Nursing Shortage

netglow, ASN, RN · Jul 25, 2009

This nursing shortage doesn't exist. Do a search on this site for the topic and you will find many long threads discussing it.

cjbarnes2006 · Jul 25, 2009

Evidently, there is a common misconception there is a nursing shortage. On the other hand, they expect a lot of nursing positions to open up in the next few years as baby boomers retire from the nursing field. Key word was "expect", hard to say if that will actually be the case.

DeLana_RN, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2009

Right now, there is a nursing job shortage. No one is hiring besides hospitals (far fewer positions than before the economy turned bad) and these have so many applicants for even night shift positions without benefits that they treat you like dirt - no call backs, callous explanations ("The manager did not care to interview you.") And the days of sign-on bonuses are a distant memory.

That said, I do believe that there will be a nursing shortage again - in a few years, once the economy improves and retirement age nurses feel secure enough to finally leave their jobs; when spouses find work again and nurses who temporarily entered the workforce leave again; when people have their elective surgeries and demand for nurses increases. I can't wait for that time, though, I need a job now

For those considering nursing school, nursing is probably a good bet for the future, about the time when you'll graduate. However, unlike in the past, there are no guarantees (no one can tell, for instance, what the impact of "health care reform" might be).

Best of luck to everyone,

DeLana

chevyv, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2009

Definately no shortage around where I live. Yet, the schools still keep cranking out the nursing students. There are even 2+ yr wait lists because so many people still believe there is a shortage. Sad to get through a tough program and not be able to land a job. :cry:

Otessa, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2009

Many nurse I know are not retiring at the 'normal' retirement age and some have come back to work after staying at home to raise their families during the past 2 years. There are no nursing positions at both of the large hospitals in town and none at the large clinic systems, I work at one of them. We have 2 nursing colleges in town LPN, RN (ADN and BSN)-this Spring many applied and had job offers-a month later they were told there were NO jobs for them. This is a common story I am hearing from my nurse friends in several different states.

otessa

LPN_2005/RN_10 · Jul 25, 2009

I agree with the above poster who said it's a nursing job shortage. LPNs at a facility I was working part-time was all terminated. The facility blamed the economy stating they had to cut costs. The work that the LPNs were doing were added to the RNs responsibilty. Last I heard, some of the RNs were very upset that they didn't have any LPN there to help, and was getting burnt out fast. Companies are looking to save money by not hiring more staff/terminating staff and adding extra work on their current employees.

Lamie · Jul 25, 2009

I'm still in LPN school, will graduate in August, and it seems there are a lot of positions advertised around some hospitals (a large military hospital here hires LOTS of LPNs) as well as many clinics and nursing homes, agencies, state positions, etc. Some of them specifically state that they will hire and train new grads. Ditto for RNs - the hospitals in which we did our med surg rotations had many, many new grad RN jobs posted on their bulletin board, also offering many nurse internship opportunities in many different areas. I won't be able to attend RN school until next year d/t family commitments but I'm hoping there will still be as many opportunities around for RNs as there are now. BTW I live in the Olympia/Tacoma area in WA State.

shoegalRN, RN · Jul 25, 2009

Please don't believe the hype. There is NO nursing shortage. I am a new grad, graduated with my BSN in May, passed NCLEX in July, and just landed my first RN job by the grace of God. I started applying in Feb, had gone on 4 interviews between Feb and May, and then decided to go back to the corporate world until nursing opened up.

By the grace of God, I applied to the county ran Level I teaching hospital for a new ICU unit that is opening in December. They just so happened to be taking new grads and experienced RN's. I was granted an interview the day after I took NCLEX and was job offered within 3 hours. I start on Aug 3 and I'm part of their New Grad Residency Program. Right now, this is the pretty much the only hospital in my area that is willing to hire new grads, and they have gotten over 100 applications for maybe 5 or 6 positions.

I went to a nursing school that is affliated with a hospital system and I signed a contract to agree to work for their hospital system 3 years after graduation in exchange for paying for my schooling, and they couldnt even offer me a position after graduation. I was told by pretty much every hospital within their system they hired all the new grads they are willing to take and there are no open positions at this time. I had 30 days after graduation to get a job within their hospital system or payment was expected to begin. Since they couldnt offer me a position based on no positions available, I have asked to be released from my contract.

So, please don't believe the nursing shortage hype. There is NO shortage. The hospitals are a business, and it cost thousands to train a new grad. Add that to the lack of preceptors available to train the new grads. The hospitals are cutting costs every way they can.

And I even worked as a Nurse Intern during nursing school and my position was canceled due to "low census" and the hospital couldnt hire me back because they didnt have any preceptors to train new grads.

Who knows what will happen by the time the December grads come out or even when the current nursing students graduate next May.

Lamie · Jul 25, 2009

Could it be that also matters what part of the country you live in. Like I said, the hospitals in which I did my rotations had MANY RN openings, specifically for new grads. In fact, many of the nurses who worked on the med surge floor were new grad nurses. They were hired and trained by the hospital. Not many jobs for LPNs in the hospitals, but lots for RNs. Also there were quite a few agency nurses who worked on the floor I was at.

4treasures · Jul 26, 2009

I live in the thumb of MI, and I started applying in Feb. i have applied to many, many places, and had 4 interviews. The only place I found that wanted to hire me was a LTC facility. It is not what I had planned to do, but it is a job. I am very frustrated by the job market. I worked very hard at nursing school, and my GPA was awesome, but still nothing.

I think that in the next year or two, the new grad jobs will probably be mainly in LTC, after all we will always have the elderly.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jul 26, 2009

nursing, like the economy, is cyclical. right now there's a shortage of nursing jobs with respect to nurses in the workforce. that said, however, there are many more nurses in the workforce right now who wouldn't be had their husbands not been downsized, laid off or lost their businesses. nor is there as much mobility -- nurses are hanging on to their jobs now rather than taking a chance on quitting while the economy is such that their spouse's or partner's job may evaporate next week. nurses who were formerly part time employees have flexed up to full time to cover the gap in wages left by their partner's loss of a job, demotion or even the fear that it may happen.

when the economy turns around -- and it will -- a lot of the nurses now hanging on to their jobs for dear life will be free to cut their hours in half or go back home to be a stay at home mom. people who have health insurance again will quite postponing their elective surgeries, hospitals will start overhiring again in anticipation of the great exodus to graduate school each autumn and positions will open up. and then, once again, there will be a nursing shortage.