Nurse Shortage??

[Dont]

Is there still a nursing shortage?

The local hospitals had been sponsoring students in our area to attend ADN programs in return for a two year commitment after graduation. They recently dropped these programs because they have so many nursing students on the payroll they are anticipating a surplus of nursing graduates in the next few years!

I recently attended a "meet and greet" for nursing students sponsored by one of the larger health care systems in my area and there were 300+ students in attendence? I spoke with one of the recruiters at the event and she said they have so many applicants that you really need "on the job experience" (care assistant or prior nursing experience) to be considered for a position at one of their facilities?

I've seen several recent grads post in this forum concerning difficulty in securing their first position?

Yet in spite of this, every magazine I open has an article about the current nursing shortage and how it is going to get much worse before it gets better. The baby boomers are retiring and we don't have enough health care providers to service them!

Is there really a shortage? What are the career propects for nursing graduates over the next 2-5 years?

[llg, PhD, RN]

It seems to me that you have run into a local situation of a place with a "high supply" of new grads. It is difficult for hospitals to absorb a lot of new grads at one time because those new grads require a lot of orientation and support throughout the first year of their careers. If you live in an area that has increased its nursing school enrollments dramatically, you may be finding that those new grads are overwhelming the local hospital's ability to absorb them all at once.

However ... long term ... the need for well-educated, competent nurses is going to be increasing steadily over the next several years throughout the country as a whole. Anyone with the education and ability to be flexible (geographically, work hours, specialty, etc.) is going to be able to find work. Whether the perfect job for you will exist "in your backyard" is another story. Those of you who live in an area with an over-supply of new grads might have to go elsewhere to get that first few years of experience.

It's kind of like the housing market. The national housing market may be booming -- while an individual town may have an over-supply because a local industry is struggling. Another local area may be having a terrible under-supply of homes and dramatic price increases because of rapid population growth to that particular town. Similar things happen with the job market.

Good luck ... and keep us posted on the situation in your local area.

llg

[Drysolong]

In Georgia, where I am an LPN nursing student, I still hear reports of their being a "critical" nursing shortage. My personal concern in the Atlanta area is, if I will be able to secure an LPN position at a hospital as opposed to LTC. Many, if not most hospitals don't hire LPN's.

[soliant12]

You will find that the nursing shortage is a regional thing. I find California with the biggest shortage especially if staffing ratios are put into place.