I'm so sick of being accused of trying to discourage potential nursing students when I tell them the job market is tight or that many new grads are having a hard time getting jobs.
They usually say to me, "well, I'm different and its really my dream and I have always wanted to be a nurse". Then I say, "Well,what about the others who thought the same as you and are unemployed?" Then I add, "You may end up working in a nursing home or home health, will you be okay with that? "They then respond, "No,I want to work in the area I choose, and it will happen because it's my dream."
I am in no way trying to discourage them, but I also don't want to lie to them and say there are plenty of jobs in any specialty you want.
Then when they graduate they end up asking why no one told them the truth. I even tell them to read Allnurses and the troubles new grads are having. They then respond "well it has always been my dream and nothing is going to stop me. Some people are trying to discourage me because they don't want others to take their jobs and make as much money as they do."
Is there any other way that I could bring up the subject with statistics and without it making it seem I'm trying to discourage others?
Truth has gone the way of "right" and "wrong"; for most people these concepts don't exist anymore and they are not interested in being told about them. These people don't listen for the same reasons diabetics are non-compliant. The easiest person to fool is yourself. A healthy dose of reality concerning working conditions and the current job market is not the same as 'downing' the profession. People fantasize about how something is going to be and really think something is wrong with you when you tell them otherwise. They view you as either "misinformed" or "you're doing it wrongly". The smart ones will thank you for the candor and ask how they can help themselves while the chaff will continue to 'sing the same ole song.' I don't think you are out of the way for stating the facts, but don't take it personally when your points are rejected and don't feel obligated to save folks from themselves. Wish them well and change the subject. The truth has a funny way of eventually making itself known whether people want to recognize it or not.
In addition, people assume those who 'complain' about the profession are 'bitter, angry and need to retire'. There is a difference between being those things and being realistic. I love my job, I love my profession, I am as proud as they come. I loved many of my hospital jobs (not all them, and not every single day did I enjoy being at work). I love teaching. I love molding new nurses. I love hearing about their hopes and dreams. But I am also the first person to tell them how it really is: the good and the bad. I absolutely loved my job as a peds heme/onc nurse, and hated my med surg job. I tell them what I loved about 12 hour shifts, and what I hated about them.
Sometimes getting or not getting a job has nothing to do with the usual reasons. Provide your input as best you can. Also let the person know that you are giving them the "general lay of the land", and assure them that they may find their own situation to be quite unique. After you have spoken your peace, it is up to them to find out for themselves. You are not responsible for their elation or disappointment in how things turn out.
As I read through these comments, I wonder where some of the posters are from. I think it makes a HUGE difference, depending on the area you are from. In the SF bay area, I would say the job market is 50/50. I hear of new grads getting right into a program and some new grads who have taken positions that are outside of the nursing field. In my opinion, it seems to be those who received an ADN who cannot find jobs and those with a BSN who are able to land a job. I don't know any pre-nursing students who are clueless as to how shaky the job market is, but as other posters have mentioned, that is ANY profession these days. So why get all worked up that pre-nursing students have a dream? Don't we all have a dream?
As a bright eyed, bushy tailed, 3rd quarter student, this is my take. I realize that the job market is tough. I know that I will not be making my states median RN income upon graduation. I took stats, i know how math works and what "median" means. I don't need anyone to tell me. That being said, the first thing nurses ever ask me is, "Where do you want to work?" Where i want to work is the ER, but i know if i actually say that i will get shot down because of the job market, harumph, competition, harumph. It took me a while but i finaly realized that some poeple don't want to hear where i want to work, they are looking for an opening to tell me why i am wrong. My new answer is, "Wherever i get the job!" Usually by this point in the conversation i can figure out if the person is trying to troll me or not. yes, I am referring to constantly reminding new nurses and students that the field is tough as trolling.
upon reading this, i think is may come off as agressive. It is not my intention. Just know that the frustration goes both ways.
Nobody told me that nursing was not the panacea of employment that the media and general discussion painted it to be, and that was a long, long time before today's current economic situation. If someone could have given me the reality, instead of the "pretty" picture, I would have had the opportunity to make a better decision about my money, time, and effort.
Specializes in ORTHO, TRAUMA, MED-SURG, L&D, POSTPARTUM.
As a student, you have to be wise about the advice you take and who it comes from. I've heard both the sugar-coated lies of becoming a nurse in the "bursting baby-boomer" market and seen the reality of RN grads having trouble securing jobs. However the persistent ones, that stay positive usually do find jobs. I've learned although the truth may be painful to hear, don't let something that is difficult to achieve hold you back from going after your dreams.
The reality is a DEGREE won't land most people their dream job, especially now days. You have to be willing to work for it. There are few jobs that will guarantee work after graduation. All new grads are in the same boat of having slim-to-none job aspects after graduation. Does this mean we should discourage our youth against getting an education? Will saving yourself the trouble of trying to go after unrealistic career goals ...make someone better off? CERTAINLY NOT. I commend those willing to take the risk and at least try to achieve their goals in life!!! The most important thing is to not get discouraged and give up. Are you helping or hindering new grads by presenting the "facts"? Encourage those new RNs to have a do-whatever-it-takes attitude.
Luckily, I've come into Nursing with this mindset. That I'm going to have to work my butt off to get the job I want. Completing school is only half the battle. It's not that I don't know that the job market sucks. For now it does. When I was in high school it didn't. I remember reading ads for nursing jobs in cities across the country willing to pay nurses $5000...$10,000 sign on bonuses? I had an older friend that got paid $5000 sign on bonus as an LPN! Remember those days??? That's pretty much unheard of now.
