no nursing shortage?

The nursing shortage is due to that I think. Also the nursing shortage is sort of a "projected outlook". They see how many nurses we have, how many new ones are comming in, and how many will be retiring soon. I think -any- healthcare is a stable job.

"there would be enough nurses if working conditions were improved"

That seems to be the case, with over 2 million nurses presently in the US.

yes. And that was proven by a recent Congressional study. The hospital associations were going to the government crying for more money & to increase recruitment from overseas with the excuse that the US doesnt have enough nurses. Before giving them any money or changing immigration laws, the 107th Congress wanted to know if what the hospitals were saying was true. So they commissioned a study to be done by the General Accounting Ofice in DC to find out where the US nurses were. The results were released in May 2001 and was immediately all over the news and in Nursing journals everywhere. The study found that while there are 126,000 vacant RN positions in the US, as reported by the American Hospital Assoc, there are 500,000 licensed RNs across the country who are not working in nursing. A high percentage of those nurses surveyed stated they would consider returning to the bedside if working conditions & compensations were improved. The study concluded that there IS an adequate available pool of nurses to draw back and there are more than enough licensed RNs already to end this current "shortage" tomorrow, even if only a fraction of those not working now came back. It also concluded that the current situation is not a real "shortage" yet (but will become a real shortage in numbers within 10 yrs as these nurses & others reach retirement age). They called the current lack of nurses at the bedside not a "shortage" but a "maldistribution" of RNs - and one that was manufactured by the hospitals. There are enough nurses now - they just dont want to work in those jobs. The GAO study blames "poor personnel decisions" on the parts of the employers & also urged them to take a good hard look at themselves, their own policies & practices to figure out why nurses do not want jobs at their institutions and to do something to rectify that. Congress threw the problem of RNs refusing to work in those conditions right back at the employers, basically telling them its their own fault if they cant find nurses cause there are nurses out there - Fix your problems & do something to bring those nurses back to work.

Links to the report were on almost every RN professional organization website and this one.

Well, what are they doing about it?

Originally posted by cannoli

Well, what are they doing about it?

Judging from the comments and complaints that people have on this board about their places of employment--I would say, not much!

That's it, exactly!

Yeah especially when you see jobs with folks making more money, that an nurse with years of experience! I saw a job recently that required only two years of cashier experience, that would be making as much or more than me, if I went to work at one of the healthcare facilities in that area! Maybe I will just take that job, and be satisfied with a secure, non threatening work setting, and the great bennies the position was offering:chuckle!

I would.

:chuckle Thought about it, but no recent cashering experience, but I took the flyer:chuckle!

Well I don't get it! I'm still sitting here in the UK having passed my NCLEX a year and a half ago and I still can't find a job!!! My travel agency have been trying for 5 months now and I've only had one interview! What nursing shortage? I'm an ICU nurse with 10+ years experience and it looks like you just don't need me!

Originally posted by -jt

yes. And that was proven by a recent Congressional study. There are enough nurses now - they just dont want to work in those jobs. The GAO study blames "poor personnel decisions" on the parts of the employers & also urged them to take a good hard look at themselves, their own policies & practices to figure out why nurses do not want jobs at their institutions and to do something to rectify that. Congress threw the problem of RNs refusing to work in those conditions right back at the employers, basically telling them its their own fault if they cant find nurses cause there are nurses out there - Fix your problems & do something to bring those nurses back to work.

My thoughts exactly! Figure out WHY the nurses are leaving and won't return, resolve that problem by CORRECTING the problem and wahlah...no more so called nursing shortages in our country.

The problem with the truth is not many can handle the truth so they would prefer to continue looking elsewhere for answers to problems that are already staring them in the face. You see...not many people like eating crow, so they won't acknowledge they've fudged up and need to do an about face to resolve that which was so simple to resolve in the first place. Let me at 'em...I'll fix the dang nursing shortage. Ya'll want your nursing jobs back..........let me at 'em........I'd give you a job with pay, benefits, and working conditions you'd be proud to boast about. Vote for me next election year!

When other workers had this type of problem, they unionized. If every nurse in America belonged to the same union and walked off the job tomorrow, maybe they'd hear us.