Nurses shortage?

brown rice · Sep 7, 2002

I have these same questions! I am just now finishing a B.A. and working as a Hospice home health aid. My work now is really hard and I don't want to bathe people for the rest of my life. Don't get me wrong, I love the people interaction and I think I have learned some important lessons that will contribute to being a good nurse. However, I am truly hoping that I will nursing more rewarding then being at the bottom of the line.

Here a little tid bit of information for you Tooty Fruity: if you already have a bachelors of any sort there are now a few schools offering a masters in nursing that require a lot less prereqs! These programs are highly competive, but they offer a three year intensive where when you are finished you can work as a nurse practitioner. hey why not just jump to the top? The school that I am looking into is in San Fran -UCSF, check it out.

spineCNOR · Sep 7, 2002

Hello Tooty Fruity,

I have been a nurse for many years, and these are my perceptions of the situation only:

Nursing School is challenging, and it takes determination and perseverence to get through--but if you really want to go into nursing do not let this prevent you from trying.

Yes, there is a nursing shortage that is projected to continue for a number of years.

Like anything else, in nursing there is good and bad.

Work situations very widely-in some there is more good, in some there is more bad. Nursing can be incredibly rewarding, but it also be incredibly frustrating and demoralizing if you are in a bad work situation.

One of the great things about nursing is that there is such a varity of work settings--you could be a nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, work in OR, ER, Labor and Delivery, Med-Surg, Home Health, etc, etc, etc.... If you want to be a nurse there is bound to be an area of practice that you would find enjoyable and rewarding.

Do try to talk to some working nurses in your area and an advisor at a local nursing school(s) to help you decide if this is the right career path for you.

Flynurse · Sep 7, 2002

Yes, there is a nursing shortage. I feel it everyday I go to work and care for 40 residents by myself. Problems come from all ends, administration, subordinates, and residents. The litteral headaches I get everyday getting ready for work are intolerable, luckily I've been dealing with migranes for most of my adult life so I can function when needed. :angryfire

BUT!!! However horrible this may all seemI wouldn't give up nursing for the world. The rewards far outweigh the bad. I get a high everytime someone says they feel better because of me. I want to do cartwheels whenever I am part of solving a major problem. And I am proud when an aide tells me they like working on my unit. Because even though its the hardest floor in the building we have a wonderful time doing it. This list could go forever, but I'll stop here. :roll

My wisdom to you is: When one person sees nursing for all it is worth and enter the field, that is one step closer to ending the nursing shortage! :nurse:

GailWHNP · Sep 7, 2002

Originally posted by TootyFruity
Hello out there in Allnurses land!

Question:

Is there really a nurse shortage?

Hi,
NO, there is NO nursing shortage. There is, however, a shortage of nurses willing to put up with a lot of the stress, poor pay, lack of admin support, obnoxious immature doctors (and admins that support them), etc. They are now realtors, beauticians, etc, but they are nurses and they are out there! You will have a job when you graduate and will probably be very content with it for many years, then another nursing shortage will come around because hospitals are not addressing long-term issues but only short-term fix-it-uppers.
IMNSHO . . .
Gail

oramar · Sep 7, 2002

Letting what is going on at any given minute influence you is a mistake if your are considering nursing as a profession. Things can change so fast. If it were me I would base my decisions more on what is going on in mylife and inside my head and heart. The current state of nursing happens to be bad because of a shortage of people willing to work at the bedside.(like everyone says there is no actual shortage of bodies) There are some signs that situation is being addressed. Demographics indicate the situation is going to get worse. There are so many factors beside demographics that can influence the situation. When I was age 14 I was told demographics predicted that by the time I was 50 everyone in this country would be starving to death because of huge population increases. Well, there is a food problem allright, too much food is the problem. So please think about nursing because that is where your heart is leading you. There other things can be factored in but should not be the main reasons.

sjoe · Sep 7, 2002

Gail--well put.

jokieman31 · Sep 8, 2002

Yes, there is a nursing shortage, it is expected that this nursing shortage will continue to grow, albiet largely in the geriatrics scene because the baby boomers are getting old now.

Everyone is up in arms about it, saying the healthcare industry needs to start doing something NOW, because if they don't, in 10 years their might be geriatrics who can't even get care because there is no one to care for them.

Also, what someone else already mentioned. Not as many people are going to school for nursing, because for the past 10 years every single nurse has *****ed about how hard and how many problems there are. It is scaring away alot of the potentials.

Many long time nurses have left the profession to do other, less stressful jobs because for some, it just becomes too much.

so the entire nursing pool from which hospitals look to hire new nurses, is shrinking, while the need for healthcare continues to grow every year.

What's even worse is that many new grad's are doing it for the paycheck and to meet a "doctor". This kind of person makes it even worse for the nurses who do care, and they seem to be the ones who are leaving the profession.