nurse shortage but difficult entry?

beckersSN · May 25, 2007

I think that the main problem is that a shortage of nurses equals a shortage of nursing teachers so schools are rather limited when it comes to accepting new nursing students

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · May 26, 2007

I think the above poster's comment is correct. I wish to add that nursing schools do not have a shortage of people trying to compete to become nursing students. Thus the schools can set whichever standard will give them what they want in a student population rather then who may or may not make a good nurse (not to say that any school could figure out who will make a good nurse from an application anyway).

Have you tried CCs or Private colleges? Some CCs (not all) will only go by the GPA that relates to the courses within the program. So it was possible for people with a different degree to start from scratch and get straight A's to be competitive. Many Private schools (not all) have accepted students with B and C averages due to the fact that they have more spaces available. GL!

l_wheat · May 26, 2007

Yes, I've talked to many ADN instructors and they all say "Get your masters" because they are so understaffed, my first semester ADN class was 90 students with ONE fundamentals teacher, can you imagine, god bless her is all I can say, my pharm instructor had 120 GEEZZ. Clinicals weren't so bad just 10 per group but still can you imagine 10 boneheads and your licence is on the line. I dunno if I could do it.

shellek · May 26, 2007

Yes, I've talked to many ADN instructors and they all say "Get your masters" because they are so understaffed, my first semester ADN class was 90 students with ONE fundamentals teacher, can you imagine, god bless her is all I can say, my pharm instructor had 120 GEEZZ. Clinicals weren't so bad just 10 per group but still can you imagine 10 boneheads and your licence is on the line. I dunno if I could do it.

I have been a travel R.N. the past 5 years and have found the hospitals that offer their own training with extra pay for their already staffed RN's to assist training-via accrediated schools to students for a 2-4 year contract payback scholarship program...seems to work very WELL,,,, almost like vocational trained nurses, only the program is affiliated with accredited school/hospital corp. This insures the hospital always knows future staff expectancy and they (the nurses) are trained from the begining the "hospital's way" As we all know there are several ways of caring out patient care, but take a fresh new nurse and train her "your way" she is more likely to be compliant and less likely to try to change/improve things, because that is all she/he knows.

serendipity123 · Jun 7, 2007

There is a nursing shortage in the US due to the baby-boomer generation of nurses retiring. Only nurses are truly qualified to teach future nurses, and the pay for nurse educators is not as high as it should be. Many individuals with lots of nursing experience feel it's not worth the lousy salary to come out of retirement. The lack of nurse educators limits nursing school class sizes, hence the difficulty getting into nursing school. I say it's a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped! AND since there is such an insane nurse shortage in the US they should offer us lots of scholarships for pursuing nursing careers, lol. Seriously though, the stress of school and exams and everything is stressful enough without having to worry about money. :uhoh3:

MB37 · Jun 7, 2007

My school just added a second accelerated program, but they won't have classroom space or instructors until next semester. As a result, my pharm and patho classes each have 110 people and 88 chairs. Come at least 15 minutes early if you don't want to sit in the aisle.

Blupaisley · Jun 7, 2007

I'm so jealous!!! You were at least offered a Pharm class. Both Nursing schools in the area usually only offer it once a year (one offers in the fall, the other school in the spring). I chose not to take it last semester (it was full to the gills anyway), now I find out the other school isn't even offering it next year, there is no funding to pay instructor to teach the course. I'll have to wait Spring 08, though Fall 09 is looking more likely. Bluh:madface:

catzy5 · Jun 7, 2007

I think that the main problem is that a shortage of nurses equals a shortage of nursing teachers so schools are rather limited when it comes to accepting new nursing students

we have a 2 fold problem in my area. We have a shortage of qualified teachers, you need your masters and at least 3 years in a speciality area, once they get that their salary far outweighs what a CC or even univercity in some places will pay. Also we have a shortage of hospitals in my area that have the cases we need to cover, you need so many hours of certain hospital related cases/procedures. We will have to travel quite far in our rotations to get the hours we need.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jun 8, 2007

Reading this thread reminded me of a former instructor of mine, who was an NP in private practice for several years before deciding to go into teaching. She was a good teacher, very passionate, and felt she was working toward "the greater good". Had to be, because when they (the college) finally burnt her out and killed her desire to teach, she accepted a position (as an NP, not a teacher) for exactly double her teaching salary. No student overload worries, no clinicals or other out-of-classroom lab assignments, and her time off really was her own.

Not too hard to see the problem.

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 8, 2007

Not too hard to see the problem.

Exactly. Until the general public (the taxpayers) "get it" and realize that this is a big part of the problem, the funding won't be there to pay for what needs to be done.