Several older, more experienced nurses have told me this. The nursing market goes through cycles. Nurses start retiring and suddenly job openings create a demand. Then when the economy hits a bump, nurses stop retiring and it creates a flood of new grads into the market with few job openings. Since I've heard this same concept from several nurses in different states and specialities, it seems it might hold some truth. Have some of you seasoned nurses seen this pattern?
All I can do is hope the economy turns around by the time I graduate, and if not...I'm willing to give it everything I got to land a nursing job (maybe not my dream job..just a entry-level job.). My motivation? The $50,000 of debt that will be lingering over my head. That's some freaking good motivation.
I don't understand the purpose. I mean I don't understand what you expect them to say to you. Do you want them to just say "oh really? then I am quitting nursing!". You told them what you have heard or experienced. Okay. If they have high hopes or still want to pursue this, let it be. Jobs may be tight. So?
Everybody finds jobs; here or there. May or may not be their dream area at first. There is no need to dramatize this like they are going to starve after graduating.
You sound so pressurizing to this person. Economy is tight, not just nursing. Any other profession isn't any better right now. No point in arguing with someone for this, in my opinion.
Precisely.
It's not that nursing students do not want to hear the truth, in fact, many of them know the situation that they are entering. However, to expect nursing students to quit nursing school or make alternative career plans after many have invested time and money to get to nursing school is just plan ridiculous.
And lets assume those provided the advice actually quit nursing school? Who will be the new nurses in the coming years and decades?
The career of nursing is a cycle and we all had to start somewhere (do you recall when you started on this path, OP? ) and while we may not start in the position we initially wanted, that doesn't mean we should throw in the towel altogether.
Who are we to discourage someone from their dreams? It has always been my "dream" to become a nurse. There I said it. I wish I would have done it the first time I went to college right out of high school instead of getting the degree I ended up with. I was fully aware going into the nursing program that the job market was not good. I did the research and read hundreds of posts on this site. I was fully expecting to not be able to find a job soon after graduation. I did not do the right things during school like become a CNA or PCT. I was barely able to make it through school with a husband that worked a million hours to keep us afloat (barely), and three little kids at home. But I did it, without any loans, and at the top of my class. And guess what? Two weeks after passing my NCLEX, I was offered a job. And it just so happens to be in my "dream area".
Why would you even bring it up unless asked? If your kids told you they had a dream and that's what they wanted to do, would you say "Go for it?" or "Go for something you don't like and have no interest in that has more jobs available" ?
The truth is ALL jobs are tight in every field right now. Something will come along at some point that makes them happy. I'm guessing you haven't found that yet or you wouldn't be so bitter about it...in this case I'm sorry to say that I think misery just wants company.
When I graduated years ago with my first bachelor's, there were some jobs available, but you still had to move away from our home state to get one. You couldn't just stay near your hometown AND land that good first job. I think this is the issue with many nursing graduates, honestly. If someone doesn't want to take a nursing home or LTC facility job, then fine. But widen your search area to further and further away from where you currently live, or be willing to relocate for that great hospital job.
"Oh, but Unicorn! There are no jobs ANYWHERE! I've looked!"
Yeah right. Coming from years of life experience, I've found most people are lazy. Yep, I said it. You mean to tell me that there is not a hospital anywhere in the entire country willing to give a new grad a job? Really? There is one somewhere. You have to find it. Often, the people who whine the loudest, if you truly look at all they've done, you would see there is so much more they could be doing.
"Oh, but Unicorn! My spouse can't move! His job is here!"
To that my response is simply, put up or shut up. Any kind of partnership has to have some compromise. If moving is truly not an option, then you simply must take that job you perhaps do not want, like for a CNA service.
Many people don't do the work required to truly get results. Add in a sense of entitlement in some cases, and it gets pretty nutty.
This is all just my $.02, and I'm sure some will disagree, but I bet some of you are nodding your heads. Sub out any industry for nursing in this scenario and what I'm saying is largely the same.
I know that when I am done with school, if I want a certain hospital job and I get one halfway across the U.S. somewhere in a tiny town, but here in Chicago I can barely get even an interview for a nursing home, then we're packing up and heading out! These are conversations my spouse and I are already having about "what if" scenarios, which makes us better equipped to deal with realities when the time comes. It is largely the same conversation we've had about losing just a regular job in our lives too.
I know that job market is not so great, but I know that hospitals are hiring. Your interview skills are very important in landing a job, and I also know that many people are terrible when it comes to interviews. ( I was one of them), after taking interview sessions I feel more confident :)
Absolutely. You could certainly tell them that it depends on the area in which they are looking into. You can also tell them that they may not get exactly what they want, but practice makes perfect and as long as they gain the experience, this is a great field to get into and advance.
) and while we may not start in the position we initially wanted, that doesn't mean we should throw in the towel altogether.
ReinventingMyselfAgain, MSN, RN
1,954 Posts
In addition, people assume those who 'complain' about the profession are 'bitter, angry and need to retire'. There is a difference between being those things and being realistic. I love my job, I love my profession, I am as proud as they come. I loved many of my hospital jobs (not all them, and not every single day did I enjoy being at work). I love teaching. I love molding new nurses. I love hearing about their hopes and dreams. But I am also the first person to tell them how it really is: the good and the bad. I absolutely loved my job as a peds heme/onc nurse, and hated my med surg job. I tell them what I loved about 12 hour shifts, and what I hated about them.