Nursing shortage is BS

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I recently lost my job and started applying. Seven years of experience and a bachelor's degree, I thought I'd be a hot commodity. It's 2019 and things are no different than when I graduated shortly after the recession. I apply to jobs and my applications are instantly rejected because I don't have medical/surgical experience. I don't fit the requirements for a new grad program, either.

Well there is this supposed shortage where everyone is understaffed and desperate for nurses. I don't see it. Nobody is willing to train new staff and nobody will hire those of us who got screwed during the recession.

I think it's all BS. I've met a lot of nurses in similar situations and they all struggle trying to get out of this low level line of work.

My last job was at Kaiser where I had a benefits plan worth my annual salary. We were horribly understaffed too. But, I would look at the jobs page for anything available so I could tell my friends where to apply. There were never any jobs there. Management always told us they were going to hire more, but they never did. When the Joint Commission left, they got rid of the travel nurses and stopped hiring. Then, they started instituting mandatory overtime and overloading us past the ratio policy limits.

Honestly, I think hospitals and facilities are just happy the way things are. They know there are nurses who want to get in. I've never been in management before, so I don't know why they make that decision. However, I suspect it costs more to hire a new employee than it would to pay overtime for current staff.

Specializes in Critical Care.
15 minutes ago, Anthony O said:

I've thought about continuing education. I recently enrolled in an NP program, but dropped out right before the start date. I'm too worried about what advancement might bring me. I'm a nurse without med/surg experience and don't know how that'll affect employment. Would anyone hire an NP without med/surg? Would they hire a teacher without it?

I'm worried I'd end up as an unemployed NP or educator who can't get any jobs because they require med/surg.

I decided to go the MD route instead of NP because they're just pushing people through NP schools. They even have online schools that don't require a nursing background. You earn your RN and NP completely online, and are a full fledged NP after 350 clinical hours or something.

Why NPs aren't required to have 3-4 years Critical Care experience and a BSN before applying to school is beyond me.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Come to Louisiana. I have made 90+ an hour before. Starting pay was 23.00 an hour out of school, time and a half after 40 hrs, and Single EP (emergency pay) is 10.00 an hour, Double is 20, and Triple is 30. In my career ive gotten about 4 triple EP shifts, any shift I pick up is single ep, and double is pretty common. (When I was a new nurse EVERY shift was double EP. We wouldn't even pick up unless double was offered).

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On 11/14/2019 at 5:29 AM, OUxPhys said:

I think its pretty simple. You said nurses who work med/surg and “some ICU” do what computers and machines tell then to do. (BTW I work on a Cardiac Stepdown....we have PLENTY of senior, experienced nurses on my floor. I also have a brain and can think for myself...dont need a computer to tell me how to do my job ?)

Yeah. You're still not following what I'm saying. Where in anything I posted did I ever say any nurses didn't have a brain and only the computer told them what to do? I said that's all the job often requires. And all the money cares about is numbers on a screen. Big difference.

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On 11/14/2019 at 3:48 PM, LadyT618 said:

The way SansNom worded part of her post came across as condescending to nurses, but I believe she was looking at it from a business/administrative point of view. Her first sentence, "I feel like a common problem nowadays is that the taskiness and simplification of nursing by computers and technology is making experience less and less valuable to employers," really expressed that but then it fell apart with the next sentence. I actually don't think that how SansNom feels but that definitely how it came across.

The next paragraph, "So the experienced nursing are expecting higher pay for their experience, but hospitals don't want to pay you $10 more an hour when wet-behind-the-ears new-grad Emily over there can just as easily click the boxes and pass the meds for a whole lot less money," is expressing how administration looks at the "task" of nursing. Administration does not realize that nursing is NOT a task but is a science, an art, full of skills and knowledge that cannot be replaced by computers, as expressed in the next 2 paragraphs by SansNom"

"Sure, there will be some collateral damage in the form of missed signs and symptoms, or med errors, or maybe even a death here and there, but what they're saving by staffing with cheap new grads and young nurses who are just happy to have a job makes that collateral damage negligible.

That's the way it seems to me anyway. The ICU where I work is probably 70% staffed by nurses with 1-2 years experience. They don't want to hire a nurse like me with 8 years experience when they can get young nurses who can just complete the task and make their paperwork look good, and who's willing to shut up and do whatever they tell them."

In her last paragraph SansNom expresses that that's how it appears TO HER. When I break down her post like this, I definitely see where she's coming from. Administration, for the most part (because we don't want to generalize), seems to only care about their bottom line more than patient care.

Thanks, you seemed to have followed the point I was making.

I love my job. I think nursing is one of the most under-appreciated jobs on the planet and that we do amazing things on a regular basis.

My post was only expressing what we're PAID to do. We're not paid to make a difference in people's lives. We do that by our own volition and motivation.

We're paid to look good on paper.

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Specializes in Home Health, Primary Care.
6 minutes ago, SansNom said:

Thanks, you seemed to have followed the point I was making.

I love my job. I think nursing is one of the most under-appreciated jobs on the planet and that we do amazing things on a regular basis.

