None of you will like what I have to say. But let me kick the hard truth to you. Honestly about 50% of people I talk to are in nursing school or are taking pre-reqs for nursing school. This is a major red flag for several reasons. If you have not noticed, nursing wages/benefits have been on the down trend.
Pension?? goodbye.
Crud 401k 403b plans hello. Raise? LOL "sorry hospital is working out financial issues, maybe next year".
Nevermind if you work for a community/SNF agency. Yet insurance companies, medicare derived/gov agencies, and anyone else from the top 1% will continue to blast the RN as "shortage" in order to drive drones of students into nursing schools pulling each others hair out on the way to land a seat. Proof of this is, let's see (ABSN ***** ADN, BSN, diploma, LPN/LVN bridge to RN programs, RN to BSN) Why do these different routes exist? To flood the RN market as fast as possible to drive the wage, need, and profession into the ground.
Let's look at our oh so loyal CNA's. If you can find one that isn't in nursing school to be a nurse, ask them how much they make?
Look at LPN's 20-30 years ago and look at them today??
Surely the ANA and other organizations treated them with respect. The RN is next, so make sure to support your local nursing agency so they can do nothing for you. So they can be paid off by organizations so powerful that no one can say no and "not have the power to stop a bill". So they can continue to cry nursing shortage when this is not true.
RNs today are treated like children and are required to demonstrate fundamental task and other skills in inservices which were designed for nothing else but cut throat. To place blame of UTI's and poor patient satisfaction on the nurse.
If you are an RN today, your only safety net is to become an APRN if you want to live comfortably but in several decades the APRN will be under attack just like the LPN had been an RNs currently are. "OH the aging population is going to need nurses" You really think so?
Nursing homes are shutting down and now elderly people live at home with "24 hour care takers" that get paid **** wages and do things only an RN should be doing. You don't think so? Wake up.
None of this is to say that I hate nursing. I love helping people who are mentally ill, suffering from dementia, sick, or on their death beds. It is when we do great things for them that my love for nursing shines. There aren't other people standing around to reward you for your great deeds.
When the family comes in the next day complaining about everything, they never had a chance to see how well their dying loved one was cared for. Your good deeds will never be rewarded, but in a safe place in your heart.
I am just here to open the eyes of people who are intelligent and looking for a new career. I think you may find better job security else where. Invest your time in classes and money else where. Nursing is honestly under great attack right now and the future is black.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
There isn't a nursing shortage, and people who never even gave nursing a thought or have any respect or compassion for the profession are joining because they hear good pay and job security, which either two can change, at the rate hospitals are trying to cut back on cost and save money.
The exalted acute care hospital isn't the only viable workplace for nurses, although many new entrants in the nursing profession have their hearts set on acute care.
I know it's wise to never say "never," but I've never been without work because I'm willing to accept the 'undesirable' jobs to which many others turn their noses up.
I believe these nurses [from the crappiest pop-up schools] DO impact our profession greatly. They are draining our resources and bringing down the reputation of the profession. Because they can't command a top salary and there are so many of them, administrators think of nurses as "cheap labor" and think that they can use them to replace the better educated and more experienced nurses. Why improve working conditions when there is all this cheap nursing labor around?
Absolutely agreed. Too many of what I'm ashamed to call my "peers" seem to believe that getting the initials "RN" after their names is the epitome of all endeavors and will stop once they've achieved that end. If a nurse (or any professional, for that matter) is not willing to continually make strides in learning and honing skills and theory, the inevitable result is apathy and indifference - two qualities that are found in the "cheap labor" population that is plaguing our profession. Well said, llg.
Yes! I think of them as modern day Sairey Gamps. I'm sure they have no idea who that it.
Specializes in Ambulatory Care, LTC, OB, CCU, Occ Hth.
I think this topic highlights how important it is for us to involve ourselves in our profession by way of professional organizations like ANA. Don't just sit back, doing nothing, and getting fed up with the profession. Anyone who sits back offering nothing, but complaints is just a culpable in what they see is wrong with nursing as the problems they point out.
We need to come together and take part in the future of our profession.
As far as the education issue is concerned, I am not one to turn down learning more; however, given the nature of healthcare it's unreasonable to expect that someone achieve RN and stop learning because "they got the RN." I say it behooves anyone to get at least a BSN if for no other reason than you get training and insight into administration issues that affect patient care and floor nursing as well as expanding and strengthening your critical thinking skills. A BSN also rounds out and widens our own experiences and viewpoints, which I think only helps in improving patient care.
At the very least, I feel CE should be required for nurses to renew licenses across the board. Not all states do currently, and I think that is a disservice to patient care. To not require CE, is to say nursing is stagnant, and that there is nothing new to learn beyond your nursing program or within the limits of what you personally experience on the job.
Yes, I agree with you. I am one of those who will work undesirable jobs too, but I'm talking about the majority of people who are trying to work in acute care.
I was with you 100% in the first paragraph but here is where we part company. Personally I'd rather those who enjoy being a RN whether it be ADN or BSN stay with their designation and continue doing a great job at floor nursing. Not that everyone shouldn't continue to learn and explore their patients' conditions in more depth but for Pete's sake we have enough "leaders" with a plethora of useless initials after their names!! Although the truth is I'd rather have one of those who stopped at becoming a RN and actually knows how to care for a live patient as my boss than some of these extra initial'd dolts. Just saying.
