics.

Clemoi I would agree with you completely! I have also thought that nursing should not really be chosen for the sake of a career alone. The work is mentally and physically demanding. If you aren't really committed, then nursing isn't worth pursuing. Furthermore, if nursing is truly a passion, it shouldn't really matter where or what that first RN job is. If nursing is truly what you desire, its worth holding out for. We all have bad days, and sometimes work sucks. But if the work is satisfying, the off days aren't so bad.

Wise of you to slam on the brakes and screech to a stop OP.

My plan was to get my MSN, but that would be quite the stupid move wouldn't it! I agree nursing is far past it's short time in the limelight I think never to rise again. I can sense it, it's changed permanently.

For those independently wealthy and who also have lawyer family members you can continue your contribution to society nursing for free and without fear of successful litigation against you.

Wow I did something similar. This is my second career. Back in 2007 I took the LVN route, and I was getting negative remarks left and right from friends, family, school classmates that I should of went RN route. I would have finished in 2008 instead but reading these forums and talking to friends RN's are getting reamed hard in California. Working part time now as an LVN while volunteering at a hospital and finished all my pre requisites for the ADN or BSN program including the TEAS but I decided to cancel those plans considering the RN glut. I think 2013 would be a good time to pursue RN route again. Just my 2 cents.

btw I just took a IV certification class not too long ago. A lady in my class went to a well respected 4 year State school got her BSN 1.5 years ago and passed her Nclex still looking for her first RN job.....

I think what some don't seem to get is that there are enough RNs here in the US to fill any need for many, many years to come.

Specializes in ER/ float.

I would trade my BSN and experience for my old job and life back in a second!

(If I only knew then) :eek:

Specializes in Tele, Stepdown, Med/Surg, education.

hey bree i am very sorry that you have chosen a profession and didn't do any research on it before hand. yes nursing is very physically and emotionally demanding at times but is also extremely rewarding. i wouldn't change my career choice if given the opportunity to do it again. i have my bsn working my msn, and have been a nurse for 6 years so can't relate to the problems new graduates are having finding employment. :( i do teach in a lpn program and my last class that graduated in aug have had absolutely no problems with finding employment most of them had jobs before they took boards.

i am also very sorry you have run into nurses that are not pleased with nursing. i guess i'm blessed to love what i do. i love nursing and get extra satisfaction teaching it. and yes i am still at the bedside on the weekends. try to stay positive. like all things it will turn around. there will always be sick ppl, old ppl and nursing.

Now that I have your attention..I have to say that I am a LPN. I turned down a RN program because of the way I see health care (particularly nursing) going. Seems to be slipping down hill at a sad rate...... I left an eeeeeeassssssssy $48,000/year desk job to pursue nursing .....I literally would work anywhere. I have applied at 100 places, so far. Yes, you read it right..100. Before I started nursing school I had no degree..and I LITERALLY had 2-5 employers/agencies calling me, per day, for work..all ranging from $30,000-$65,000/year depending on the position.

I am actually surprised to see that I will be the first (and only) person to question both your apparent attitude towards nursing responsibilities and your expecations of what nursing is. Congrats to you for deciding to stop at your LPN. If you think nursing is going so far "downhill" that you don't want to put in a couple more years of schooling to make a higher wage and be more employable as a new grad, I will gladly take your RN program slot. I am really wondering what you thought nursing entailed, since you seem to be personally offended at some of the tasks one often undertakes as an RN (I believe you said something similar to "virtual slave"? Are you kidding?). Granted, I am not a nurse. I have not even started a program yet. However, I have worked in caregiving and healthcare settings for over ten years, and while I know I have a LOT to learn, I expect to work hard. I expect to do things I don't want to do, to clean up icky messes, to work under pressure, and to deal with the "politics and drama" that can potentially be found in any workplace or field.

I understand that it must be incredibly frustrating to not find a job as a new grad. From what I gather by following the news, reading this forum and talking to my nursing friends (all over the country) and coworkers, the shortage lies not in new grad nursing positions but rather experienced nurse positions (creating a bottleneck). If you aren't willing to clean up messes, be pushed and put under pressure, and you want to make MORE than $60,000, at a job that's easier than your "eeeeeeeeeeeeasy $48,000/year desk job", well, good luck to you. It might be time to start buying lottery tickets.

Specializes in CVICU, Obs/Gyn, Derm, NICU.
hey bree i am very sorry that you have chosen a profession and didn't do any research on it before hand.

i don't think it's a problem with the op not doing any research.

this recession is the worst since the great depression. also the op is in ny (?nyc or ny state) - i believe there have been 4 hospital closures in nyc so there will be lots of demand for nursing jobs there.

i don't think many people could have foreseen the magnitude of the current situation

Wow! So many defensive posts. If I was in a field that I knew was awesome, I doubt I would be on here posting defensively. It looks like there is more than one person, here, that needs to do some reflecting.

I am actually surprised to see that I will be the first (and only) person to question both your apparent attitude towards nursing responsibilities and your expecations of what nursing is. Congrats to you for deciding to stop at your LPN. If you think nursing is going so far "downhill" that you don't want to put in a couple more years of schooling to make a higher wage and be more employable as a new grad, I will gladly take your RN program slot. I am really wondering what you thought nursing entailed, since you seem to be personally offended at some of the tasks one often undertakes as an RN (I believe you said something similar to "virtual slave"? Are you kidding?). Granted, I am not a nurse. I have not even started a program yet. However, I have worked in caregiving and healthcare settings for over ten years, and while I know I have a LOT to learn, I expect to work hard. I expect to do things I don't want to do, to clean up icky messes, to work under pressure, and to deal with the "politics and drama" that can potentially be found in any workplace or field.

I understand that it must be incredibly frustrating to not find a job as a new grad. From what I gather by following the news, reading this forum and talking to my nursing friends (all over the country) and coworkers, the shortage lies not in new grad nursing positions but rather experienced nurse positions (creating a bottleneck). If you aren't willing to clean up messes, be pushed and put under pressure, and you want to make MORE than $60,000, at a job that's easier than your "eeeeeeeeeeeeasy $48,000/year desk job", well, good luck to you. It might be time to start buying lottery tickets.

Who in the world said I'm not willing to clean up messes? That doesn't bother me at all. I'm totally ok with the physical demands of the job..the craziness..but the way it's going (overall)...well, I hope I'm wrong about it. I'll be ashamed to say I stuck with a field that doesn't really have the opportunity everyone claims it has...and in which the workers are treated like modern day slaves--again, could just be where I had my clinical rotations..maybe it's really as "wonderful" as so many nurses are saying.

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