Nurse shortage?? Opinions please

Sebastiansmom09 · Jun 22, 2007

Hello there. I am in the same boat as you are. I will be starting NS this fall (so excited by the way!!), and I don't think that our field will be that saturated by the time we graduate. We have to keep in mind that nursing is such a diverse field that you can take your degree to many different areas-different hospital floors, LTC facilities, doctor's offices, etc. etc. Also due to normal attrition such as nurses retiring and fellow classmates we may lose in school (due to grades or personal circumstances), I'm sure we'll be fine. Just my opinion :)

RunnerRN, BSN, RN · Jun 22, 2007

My $0.02....there is no shortage of nurses, but there is an awful shortage of nurses willing to work in the hospital conditions. This shortage is not going to end anytime soon, so assuming you can get through nursing school you'll be fine.

Joe NightingMale, MSN, RN · Jun 22, 2007

You might want to check out the Discover Nursing website, or the Occupational Outlook Handbook on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

Both will confirm that nursing is going to be generating a lot of new jobs over the next decade, much faster than other fields. While the shortage won't be as exteme as some feared, it will continue to worsen. The lastest estimates I've seen have about 340,000 unfilled positions by 2020, up from around 150,000 right now (originally the estimate was 750,000 by 2020).

So, I wouldn't worry

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Jun 22, 2007

My $0.02....there is no shortage of nurses, but there is an awful shortage of nurses willing to work in the hospital conditions. This shortage is not going to end anytime soon, so assuming you can get through nursing school you'll be fine.

Also, so many new grads are ready to quit after six months of work because nursing was not what they expected. Don't worry.

brotherbear · Jun 22, 2007

I am just starting school for nursing. Although nurses will always be needed and there's this shortage of nurses my concern is that by the time I graduate the field will be saturated and it will be hard to find a job. There seems to be alot more people going for nursing degrees so it kind of makes me wonder . . .
What are your opinions on this?

That should not trouble you at all. Without going into the hard statistics I can tell you that for the next twenty years their will be a shortage of nurses. This is mostly due to the way our healthcare system is setup. You'll be fine. Good luck in school

Ms Kylee · Jun 22, 2007

Don't worry... there will always be room for nurses. Especially good ones.

coder · Jun 23, 2007

Agree with some previous posters, THERE IS NO NURSING SHORTAGE; JUST A SHORTAGE OF NURSES willing to work under conditions set forth by hospitals. I feel like the hospital forces me to put my license at risk every day I walk in...too many patients per nurse, signing off for LPN's patients when I barely have time to take care of my own (let alone getting time to even lay eyes on theirs), techs that won't accept delegation, management that won't address issues, more and more paperwork,etc. I've been a nurse for almost a year and looking forward to getting out of the hospital environment. I worked too hard for my license to allow the hospital's greed to put my accomplishments at risk. Just my opinion...

allnurses Guide · Jun 23, 2007

Too many new fields opening up for nurses for there to be a shortage of jobs. Also, many of the studies show the majority of nurses are over 40, and will be retiring in greater numbers than those entering, contributing to more shortages in the existing jobs.

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2007

50 year old nurse here, come join us.....we need you. Becoming a nurse is something not meant for everyone. Learning about the human body and mind is kinda scary, taking care of the sick ones is even more so. Doing it well is very rewarding. Expand your knowledge often, take classes to learn new things, serve on committees, teach new nurses, teach old nurses become a specialist in one of the many areas nursing covers. No need to be bored, just move on to something else as I have a number of times.

Maggie2 · Jun 23, 2007

Nursing can be difficult at times. Plus the hospitals think that your license is made of rubber and can be stretched to met everyone's needs.

Shortage??? Maybe at times...But mostly there is a shortage of money..Nurses need more money for what they do.

Follow your DREAMS...........

Karon

Retired living in Panama

Sheri257 · Jun 23, 2007

I don't believe there's a real nursing shortage ... it's all relative and California is a great example. There's actually some significant signs of a nursing surplus, especially in coastal areas of the state.

Once the ratio law was enacted a couple of years ago (which limits patient assignments to no more than five) 40,000 new nurses got licensed here ... a lot of them from out of state. Meanwhile, the nursing schools were producing more new grads (about 7,000 a year) and some markets are becoming oversaturated.

For example, some RN's are having trouble finding jobs in the Bay Area (check out the California forum where this is discussed.) You can still find jobs in areas like Los Angeles and Orange County but the pay isn't anywhere near what it should be for the high cost of living there.

This, to me at least, also indicates a nursing surplus. Afterall ... hospitals don't raise their pay unless they have to and if there's plenty of other RN's to hire, they don't.

On the other hand, if you look at the inland areas of California (which most nurses don't consider as an option when they first move here) there's plenty of nursing jobs. But, even then ... it really comes down to how much the hospitals are paying.

If the hospital pays well, they have virtually no trouble staffing. If the hospital cheaps out on pay ... then, they're short. But that doesn't mean there's a shortage ... it's really just a shortage of nurses who want to work for less money.

:typing