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

nursemillie · Feb 2, 2011

I just recently started in an ADN program. I will graduate in May 2011. I have been an LPN for almost 10 years. The money thing was definately not an issue with me. I worked in an office and my highest pay to date has been about $27,000.00/yr. The cost of living is lower here so that s good money for me. I remeber in my 10 years as a CNA $14,000.00 was the most I ever grossed in a year and most years were $10 - $11,000.00 a yr. I will hopefully got back to work for the same company and I am not expectig much over $40,000.00 a yr. The experience I will gain is what I am in this for. I go to work smiling and know I LOVE my job. I don't have a bank roll keeping me afloat either. I was a single mom until about 3yrs ago and I am newly married which helps a lot. I live frugally and we are content. As my husband says "you pay for your thrills." I have a job I love and wake up not dreading work. I will never be rich, but content/happy wins out for me.

Losing a dear loved one very suddenly gt me out of the hospital and back into my life. The shift work and holiday hours took away from my family. I know I am less of a nurse for working in an office(sarcasm) but you will NEVER see a post about me hting my job or nursing. Funny thing is is this was not my passion, I wanted to do clerical work. I kinda fell into nursing and it just fit. I will finish up by saying - do what makes you happy.

withasmilelpn · Feb 2, 2011

Can I tell you how much I hate that DNS on the go stated outright that she finished her work 'off the clock.' That is illegal. They must pay you. One complaint to the labor board opens the facility up to be investigated for years and all employees - not just the person who complained. Most of us now work electronically which makes it that much more easier to prove that nurses are working after they have clocked out. Fines are steep! You are not doing anyone a favor - not your facility or your paycheck. Or your patients for that matter. If the work exceeds the time you have allotted, then clearly you need more help.

TR_ANA · Feb 2, 2011

Well, those of you who thought that nursing is an easy thing, you were wrong, is not, you have the people lives in your hand most of the time, and what can be more stressing than that. Behind you nursing carreer must be something more of how much money you are going to make yearly, I'm not saying that the money is not important, because ther is important, I am saying that you must love nursing, if not, you are not going to make it, and the stress will break you at the end.

NYC is a big city, yes, but not only for the amount of patientes, also for the amount of nurses looking for a job, I know, that there is where your family lives but maybe you should try in other cities, smallers. Make a research, wich cities are more lack of nurses? ,close from NYC if you prefer and apply there, maybe you are luckier.

And I'm sorry if my english is not the best, my mother language is spanish.

gemimi · Feb 2, 2011

If I had it to do all over again I would have stopped at my BS in Human Resources. The pay definately would have been less but the stress load would have been immeasurably less as well. Now I owe student loans up the wazoo and realize why they call nursing the "golden handcuffs" ~ you get paid well and it becomes difficult to work for less. I have loved some of my jobs in nursing SO much, but then the politics get in the way and off you go. You may be as good at what you do as possible, but if Suzy knows Mary who knows Bobby, well then.....good luck. It's not really about patient care, it's about the bottom line (as in most things, I know). Also, it's not really the person who works at the desk who gets laid off first ~ it's the higher paid person. I was assistant to the VP of a Home Health Agency....when times got tight she got laid off and they kept me because I had the same credentials and knowledge but had a lower salary. No new title, just more work and so the circle goes until you can finally get out ~ for rme that's about eight more years and counting.

ILEANRN · Feb 2, 2011

I know how frustrating it could be, especially for new grads. In my opinion, this is the worst time to find a job for newbies. It is not because hospitals do not have jobs to offer. It is because reimbursements are lower and therefore it might not be prudent to open positions for new employees. In the area where I work, newbies have a tough time getting jobs starting 1/1/2011. My hospital and a few around the area are no longer hiring RN's without a BSN. Some hospitals are given a few years for RN' s to get their bachelors. IF not, they are out of a job. There are nurse managers in my hospital that are given time to get their BSN. If by 1/1/2013 they do not have a baccalaureate degree, they either have to demote themselves, or they are out of a job. It is tough out there right now. I am back in school after 15 years of nursing to finish my BSN. I am getting older and so I want to get away from bedside nursing. After this, is masters and hopefully get hired to be a NP.

We phased out LPN's or LVN's in the state I am in. The only places with LVN's are nursing homes and psych. I agree with one of the bloggers, soon there will be no more LPN/LVN jobs around.

