Nursing in crisis

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2016

New grads can get jobs if...

1. They live in areas that still hire new grads.

2. They relocate to areas that still hire new nurses.

3. They accept employment outside the hospital.

4. They network and form connections.

5. They remain open-minded.

It is a stretch to say that nursing is 'dying.' The problematic issues you mention in your post have been occurring for years, yet I do not pretend to have simple solutions to complex problems.

Plenur, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 23, 2016

In Spain, present and future is awful.Now IÂ´m in the UK and the future is as bad as in Spain, the brexit thing is doing the rest. So, donÂ´t know who is working in other countries.

roser13, ASN, RN · Dec 23, 2016

I've been hearing that nursing is "dying" since I graduated from nursing school. Same as I heard then that ASN degrees will no longer be offered. And that NP's will need to be doctorally-prepared by 2015 (oops).

Do I think that nursing is in an evolving form right now? Yes. Do I think nursing is dying? Heavens, no. You think all those MD's and advanced practice folks are going to take over bedside care???

ottersloveoysters · Dec 23, 2016

When I talk to experienced nurses (with 10-20 years of experience) they tell me the profession has always had peaks and valleys. Some will even say, "When I started working I had to take a job in LTC..........." while other say, "When I started, nurses were getting bonuses left and right."

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Dec 24, 2016

Nurses will always have a job if they want it and can handle it. Not an easy career.

the_murse_factor · Dec 24, 2016

I'm a brand new LPN that was licensed in November. I sent out tons of resumes no calls, most likely due to the required 1-2 years experience that I didn't have. I also live in a very populated most likely very saturated area. 400-500 applicants (according to career builder) per job opportunity that I was applying for. I decided to apply to a city 100 miles away. Less populated, less desirable area and received a call back two hours after submission of my resume. Interviewed and was offered my first LPN position. Moral of the story. New grads CAN find jobs. They just need to stop being so picky.

TruvyNurse · Dec 24, 2016

I think "crisis" is a little overdramatic. Can it be difficult for grads to find work? Yes. Impossible? No. Are current nurses overworked? Yes. But do they work through it or find a new speciality? Yes. Nursing is changing but you gotta roll with the changes and eventually we'll adapt.

chacha82, ADN, BSN · Dec 24, 2016

If nursing students adjust (not lower) their expectations, they will find work. There are lots of positions out there for new grads. As other posters have said, you may have to move. As an applicant I did talk to lots of people who said "I only want ICU." "I only want Peds." "I want to do psych limbo right away." "I only want dayshift, ED." If you narrow your expectations that much, it will be difficult to find a job. Everyone from my cohort in 2015 passed the NCLEX and was hired in local hospitals. Some have gone on to work in other offices by now, but almost all of us are still staff nurses.

johsonmichelle · Dec 25, 2016

I'm in the north east and there are plenty of nursing home jobs in this area, they're ALWAYS hiring. But you probably being subjected very poor training( probably only a couple a days) , heavy patient load, dangerously understaffed and sometimes you make less money . You probably be expected to work more hours than usual because very poor staffing.

angeloublue22, BSN, RN · Dec 25, 2016

When I became an LPN it took me 4 months and at least 100 or more applications to only get one interview at a job I took. Then with 4 years LPN experience, I became an RN and again took about 3 months and just as many applications because my LPN experience didn't count. At my company now, the nurses got together and asked administration to hire new graduate nurses because we wanted to make it easier for them since we all had issues. We love teaching and have been rewarded with some wonderful new nurses. I don't know if this would work in other companies but that does show that we as nurses can help our fellow new nurses. I love the idea of assigned preceptors and mentors. I think as we move through the future there will be a tipping point. I had one provider say, "You nurses do most of the work anyway, you're going to make doctors obsolete some day." He's obviously my favorite provider.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Dec 25, 2016

When I talk to experienced nurses (with 10-20 years of experience) they tell me the profession has always had peaks and valleys. Some will even say, "When I started working I had to take a job in LTC..........." while other say, "When I started, nurses were getting bonuses left and right."

Nursing has always had ups and downs. The nurses who graduated 1-2 years before me had to take whatever they could get. When I graduated, I had five offers from two interviews. A few years later, new grads were working in LTC because that's all they could get. The last several years, it's been tougher as spouses lost their jobs and the nurse in the family had to hang onto a job to support the family when they might otherwise have chosen to retire, stay at home or cut their hours considerably, but as the economy recovers (if it continues to do so) that will change and nursing jobs will once again be easier to get.

Nursing is one job that cannot be outsourced to India or Mexico, and it cannot be completely automated. As baby boomers get older and retire, become chronically ill or die, more and more nurses will be needed. It may never be as easy to find a job as it was when there was such a shortage that some states (Wisconsin) were considering forcing everyone on Welfare (everyone female, anyway) to go to nursing school, but will become easier than it is now.