Nursing shortage?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2009

In many parts of the U.S., there is no true nursing shortage. There's simply a shortage of nurses who will work in the more undesirable areas of practice such as nursing homes, prisons, etc. The economy is affecting employment prospects for RNs in many regions. Contrary to popular belief, nursing is certainly NOT recession-proof.

During recessions, patients avoid having elective surgeries because they are fearful of taking the time off work that is needed for full recovery, which results in low hospital census. When hospital census is low, less nurses are needed to keep the floor running. If less nurses are needed, hospital shifts get canceled regularly.

More people become unemployed during these rough times and, as a result, lose their health insurance. Uninsured people are definitely not inclined to seek healthcare unless it is an absolute emergency. In addition, medical bills incurred by uninsured patients tend to go unpaid, which means less money for healthcare facilities.

Although it is an accurate statement that nursing jobs can never be outsourced, always remember that nurses can be "insourced" by recruiting foreign nurses to work at US hospitals. These nurses are less likely to whine about working evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays because they are earning more money in America than they ever would in their country of origin.

A massive plethora of part-time nurses accept full-time positions during recessions to keep their households afloat when a breadwinner spouse loses his/her job without notice. Plenty of retired nurses are reactivating their nursing licenses and returning to the nursing workforce due to the high costs of food and fuel, and the effects of rapidly dwindling retirement funds.

ESMERN · Jul 28, 2009

I just wanted to share the disappointment with you. I just graduated in May. I applied to over a hundred jobs and they all pretty much say the same thing...I need experience. Where do they want me to get experience when no one wants to hire me. They say wait for the internships, but with limited spots for internships and being open to graduate nurses and seasoned nurses that are changing specialties...there is a good chance I still may not get a job the next time internships are available. Everyone always says a nurse will always have a job, but they never say how hard it is to get the first job. My whole family and my husband's family think I'm lying about having a difficult time finding a job. I am hanging in there. Hopefully we will all find something soon. (Desperate, I even thought about joining the army, but I just had a baby and have to wait 4 more months before I can join if I do decide to do that. I thought the military were eager to get anyone in. Looks like I was wrong...with the recession, they are meeting their numbers for this year and are not desperate for people to join.)

Good luck in job searching...may good things come to those who (have to) wait.

jgcadet · Jul 28, 2009

The military..guaranteed 4 years in a specialty CC, ER, OB ect..however you need a BSN and they are filling up...

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2009

The problem is exactly the elective surgery thing...some weeks are good, some are slow..so it depends....

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 28, 2009

i agree with the above. also even if you get a job, you can and will be called off at this time. we are hourly workers so if we do not work a full week we get deducted pay from our vacation time or if we do not qualify for vacation accumulation we are not paid at all.

i signed up for extra hours next month and have applied for another pt job because my family and i cannot afford me to work less then full-time. i no longer have pt job due to budget cuts and so this is the only income i have right now. ironically, i can probably work crazy hours starting in the winter when the flu season hits and little old people are, sadly, in the hospital for infections and chest pain once again.

i have noticed that sick people do not only put off elective surgery... they ignore the s/s of major illness until it is unbearable. i know of one patient that came to the hospital after feeling chest pains for 1 week because as he reports, he was hoping that they would go away on their own. he stated that he could not afford a big medical bill because the last one whipped him out financially.

btw, hiring for rn residency/new grad programs usually starts again around september. it will be tough but try to re-apply throughout the fall. i applied and was hired during my fourth semester and i started working 1 week after i graduated in december of last year. the summer is a very very bad time for a new grad to find a job. the next time after september will be january or february for the may graduation class. gl!

jrnj · Jul 28, 2009

In Canada there sure is a nursing shortage.

beachbutterfly · Jul 28, 2009

I just wanted to share the disappointment with you. I just graduated in May. I applied to over a hundred jobs and they all pretty much say the same thing...I need experience. Where do they want me to get experience when no one wants to hire me. They say wait for the internships, but with limited spots for internships and being open to graduate nurses and seasoned nurses that are changing specialties...there is a good chance I still may not get a job the next time internships are available. Everyone always says a nurse will always have a job, but they never say how hard it is to get the first job. My whole family and my husband's family think I'm lying about having a difficult time finding a job. I am hanging in there. Hopefully we will all find something soon. (Desperate, I even thought about joining the army, but I just had a baby and have to wait 4 more months before I can join if I do decide to do that. I thought the military were eager to get anyone in. Looks like I was wrong...with the recession, they are meeting their numbers for this year and are not desperate for people to join.)
Good luck in job searching...may good things come to those who (have to) wait.

