Nursing Shortage Real or Not....

[RNnightingale12]

After reading many posts and going through my own journey as a new nurse to find my dream job in the profession I love, I have found that it has not been easy. Is there a nursing shortage or is nursing the scape goat, for poor care rather than hospital adminstration and their willingness to put their money where there mouths are instead of blaming nursing all the time? How do you have a nursing shortage if you have hospitals downsizing and closing in the NY/NJ tri state area? But yet theres a nursign shortage that's why patient care is so terrible but yet there are many nurses srcambling to find jobs? Meanwhile the nursing job market is flooded with exp RN's trying to find jobs as well.

Check out these links for proposed hospital closings some have already closed already such Cabrini in NYC. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4189/is_20070112/ai_n17132803

NJ hospital closings:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6375/is_200802/ai_n25529298?tag=content;col1

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6375/is_200711/ai_n25528878?tag=content;col1

http://www.northjersey.com/news/health/15829997.html

I found this link which made me ponder this:

http://www.nysun.com/comments/60954

Here are some articles for people to read:

http://www.newsli.com/2008/05/01/us-nursing-shortage-approaches-record-le

http://www.nysun.com/new-york/labor-strife-hits-hospitals-amid-nursing-shortage/71902/

Just thought I should share this info about our so called nursing shortage. I just feel that nursing schools need to stop telling their sudents how easy it is to find a job. Times have changed.

People need to stop blaming nursing and this nursing shortage that is no longer in effect. They should blame hospital administration for mismanaging money for poor patient care. Obviously if many hospitals are at risk for closing or are closing because of this I don't think it's because of the nursing shortage. STOP BLAMING NURSING FOR EVERYTHING! Yes we are in a recession and yes it is effecting nursing but if you check the dates on some of these articles these hospitals have been in trouble from long before this recession started.

[Xbox Live Addict]

If the current *national* economic down-slide continues, the nursing shortage will fade considerably. Healthcare-sector jobs are (if anything) secure...which will undoubtedly draw even more people into the profession. Good for administrators (lower-wages, more 'selection', less demand, etc.)...bad for nurses (same reasons). Shortage will become (if not already) a myth.

I don't know how secure the jobs are, given the recent hospital and unit closings in certain cities, and in some areas, such as many Northeastern cities, there's a glut of nurses who can't find jobs already. In more stressful areas of nursing, like some med-surg units with high nurse/patient ratios, as well as in poorer regions of the country like the South and Midwest, there may continue to be a shortage, however. We still need staff at my own workplace due to high turnover, coupled with huge demand for our services.

[suzy253, RN]

TheCommuter I do understand the economy is in a slump at this point. But some of these hospitals have been in trouble long before this reccession. I agree this economy is effecting this profession. You have peole that were ready to retire holding off because there retirement accounts got cut in half because of the market. You have inactive nurses coming back to feed their familes. You have nurses who left our profession coming back. I also agree with you about patients not seeking care. They can't seek care cause they lost their jobs which means they lost their healthcare insurance. There are so many different factors effecting this profession which makes it hard for new grad nurses. Thank you for your thoughts TheCommuter.

That's absolutely true. I read an article a couple of days ago about how RN's were putting off retirement, etc. I'll try to find it and link to it. Right now my hospital is talking about lay-offs beginning in January!