Sorry dear but hang in there. IF you could get a job not being a LPN for now, do it. Or, move to another area or state where they are hiring. But, if you really have a passion for nursing go back to school for a BSN and stick with it. Otherwise, if you stay as you are, your job will be phased out soon. AACN is now pushing for BSN grads as entry-level nursing. You are only in your 20's, you can do it. If I, in my mid-40's, can go back to school with less brain power, you can, too! If you wait too long, there will be more out there competing for the same school and then it would be even tougher to get back in. Go for the state schools for less tuition expenses. God bless!

gemimi · Feb 2, 2011

Hate to say this, but they were pushing for BSN as the entry level when I went to school and that was16 years ago. Ain't going to happen.....if everyone is a BSN then a BSN has no supervisory "rank". BSN and LPN do two very different jobs and there is a niche in the market for both ~ one is more hands on, the other more management centered. For instance, while SNFs hire BSN / RNs they are usually for DON and ADON positions or in some cases for the floor but the main staff are LPNs. It is more cost effective, bottom line. They reason for the BSN push? Not because we would have more knowledge, it's MONEY plain and simple.....a person who goes to a 4 or 5 year nursing program for a BSN will spend more in the educational realm of the world than a person going for one year to complete a LPN. That's four years less money in the pocket of the educational institution. Money makes the world go round ~ LPNs are less to have on staff....good for the facility, bad for the school.

germster · Feb 2, 2011

Hi there I started out over 20yrs ago as an LPN and there is certainly nothing insignificant about being an LPN!

I got alot of satisfaction out of it, and then moved on to be an RN.

I can certainly see how what you experienced in clinicals as disheartening... but that happens in every proffession. I would encourage you to finish your schooling and work for while then go on in your education if your nursing education is not fulfilling you. Jobs are hard to find these days I agree with other posts to the website. Especially the ones in the insurance field for RN's and telephonic nursing as I have done for the last 10yrs. Now the only jobs I see posted for nurses are direct patient care... sadly alot of us older nurses moved

away from this yrs ago because of the low pay not reflecting the large amount of responsibility and liability.

I would say in retrospect having an education is better than none even if you just start in nursing, alot of the unemployment is when people have absolutely no education... So onward and upward!

sunny1962 · Feb 2, 2011

I could have written this. I live in CT. I am so frustrated and so disappointed. I worked in an office job in healthcare as well and busted my butt while working a full time job in order to change my career path. I am not in my twenties. I am now 49 and have been out school for over a year. I believe on top of no jobs for me there is an age bias. Of course I can't prove that, but when there are twenty applicants that are in their twenties and a couple approaching fifty then I am at the bottom of the list. My only saving grace is that I am completely flexible and unencumbered by a young family, but even that doesn't go anywhere. I have just about given up. The worst part is I invested in an online bridge program to RN-ASD which I realize now could also get me nowhere because RN's with Bachelors degrees are what is wanted and expected. I feel so sucked in by the system, the schools hype talk and the teacher's hype about how we will go far. I have applied to hundreds of jobs, bought beautiful clothes to interview with, I have years of healthcare experience, I have tweaked my resume more times that I can count, and I have interviewed for 5 jobs total in one and half years. Came close but someone younger was hired in both cases. I am sad and resigned to the fact that I may very well have spent thousands of dollars for an education towards a career that will go virtually unused. This is not to scare anyone this is to make people open their eyes that LPN or RN no longer guarantees that you will find a job.

ILEANRN · Feb 2, 2011

I know what you mean when they were "pushing" for BSN 16+ years ago as entry-level nurses. But now, at least in the area where I work, they are not just pushing, they are now enforcing. I am not saying BSN grads are superior, but if you want to be hired, then you have to have a BSN. It is not what we think is right, we go with what the job market requires if we want to get hired.

