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?

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.

Thanks for seeing the light "OneClearDay" :-) I totally agree.

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.

..and they're still hiring foreign nurses :) Isn't it grand?

Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

I don't blame OP for going the LPN route then seeing if nursing is really what they want. Truth is, when all this health legislation passes, we have no idea what it is going to be like. I know people who were interested in nursing but passed it up because.................the future is such a question mark.

With that said, a trend I see becoming more and more popular is the "phasing out" of LPNs. Hospitals that hire LPNs are rare now. Some still employ the LPNs that have already been there, but don't hire new ones. LPNs seem to be getting pushed into the LTC direction more and more.

So, I would say the only problem with your plan could be the limited access to jobs you will have. This will limit your experiences and thus deciding if nursing if for you or not will be hampered. Nursing home nursing is NOT the face of nursing. If you base your opinion of nursing on that side of nursing alone, then your plan probably isn't the best route.

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.

What was the opportunity you expected as an LPN new grad? I'm sincerely curious to know.

Bree,

I commend you on your post. I am surprised to at the defensive posts. I think you are smart to be thinking about what the future of nursing may hold. I graduated last year and I had already worked as a CNA for three years throughout nursing school. I have a BSN. I had to move 1200 miles away from my family and everyone I knew because I couldn't get a job anywhere. The first job I had was at a LTC facility. To say that place was hell is an understatement. I ended up being continually sick due to the stress and overwork. I am 45 years old and felt like I couldn't handle the workload and all the other crap going on there. Now I'm doing private duty nursing which I love. Even though I had done alot of research on nursing and had already worked in the field, once I actually was working, I was really shocked at the toll mentally and physically.

I think this difficulty with finding work etc, is going to be the norm, I'm afraid. A parent of one of my clients is a physicians assistant and even he had difficulty finding work and had to work as a nurse for four months till something turned up. I consider myself one of the lucky ones, the jobs I got were not advertised and I didn't get hired through the normal route. If I were you, I wouldn't wait for a job posting, Do some cold calls. If you can work somewhere as CNA and wait for a LPN position to open up, that might be another way. Making contacts is a good way to get your foot in the door. Good luck to you.

Specializes in school nurse.

I'm actually going for my BSN because that's the cheapest and fastest way to get my four year degree as an ASN. Ironically, the reason to get a B.S. will be to facilitate getting out of nursing...

Can you move a little further north of NY? Maybe 1.5 to 2 hrs away from NYC? Hospitals around me are hiring new grads. Sure, they are pickier than ever and no more bonuses but they are hiring. The salary isn't as high as NYC but the cost of living is cheaper here. Trust me, I moved up from Queens three years ago.

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
. . . 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.

So you're saying large numbers of vacancies in experienced nurse positions are preventing hospitals from filling a surplus of new grad positions? I don't see the connection there. It would seem logical that a hospital faced with a situation like that would just go ahead and hire and train new grads if the alternative was no nurses at all. In my area everyone is having it rough, regardless of background.

Another factor to look at is that even if a nurse is experienced if they are out for much longer than 6 months they begin to stop considering it the all important "recent"experience. I don't think Bree was complaining about cleaning up messes so much as the glaring fact that the job market is brutal out there, and what is the point of getting educated to do something if nobody will hire you to do it?

Bree - to address your issue -- I'll say that I'm beginning to realize just how much being trained to do something that was in demand was a factor in my ultimate life decisions. Now that it' gone - I know it was a huge factor. It allowed me to be mobile, it allowed me to choose from a practically limitless number of venues, and I knew I could always quickly (never took more than 3 weeks) be hired.

The fact is that my talents and interests may have lead in a different direction if not for the fact that I never wanted to be in a profession that involved schlepping portfolios around, schmoozing the right bee-hinds, stepping on people's faces to get ahead, or wearing pantyhose and heels to work!! Actually that's the real reason - don't give a darn about helping people- I just don't want to wear pantyhose! (kidding!!)

I can't stand it when others take our inventory and question our mettle with respect to what is motivating a career choice. If you do your best regardless, it's nobody's business why and a nursing school slot is not a form of currency or a barter system wherein someone can choose to be placed next out of the chute if you quit. Best wishes in your decision!:)

OP - Why don't you go back to your $48,000/year desk job, then?

If there are no jobs for LPNs and you can't find work in your area, this would just make sense to me.

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
OP - Why don't you go back to your $48,000/year desk job, then?

If there are no jobs for LPNs and you can't find work in your area, this would just make sense to me.

The desk job has probably disappeared, along with the millions of other jobs that no longer exist since the economic downturn gained momentum a while back.

Bree,

Let me give you the news about NYC...the area is saturated with nurses at all levels: LPN, RN, BSN, MSN, NP, DNP. Too many hospital and nursing homes have closed or downsized. Too many beds, too many providers and too many trained and experienced staff. It is tough for others including physicians.

My advice is to send your resume and a well written cover letter to nursing homes in New Jersey, Westchester area, Long Island and Southern CT. You may be able to get a PT or PD LPN job in LTC or Sub acute if you are willing to work evenings, holidays, weekends and stay for nights (do double shifts as needed). Put your wellingness to be flexible in your cover letter and I am sure a facility will take you, train you and give you to experience you need.

From what you have said, I do not think you understand that in nursing you are going to pay your dues. You are going to work like you never worked before, have to stay over to document/finish up your work (without being paid for this time) and be flexible. Nursing is a 24/7 profession. Nursing is not for the weak or faint hearted. The fact that you did office work means you have basic customer service skills.

A NH will take you and train you but you must be willing to put in the time and do the work. Expect to stay over on snow days, have to go into work on snow days and being welling to work 3-11 shift (which is the hardest shift to cover). If you open your self up and are welling to sacrifice, you should be alright. Also be ready to travel a distance from your home.

Bree, if you really feel that it was that big of a mistake coming into nursing, cut your losses now and go back to what you were doing before. Seriously don't waste any more of your time on something you have such strong anomisity toward. Chalk it up as a learning experience and you'll have a good story to tell your office friends.

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