I realize in retrospect that I could have been more clear in my post. My reference to learning new skills and theory was intended to include experience obtained outside of the classroom as well as continued education. Nurses who are passionate about what they do will always be looking for ways to do it better, whether they glean clinical pearls from those around them or continually certify in their clinical area. The type of nurse I had in mind when I referred to the "cheap labor" culture is the one who refuses to advance the quality of their care through actively learning via CE opportunities relevant to their practice or passively by not shutting down when another team member or even a physician is offering constructive "advice" on clinical best-practice. I do apologize for the lack of clarity in my post - I had no intention of offending the truly passionate RN's who choose not to return to the classroom.
I agree with this post. I feel like the job market is so over saturated with nurses that its ridiculous. There isn't a nursing shortage, and people who never even gave nursing a thought or have any respect or compassion for the profession are joining because they hear good pay and job security, which either two can change, at the rate hospitals are trying to cut back on cost and save money. I also feel that nursing is becoming a fad profession, too many people are joining without having a clue what it's like to be a nurse which is far from glamorous
I was really hoping that a nurse career will be the answer for this financial uncertainty we all are living in. I saw here (How to become a registered nurse in US - Find out now) that "according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for a registered nurse in 2013 was approximately $62,450. The top 10% of RNs earned an average of $92,240 per year while the bottom 10% made about $43,410 per year" - but from your post I understand that is not quite like this - at least not anymore
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Well, a LOT of people hope it will be the answer to an uncertain financial future. A lot of people are disappointed. It can be a great career, but there is NO major shortage that the schools keep telling you about----or that article. It does not tell the whole story at all. The posters here however ARE.
There is a shortage of jobs where people are not cut to the bone to save money, staffing-wise. There is a shortage of jobs whereby you don't have to "do your time" getting your hands dirty, on the path to the NP, CRNA, etc. Sign-on bonuses, that used to be prevalent, nowadays only signal a job NO ONE wants for good reason.
That is what we are saying.
And those annual salary totals? Those are for people who work full-time (mostly more than 36 hours a week), take on travel assignments, take on overtime, and don't have their hours cut d/t "low census" when actually, they are needed on the floor, but are beign cut to save money. Or for people living in high cost of living areas.
Also, compounding the problem; it was expected a lot more would retire by now, but it's not happening d/t pensions being hit hard by the economic times starting in 2008. Many of us will have to go on working well into our 60s and beyond to build up that nest egg we were counting on sooner. So a lot of jobs will not be vacated so fast.
The posters are painting an accurate picture of nursing today and that so-called "shortage" that is drawing so many to nursing.
The exalted acute care hospital isn't the only viable workplace for nurses, although many new entrants in the nursing profession have their hearts set on acute care.
I know it's wise to never say "never," but I've never been without work because I'm willing to accept the 'undesirable' jobs to which many others turn their noses up.
THIS.
I have been able to gain a breadth of information, out of the box critical thinking and string skills in communication and teaching because of NOT being in acute care; even when I entered critical care, there were aspects of my out if the box that worked that acute care nurses didn't think about.
I gained employment in acute care because of my experiences...doesn't hurt to try the outside hospital experience; one may be pleasantly surprised.
I've had questions re nursing students and new grads who are disillusioned by real world nursing.
Did they/you understand that a job would have 5-7 times as many patients as was cared for on one day in clinicals after having the day prior to prepare?
Did they/you notice the harriers experienced working nurses on the unit?
I've had questions re nursing students and new grads who are disillusioned by real world nursing.
Did they/you understand that a job would have 5-7 times as many patients as was cared for on one day in clinicals after having the day prior to prepare?
I did one of my main clinicals in a hospital in a wealthy area, with plenty of prestigious doctors and catering to rich people. This hospital was well staffed, and patient asignments were reasonable. I was given a full patient assignment by the last few weeks in clinical, and I didn't have any problems keeping up with it. What I didn't realize is, this is NOT the norm! My first real, paying, FT job was more like what everyone puts up with in most hospitals, and I started to become disillusioned.
Did they/you notice the harriers experienced working nurses on the unit?
No one was perpetualy harried or rushing about at my clinical. See above re: money and reasonable staffing. I didn't notice anyone running on auto pilot with exhausted, blank, deer in the headlights expressions until I started working my first nursing job.
I did one of my main clinicals in a hospital in a wealthy area, with plenty of prestigious doctors and catering to rich people. This hospital was well staffed, and patient asignments were reasonable. I was given a full patient assignment by the last few weeks in clinical, and I didn't have any problems keeping up with it. What I didn't realize is, this is NOT the norm! My first real, paying, FT job was more like what everyone puts up with in most hospitals, and I started to become disillusioned.
No one was perpetualy harried or rushing about at my clinical. See above re: money and reasonable staffing. I didn't notice anyone running on auto pilot with exhausted, blank, deer in the headlights expressions until I started working my first nursing job.
I also did all of my clinicals and my extenship in an affluent hospital as well (with the exception of peds and psych), I liked the prettiness of it. But my classmates talked about their experiences in the community and county hospitals and I knew I was working in a posh place
Though that was a long time ago back in the FFS days just as DRG's were beginning, with the Medicare cuts today, I didn't think anyone was spared cuts in staff and higher acuity patients.
Personally I'd rather those who enjoy being a RN whether it be ADN or BSN stay with their designation and continue doing a great job at floor nursing. Not that everyone shouldn't continue to learn and explore their patients' conditions in more depth but for Pete's sake we have enough "leaders" with a plethora of useless initials after their names!! Although the truth is I'd rather have one of those who stopped at becoming a RN and actually knows how to care for a live patient as my boss than some of these extra initial'd dolts. Just saying.
TheCommuter, BSN, RN
102 Articles; 27,612 Posts
I know it's wise to never say "never," but I've never been without work because I'm willing to accept the 'undesirable' jobs to which many others turn their noses up.