As far as bedside nursing goes, at least where I work, it is more profitable because of shift differentials with OT if you are interested. I used to be in ambulatory because I got tired of inpt nursing and all the BS that goes with it, plus I needed to be home for my high schooler during that time. I went back to inpt because I no longer needed to work 8 hrs shifts and I missed the clinical aspect of nursing. In the past 2 years I have been back, I earned 25k to 35k more a year working on the floors than ambulatory (only straight pay). I did not know that working inpt gives more pay! Anyway, my kid is in college now so I need the money for tuition and the mortgage. WE can dislike BSN curriculum all we like but it is here to stay. IF you want to be competitive in the market place, then you have to have a BSN. In our hospital, they are now pushing for managers to have a BSN at the very least, and a masters to be competitive. I am just saying that you will not get a job around my area without a BSN, and I suspect there will come a time when they will be requiring those of us already on staff to get our BSN--shape up or ship out. It will be especially hard for those nurses without a BSN if they get fired or laid off. No one will hire them without a BSN. I tell everyone on my unit to get their BSN and many are listening. More than half of the nurses in our unit alone will be going back to school in the next 2 years because they are nervous with the current hiring (and firing) trend. My nurse manager refuses to go back to school so she already knows she will be replaced after 1/1/2013. And she is a good manager too! I am not for getting the degree, I am just saying that this is the trend now. And other states/areas around the US are following suit. We, as nurses, no longer can afford to keep our heads in the sand. We have to help and support each other, especially the new nurses, and at the same time remain competitive for job security purposes. For those who cannot afford to go to school, there are many scholarships out there and the rate for ed loans are very low. The question is, do you want it bad enough to go for it? OR are you going to wait for it to catch up to you? Choice is yours.

Merlyn · Feb 2, 2011

Get out while you can, kid I have been an LPN for 40 years. I have sent out countless applications to countless places. No Jobs. I do Agency work and not much of that. They are trying to get rid of LPNs to save money. The Bean counters do not realize that LPNs can work around patients better than RNs. I've have seen Nursing go from a caring profession to a cover your butt one. I've have had a number of chances to go on for a BSN but I wanted to stay with bedside nursing. I use to be able to listen and help people. Now if I get a day with the agency, I put pills in little cups. Maybe take a BP. I have put in for early retirement. I'm going back to college for commercial art. I just thought of something. Maybe if you go to Mexico or Africa come back here, keep repeating 'I don't speak the English' You'll get a job right away. That's what it has come down to. Anyway I hope you get that job soon.

smokinpeterson · Feb 2, 2011

Wow, there certainly are some strong emotions to the OP, but that's symbolic of a passion career. I set out in early 2004 to be an RN in a Level 1 trauma center. Without any experience I started as a PCT. At once I knew nursing was a good fit. So, I applied to an LPN program; I completed the year long program and started working on the same Neuro/Ortho surgical floor I tech'd on. (No one wants a new grad without experience, but if they know you and know your ability and work ethic then you're less of a risk). Shortly there after, I started working on my ADN, because I knew LPN was just a stepping stone. My wife was transferred to Atlanta and I had to start from scratch in a new hospital. Employers here would have been more impressed with a slice of cold pizza than they were with an LPN license. I got a job in the acute rehab unit of a hospital only because of my references from the previous job. Once I completed my ADN I transferred to the ED and started learning all over again, as the ED is a different world altogether. I tried looking at other hospitals, but they all wanted experienced RN's. I now have my BSN and work in a L1 ED, and I love it. I'm not getting rich, but 70k-80k isn't as common in the work force as many people think. This is a passion job, you need adequate compensation, but you do it because it matters to you. Like Fire/EMS, police, teaching all great middle class professions, but if you want to sit at a desk and get rich see suggestion #2.

Suggestions:

1. Work as a tech since they'll hire from within before bringing a new hire in, It's cheaper.

2. Go back to school. Education prepares you as a person, not just for a job; you don't have to be a floor nurse.

3. Prepare yourself properly for the position you desire. LPN's work in nursing homes, private duty, and sub acute centers. Those in hospitals are the exception to the rule. You should have known that from the start, I did.

4. Be happy doing what you do, whom you do it with can be changed, so can where you do it. If you want to be a nurse, then love being one and get your butt back in school to learn to be the best nurse you can. If that sounds like too much effort for too little reward then find something else to do and get your butt back in school. There are always stories about "I have a friend(s) that makes $$$", but without an education that 48k from your old job was darn good and will be hard to beat.

-Rock on

wowensue · Feb 2, 2011

I have never been hired for a job with just applying,or looking at want ads, it was always after an internship(social work) or knowing somebody at the hospital where i wanted to work,or having a job to get a job...also,dme companies hire lvn, lincare is one, or if you wanna go to the darkside, apria.....