Nursing Shortage?

jmgrn65, RN · Jun 30, 2006

The nursing shortage various in different areas of the country as well as what shifts and kind of work you are trying to hire for.

guzzebear · Jun 30, 2006

In any profession there will always be good ones and bad ones. As a whole I think a large amount of nurses are good, even great. Even though there is a nurse shortage MOST employers would want to hire good nurses. It doesn't mean that if you have a license that you will automately get hire....Nurses are here to help people through their work and compassion...

FYI: If they are in the profession ONLY for the money you will be able to TELL really fast....

GUZZEBEAR

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Jun 30, 2006

Yes, a lot of it depends on what area of the country you are in, but a lot of it depends on what you are willing to put up with. Bear with me as I just worked four 12 hour night shifts in an incredibly busy ER, and have had 4 hours sleep today, so I may not articulate as well as I would like.

If you are looking for nurses who want to work day shift, essentially monday thru friday, no holidays, for decent pay, and a reasonable patient load, then you will never have problems finding good nurses.

If you are looking to staff a busy ER where the patient loads are dangerous, the pay is barely passable, the working conditions are deplorable, the patients are trying to kill each other, and nurses are not respected, then you will always have trouble finding good nurses.

There are extremes on both sides of the coin as well as everything in the middle. I have been a travel nurse in ER for the past 6 years and have seen quite a few examples of bad hospitals but have also had some wonderful experiences.

Respect your nurses, give them some autonomy, the abiltity to have some control over their schedule, safe working conditions and a decent salary and you will always have good staff. Unfortunately, those simple requirements seem to be lost on a lot of staff coordinators and administrators.

Sorry if you have not been treated with respect as a recruiter, there is no defense of this attitude. But try not to look at us all as simply a number on a schedule but as individuals who have diverse backgrounds and may be able to bring a lot to your facility.

Unfortunately, I have seen many things change in nursing in my 32 years on my feet, not all of them good for nurses or for patients. We are expected to do more with less, and documentation seems to be the priority, not patient care. Buff and fluff the chart above all else, and if you have time to do patient care, then do it, but make sure the chart looks good for JCAHO!

Sorry for the rant, but I am tired. I am tired from my long stretch, I am tired of getting dinged by accreditation organizations for what I consider "stupid stuff". I am tired of not being able to take care of my patients the way they need and deserve it, because I don't have adequate equipment, my patient load is unsafe, and my schedule is so variable, I can't keep up with it anymore. I think I am just tired of being a nurse, and want to be a goat herder in Tibet!

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Jun 30, 2006

The OP definitely has some good reminders for nurses who are applying for new positions. Luckily, in my work setting I don't often run across the types of nurses that you describe.

catlady, BSN, RN · Jun 30, 2006

I think there are a lot of nurses out there with an entitlement mentality. Most of them, I suspect, haven't been through the nursing cycle and don't remember when we were being pushed out of our jobs and being made to feel like we were blessed to be allowed to take our employers' abuse. They don't approach their job search professionally, but assume that they are all that because they have a license and a pulse.

Being in demand doesn't mean you can be rude and demanding. You have to be nice to the recruiter or you'll never get to the nurse manager. You need to be nice to the receptionist when you come in to your interview, and to anyone who wanders by while you're in the waiting room. You need to dress professionally, not in scrubs that look like you slept in them "because I just got off work." You need to show the interviewer of what you can do for her/him, rather than what you expect them to provide you. When you do those things, they're going to be a lot more forthcoming with positions, salary, and benefits. When you don't, you don't get a callback. Because, shortage or no shortage, nobody wants to bring arrogance into their workplace. They'd rather do without.

digger · Jun 30, 2006

I agree it depends on what some nurses are willing to put up with. I, for example, used to work on a medical-surgical floor where the patient/nurse ratio wasn't bad (believe it or not), lots of technology, and pretty good pay. The reason I ended up leaving is because the environment SUCKED!! The manager could NOT give positive reinforcement if it were written on all her employee's foreheads. We could do nothing right by this woman. Consequently many people quit and administration still didn't get the hint because she had friends "high up." Now, I work in an overloaded ER where ratios....well...what ratios? The pay ain't that great and lets just say that police stay camped out there...I absolutely LOVE IT!!! I have never had such support from my co-workers and managers (and honestly administrators)!!!

