Nursing "shortage" effect on the future of nurse wages.

[jtmonique]

This is just a thought that occured to me and I wanted to get other nurses, future nurses thoughts on the matter. For years there has been talk of the nursing shortage but in reality there dosn't really seem to be one because there are so many nurses who can not find work, but people are going into the field thinking they have found a foolproof career. For nurses who are not finding work one piece of advice is go further their education but will this really help? Anyone who is familiar with the childcare industry knows that there is always talk of lack of qualified providers and centers have been pushed to hire degreed employees to recieve government funding and private grants needed to keep centers running at their states minimum requirements so there are a lot of young college students getting degreed in early childhood and realizing that it was a huge waste of money. Here is my concern childcare centers still do not have enough money to pay their employees what they are worth I have children and I believe that child care providers are a huge influence on your children and I want my children to work with professional, educated, well trained individuals but in reality some of the workers can barely read write or speak proper english but these are people who will work for minimum wage. I am just hoping that this isnt what is going to happen in the nursing field everyone spending top dollar to get an education and then not making a decent wage equal to their level of education. If the market is flooded with qualified nurses employers can take their pick and eventually everyone will start working for less just to get a job.... I may be over thinking things but I just wondered what others thought of this I am so proud to be a nurse and I choose it as a career that I can provide for my family with I am just hoping that It stays that way.

[texcollex]

My facility hired a ton of nurses just before the downturn hit. We are now overstaffed in the ICU, but I was told a couple of days ago that one med/surg unit was 12 nurses short. Being in the middle of a semester, the thinking is that it will be short like that until the fall graduates are ready to hire.

I think there are jobs to be had, but no overabundance of nurses to fill them. I think the illusion of a nursing "glut" is more the fact that facilities have put off hiring as long as they can during the slower late Spring and Summer seasons. Now that the census is picking up with the Fall weather, they are rushing around trying to find nurses to keep the patients safe.

Nurses, being the front-line of patient care AND customer service are vital for the success of the healthcare industry. I think the job market will continue to be strong, barring action from Washington.

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

I think hospitals are pickier about training new grads because most of them don't want to stay at bedside.

I know if there are areas in my hospital that are specialties and desperately need nurses, they will go the traveler route.

[jtmonique]

That is good to hear the economy is so bad where I am that there are no jobs...but schools are graduating nurses at a record high. The hospitals no longer hire LPN's just RN's and a couple of techs the goal being for RN's to do full bedside care....Just seemed like a bad trend. I love nurses and I believe people deserve to be cared for by the best and in order to get the best Nursing needs to continue to be a worthwhile career!