I can definitely relate!!!!!!!!!!!!I applied like to 40 jobs and all they keep saying is to keep applying every 3 weeks but the spots are still open,I dont know what to think of it...maybe because I havent taken my NCLEX yet?????????I'm only applying to the hospitals though so I cant say nothing about nursing home job freezes,cause I know some do hire the new grads but my plans are to work in a hospital for few years and maybe later switch to nursing home anyway my family is totally being impatient with him you should see LOL,they think I dont try hard enough because I dont meet face to face with the HR,I keep applying online...my loans are kicking in soon (december) I'm really terrified,the only thing that gives me hope is that they are opening a new hospital at my area!!!!!!!

rnffemtguy, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2009

I just found this on another message board, the OP asked about LPN jobs in a certain area and this is the reply by another member:

I can tell you from personal exp.
I recently took a managers position where I run three different units. Two are ICU type (no LPNs), and one Med/Tele (which I do use LPNs). I have open positions but do find it difficult to fill them with experienced RNs. I am flooded daily with grad nurses looking for work. I have weeded through many applicants and picked a few that I feel or the "cream" of the crop so to say. It is my opinion that you shouldn't flood a unit with all young staff so you do not lower the level of experience on a floor. So if you come with experience you won't have any issue IMO. But even if you are a grad...there is work out there.
Best of luck to you. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask! Always looking to help out a fellow nurse.

Itzallgood · Aug 1, 2009

In many parts of the U.S., there is no true nursing shortage. There's simply a shortage of nurses who will work in the more undesirable areas of practice such as nursing homes, prisons, etc. The economy is affecting employment prospects for RNs in many regions. Contrary to popular belief, nursing is certainly NOT recession-proof.
During recessions, patients avoid having elective surgeries because they are fearful of taking the time off work that is needed for full recovery, which results in low hospital census. When hospital census is low, less nurses are needed to keep the floor running. If less nurses are needed, hospital shifts get canceled regularly.
More people become unemployed during these rough times and, as a result, lose their health insurance. Uninsured people are definitely not inclined to seek healthcare unless it is an absolute emergency. In addition, medical bills incurred by uninsured patients tend to go unpaid, which means less money for healthcare facilities.
Although it is an accurate statement that nursing jobs can never be outsourced, always remember that nurses can be "insourced" by recruiting foreign nurses to work at US hospitals. These nurses are less likely to whine about working evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays because they are earning more money in America than they ever would in their country of origin.
A massive plethora of part-time nurses accept full-time positions during recessions to keep their households afloat when a breadwinner spouse loses his/her job without notice. Plenty of retired nurses are reactivating their nursing licenses and returning to the nursing workforce due to the high costs of food and fuel, and the effects of rapidly dwindling retirement funds.

Excellent Post :yeah:

Fiona59 · Aug 3, 2009

In Canada there sure is a nursing shortage.

There is a shortage of full time permanent positions. There is a shortage of specialty nurses (usually you have to work for at least a year in a specialty to be considered competent, Oncology, Dialysis, the OR, ICU) There is a shortage of jobs that nurses actually want. Do you want to work in the high north? If yes there are jobs but they are not jobs for new or inexperienced nurses. The jobs available in the larger cities usually have something that is unattractive if they are vacant for any period of time. Do you want to work permanent 12 hour night shifts? Do you want to work 8hour shifts that rotate day/evening/night?

Alberta has a hiring freeze, Ontario is undergoing problems. Alberta has locked down hiring. Part time jobs are being consolidated into full time slots. Rotations are being reworked to improve safety levels and reduce sick time.