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.
Bolding mine: Am I the only one who finds the use of such endearments reserved for family members/significant others/close friends offensive?
And just because that's the "way" it's become, that doesn't mean we have to give up and take it. Seeing as you're a nursing student, I think you're going to have an eye-opening experience when you get that license and that first job. Might I suggest reading some of the new grad threads where they become very disillusioned with nursing because it's nowhere near what they expected?
This post is right on point. One of my pet-peeves is when people who are not yet nurses lecture nurses about nursing- it's ridiculous.
The disillusions of new grads is due in part by the shortage of the faculty and the preparation received in academic years and not entirely from the hospitals. However, if there were better programs and ways to orientate and socialize the new grads there would be less frustration and less quitting of the profession.When they get out they realize its a different world. The 21st century nurses are the 21st century nurses. They are not like the other generations of nurses who would stay on the job through thick or thin. They want what they want now or from yesterday. If it is not fixed, they are out of the organization and into another organization... where they will have every thing at their finger tips and are more socialized. Finally, some people take a job for the love of it no matter what and others take a job for what is in it. Great discussions you all!!!!!
Was talking to an acquaintance just the other day; she was telling me that her daughter has been trying to get into a nursing program without success. She (the mother) was so surprised at this, as it's "obvious" that there's a huge nursing shortage, and "you'd think the schools would make it easier to get in, not harder, so there can be more nurses available to ease the shortage!" Well....
After I told her that in our area there IS no nursing shortage, that there's plenty of nurses who have difficulty finding full-time jobs (they are both in same region as me), she insisted I must be wrong. It's "well known" that hospitals in the area are always short-staffed". Welllll......
After I told her that a hospital running short on nursing schedules isn't the same thing as a shortage of nurses willing to work......that in fact I knew of nurses who would be happy to hire on if only they could get in the door....once again, I'm TOTALLY WRONG!
Yup, I was set straight: those nurses who can't find jobs are "obviously" not good applicants, not good nurses, not....something. But HER daughter will be the very best nurse EVER if only she could just get into a program. Sigh. Yessiree, the hospitals in the region will be holding their doors wide open for this Special Snowflake, even though they are closed to so many others.
Was talking to an acquaintance just the other day; she was telling me that her daughter has been trying to get into a nursing program without success. She (the mother) was so surprised at this, as it's "obvious" that there's a huge nursing shortage, and "you'd think the schools would make it easier to get in, not harder, so there can be more nurses available to ease the shortage!" Well....
After I told her that in our area there IS no nursing shortage, that there's plenty of nurses who have difficulty finding full-time jobs (they are both in same region as me), she insisted I must be wrong. It's "well known" that hospitals in the area are always short-staffed". Welllll......
After I told her that a hospital running short on nursing schedules isn't the same thing as a shortage of nurses willing to work......that in fact I knew of nurses who would be happy to hire on if only they could get in the door....once again, I'm TOTALLY WRONG!
Yup, I was set straight: those nurses who can't find jobs are "obviously" not good applicants, not good nurses, not....something. But HER daughter will be the very best nurse EVER if only she could just get into a program. Sigh. Yessiree, the hospitals in the region will be holding their doors wide open for this Special Snowflake, even though they are closed to so many others.
Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.
Kind of off topic, but I was recently shocked by some of the nursing students that have come to my floor. The lack of knowledge and incompetence was shocking. 4th semester students about to graduate only taking 2 patients and one student was going to give Lovenox IV instead of sub q. I was thinking that maybe the nursing schools just want to make money and don't care if they are producing incompetent nurses, perpetuating lies about nursing shortages. I think people come to nursing for the wrong reason and there should be more forethought before entering the profession.
great , you've gotten into the right profession then. long hours , always critized.
no sarcasm, im going to stop giving nurses, or wanna be' s words of wisdom that took me through a trail of hell to find out. seems they cannot be told anything, they just have to find out for themselves,
paying off your student loan 5 years from now, and finding yourself 'written ' up ' for bogus things, and being contacted by your Bd of nursing. I hope you remember, I told you so , and please realize that YES it can happen to you, sweet pea. you are not special, dont care how much you think your supr likes you. good luck !!!!
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Kind of off topic, but I was recently shocked by some of the nursing students that have come to my floor. The lack of knowledge and incompetence was shocking. 4th semester students about to graduate only taking 2 patients and one student was going to give Lovenox IV instead of sub q. I was thinking that maybe the nursing schools just want to make money and don't care if they are producing incompetent nurses, perpetuating lies about nursing shortages. I think people come to nursing for the wrong reason and there should be more forethought before entering the profession.
And what would be the "wrong" reason? Not the "calling" again?!
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I think people come to nursing for the wrong reason and there should be more forethought before entering the profession.
There isn't really a wrong reason for people to choose nursing as a profession. What matters is the ability and competence in doing what nurses need to do. Whether the motive is the so-called "calling", wish for job stability (debatable in this economy), wish for a good salary (I think nurses are under compensated but for many people it's a good salary from where they are coming from), or any other reason is none of anyone else's business.
kuippo
99 Posts
yep , dont listen to someone who has studied this for sometime now.
Get your nursing degree and lots of them , lots of initials behind your name, see where it gets you .
The money and time in any other profession would get you twice the wages and 10 times the satisfaction on the job.
So glad the young nurses know so much already, reminds me of teen agers. like talking to a brick wall.
Have fun and get lots of initials behind your name !