My post was only expressing what we're PAID to do. We're not paid to make a difference in people's lives. We do that by our own volition and motivation.

We're paid to look good on paper.

I hear ya man ?

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Specializes in Oncology, Home Health, Patient Safety.
On 11/17/2019 at 6:22 PM, Anthony O said:

I've thought about continuing education. I recently enrolled in an NP program, but dropped out right before the start date. I'm too worried about what advancement might bring me. I'm a nurse without med/surg experience and don't know how that'll affect employment. Would anyone hire an NP without med/surg? Would they hire a teacher without it?

I'm worried I'd end up as an unemployed NP or educator who can't get any jobs because they require med/surg.

I've worked at many different schools of nursing, ADN and BSN and I've never had anyone care if I had med surg experience. What they are dying for is pysch nursing, peds and OB, that being said, a male nurse with an MSN, would be a highly viable candidate at our school. A male nurse with an NP would be solid gold. I don't think you need to worry about your lack of med surg. experience, truly. Please consider calling around to other schools of nursing to ask, but like I said - I've got a lot of experience. You could post this question on the nurse educators thread, it's pretty active - I'm sure folks would chime in with support and ideas.

Have you thought about getting an MSN instead of an NP? You can do it while you work, often work will help pay for it, there are tons of scholarships and loan forgiveness programs that would be a snap for a male nurse to get.

I hope this helps!

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Specializes in 25 years NICU 5 years Telephone Triage.
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My last job was at Kaiser where I had a benefits plan worth my annual salary. We were horribly understaffed too. But, I would look at the jobs page for anything available so I could tell my friends where to apply. There were never any jobs there. Management always told us they were going to hire more, but they never did. When the Joint Commission left, they got rid of the travel nurses and stopped hiring. Then, they started instituting mandatory overtime and overloading us past the ratio policy limits.

What? I am a Kaiser nurse too, there are tons of jobs posted for RN's on the KP website. How did you "lose" your job? Also, Kaiser nurses belong to CNA in California and there is no mandatory OT. Something just isn't adding up with your story. On another note, the Kaiser call center in San Diego is worth looking into. I would try to stay with Kaiser. We are the highest paid nurses in the whole US last I heard. Plus our benefits are great, like you said.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Best way to make money is just picking up shifts. My base is 30 an hour but I can make 70-90 when they need us bad enough. Just gotta work extra hours.

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1 hour ago, ILoveHorsesRN said:

What? I am a Kaiser nurse too, there are tons of jobs posted for RN's on the KP website. How did you "lose" your job? Also, Kaiser nurses belong to CNA in California and there is no mandatory OT. Something just isn't adding up with your story. On another note, the Kaiser call center in San Diego is worth looking into. I would try to stay with Kaiser. We are the highest paid nurses in the whole US last I heard. Plus our benefits are great, like you said.

It's a long story and I don't know how much I should say on the internet. I have a lawyer and I'm suing for retaliation. I turned in an assignment despite objection to report it and filed an HR complaint, then they got rid of me for it. The managers were really shady. Some were already caught and fired, but the rest continued. I'm not the only one suing and the union has grievances against all of them.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

You have to watch them. I did PRN shifts at a well known LTAC that’s name means quite the opposite of what they delivered. It was quite “amiss” ?

They tried to accuse myself and a few other personnel for stealing from the till when we when into the kitchen on night shift to get food items for our patients. Ended up being the higher ups stealing the money. Company went bankrupt.

They hosted a big Christmas party one year with an open bar (when they were usually so cheap they wouldn’t keep the drink machines on at night in the cafeteria), turns out they used the donated money that was supposed to be given to workers who were victims of a really bad flood we had. Really shady place.

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2 minutes ago, ArmyRntoMD said:

You have to watch them. I did PRN shifts at a well known LTAC that’s name means quite the opposite of what they delivered. It was quite “amiss” ?

They tried to accuse myself and a few other personnel for stealing from the till when we when into the kitchen on night shift to get food items for our patients. Ended up being the higher ups stealing the money. Company went bankrupt.

They hosted a big Christmas party one year with an open bar (when they were usually so cheap they wouldn’t keep the drink machines on at night in the cafeteria), turns out they used the donated money that was supposed to be given to workers who were victims of a really bad flood we had. Really shady place.

I've only worked at one place that in the past 7 years that wasn't toxic or had managers doing shady things. Unfortunately, that place went out of business. I've only worked at small companies, home health, and nursing homes. They're all doing it.

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Specializes in Home Health.
On 10/30/2019 at 7:49 AM, LadyT618 said:

To the original poster,

Have you considered getting OASIS and home health coding certified? With all your years of experience, there are many opportunities for remote OASIS and coding reviewers, provided you have the certifications. I've been in home health for way too long, worked my way up the ranks from field nurse to DON to Clinical Operations and now do this type of work remotely while working on my Post Master's NP. I'm so done with home health and all the changes coming down the pike. The work is pretty laid back, you work in your PJs and make your own hours. Hope you find zen in a new job soon ?

Just wondering what certification you obtained? 

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