weetziebat · Jul 1, 2006

yes, a lot of it depends on what area of the country you are in, but a lot of it depends on what you are willing to put up with. bear with me as i just worked four 12 hour night shifts in an incredibly busy er, and have had 4 hours sleep today, so i may not articulate as well as i would like.
if you are looking for nurses who want to work day shift, essentially monday thru friday, no holidays, for decent pay, and a reasonable patient load, then you will never have problems finding good nurses.
if you are looking to staff a busy er where the patient loads are dangerous, the pay is barely passable, the working conditions are deplorable, the patients are trying to kill each other, and nurses are not respected, then you will always have trouble finding good nurses.
there are extremes on both sides of the coin as well as everything in the middle. i have been a travel nurse in er for the past 6 years and have seen quite a few examples of bad hospitals but have also had some wonderful experiences.
respect your nurses, give them some autonomy, the abiltity to have some control over their schedule, safe working conditions and a decent salary and you will always have good staff. unfortunately, those simple requirements seem to be lost on a lot of staff coordinators and administrators.
sorry if you have not been treated with respect as a recruiter, there is no defense of this attitude. but try not to look at us all as simply a number on a schedule but as individuals who have diverse backgrounds and may be able to bring a lot to your facility.
unfortunately, i have seen many things change in nursing in my 32 years on my feet, not all of them good for nurses or for patients. we are expected to do more with less, and documentation seems to be the priority, not patient care. buff and fluff the chart above all else, and if you have time to do patient care, then do it, but make sure the chart looks good for jcaho!
sorry for the rant, but i am tired. i am tired from my long stretch, i am tired of getting dinged by accreditation organizations for what i consider "stupid stuff". i am tired of not being able to take care of my patients the way they need and deserve it, because i don't have adequate equipment, my patient load is unsafe, and my schedule is so variable, i can't keep up with it anymore. i think i am just tired of being a nurse, and want to be a goat herder in tibet!

you said it..........and you said it perfectly. i have nothing to add, except would you mind having company herding those goats?

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Jul 1, 2006

you said it..........and you said it perfectly. i have nothing to add, except would you mind having company herding those goats?

lol, come on down. i will meet you at the waffle house at 0300! with 30+ nursing years each, we should be quite good at herding goats.

now where did i put that number for the tibetan goat herding association ??? :lol2:

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jul 1, 2006

I know I may not make many friends with this post, but this is something that has been brewing in me for a few days and today the nail was hit on the head...
I am a recruiter for a Home Health organization. When I took this job 4 months ago, I feared that I would not be able to fill the nurse positions we had because I knew, heard, and read about the shortage. Well, I have hired 13 nurses and have found that there truly is not a shortage of nurses in general, but there is a shortage of nurses who truly care about being a nurse. Day in and day out I receive many resumes. I know you may not believe it, but I try to contact all that apply. You cannot imagine the poor attitudes, the "you have to hire me because I am a nurse" or the poor communication skills that I hear. Just today a nurse called me back after I left her a message over 2 weeks ago. I advised her that currently my positions are filled. She basically yelled at me over the phone stating that I told her that we had openings. Well I did, but she waited too long to reply.:angryfire
I truly respect what nurses do :bowingpurand I am proud to say that I am very selective in my hiring practices. I am not afraid to give a new grad a chance or someone a career change in a different field. I just wish I received the same respect.
I chose Human Resources as my career after managing a medical practice for 10 years. I feel that this is my way of helping others...by getting them a job that they will truly love.
P.S. I have been reading allnurses since I began here. Everyday I am more enlightened by all that you do. Thank you for letting me vent.

The way she treated you, it kinda makes you wonder how she'd treat patients, doesn't it?

Glad you found out sooner. There's simply no good excuse to be that rude.

oneLoneNurse · Jul 1, 2006

I am a recruiter for a Home Health organization. When I took this job 4 months ago, I feared that I would not be able to fill the nurse positions we had because I knew, heard, and read about the shortage. Well, I have hired 13 nurses and have found that there truly is not a shortage of nurses in general, but there is a shortage of nurses who truly care about being a nurse. Day in and day out I receive many resumes. I know you may not believe it, but I try to contact all that apply. You cannot imagine the poor attitudes, the "you have to hire me because I am a nurse" or the poor communication skills that I hear. Just today a nurse called me back after I left her a message over 2 weeks ago. I advised her that currently my positions are filled. She basically yelled at me over the phone stating that I told her that we had openings. Well I did, but she waited too long to reply.:angryfire

I believe what you say. I am presently seeking a new position. Some recruiters do not call me back for many days, some don't call me back after the second interview. No follow up letters thanking me for my time, nothing.

I'm guility of not returning calls. Sometimes I am too busy, sometimes I just procrastinate the time away. Noone deserves to be yelled at and told you need to hire me because I am a nurse.

One recruiter called me three times about a position in LA. I decided I did not want to move to LA. In subsequent months the company has had appropriate positions in Philadelphia which I have applied for. Guess what ? No response. I can't blame the recruiter for that.

TexasPediRN · Jul 1, 2006

I hate to say that I agree with the OP, but I do.

I work home health, and I work both the position of clinical coordinator (office) and field staff nurse. I'm amazed at the nurses who walk through our doors for interviews. About 30% dont even take the time to dress up - jeans, tshirt, and sandals. For an interview!! I am still appaled by that to this day when I see it - how on Earth can you go to a professional interview dressed like that?

We also have nurses who we hire, and who never show up for their orientation day. No phone calls, no nothing. Just dont show. Thats extremely unprofessional to me.

Only about 50% of the time do we come across a nurse who cares, who shows up for her orientation, and who dresses appropriately for her interview. I think those things should be a given for any nurse, or any person for that matter, interviewing for a job.

We have nurses who no-show to a shift, and when we call them, they dont answer and never return phone calls. Needless to say, thats pretty much an automatic fire. Professionalism seems to really be lacking lately..and thats unfortunate.

-Meghan