Queen's Magnet status, better economy soon? now what?

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Specializes in FNP-C.

Can anyone tell me about the future job prospects at Queen's Medical Center now that they earned magnet status? :yeah: From what I heard, QMC is suppose to receive MILLIONS in funding for nursing recruitment and retaining? Are new grad programs finally opening up? Are other hospitals going to open up new grad programs as well? I know this came up in the threads before but its new now since QMC got magnet status.

I hope the economy gets better to a point it is considered a "BOOM" in economic status for the US and other nations.

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i'm curious if this will affect their hiring of ADN's. a lot of magnet facilities make a push for a predominantly BSN nursing staff.

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Congrats to Queens! =)

Now let's hope it has a ripple effect.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Well...let's see.

Most of us are hoping that we will finally get a permanet nurses' aide on the night shift who won't be called off so often that she quits.

We're losing three FT nurses who will not be replaced. The buzz is that we will be relying on agency nurses and experienced call-ins to fill those spots as needed. Our low-seniority regular hire nurses are sent home on a very regular basis, without pay unless they use their PTO, whenever the census dips and the matrix calls for a nurse to be cut.

Magnet status or not it's all about the money honey on the daily nitty-gritty level.

I hadn't heard anything about "millions" for funding for "nurse recruitment and retention."

There is simply no need for Queens to spend "millions" on attracting new nurses. Nurses would be lined up around the block if Queens had a job fair with bona fide openings available. A few pots of coffee and some cookies, some free pens. If they do get "millions" that must be used for recruiting and retention I suspect we will see some snappy new koa furniture in the nurse recruiter's office. Some nice new brochures, badge lanyards. :jester:

Nurse retention? Ummm....this is a captive audience. Here we sit on the most isolated archipelago on the planet. Choices are extremely limited and if you get a nursing job here, now, you best hold on to it.

The nurses who are leaving to which I referred earlier are all leaving the state for various personal reasons. Nothing to do with their job at Queens. If they were staying in Hawaii they would stay at Queens.

Most important things as far as retention goes, according to a recent survey at Queens? Flexible scheduling, granting of PTO, and PARKING.

They could take those "millions of dollars" and build a parking garage. That would boost their recruitment and retention numbers immensely.

I'm pleased that Queens got Magnet status. Plenty of people worked really hard for it. If it improves working conditions for nurses I'm all for it.

It looks like a big PR project so far but time will tell.

New grad programs? There simply are no openings for new grads. There is a need for experienced nurses in specialty areas. For safety's sake one cannot simply flood a hospital with new grads and expect it to run well. I truly do feel for the plight of the new grads but in all practicality I don't see much hope for them in the immediate future for getting new grad positions in Hawaii.

Most of the hospitals here have been hiring and training new grads and are now saturated with them.

Again, experienced (yes, you can read that as "dinosaur" if you want, LOL) nurses who have jobs are not leaving them. Years ago you could take a leave for a while, cut down your hours maybe, and then go right back to full-time at any number of hospitals on the island if you wanted. Not so now---you leave, you're gone and someone grabs your seat before the cushion is cold.

I work with several nurses who are also nursing instructors. One said recently that all the students graduating this year in her group are headed to the mainland. They figure that if they get a few years of experience and come back home with that experience their chances of landing a nursing job here will be so much better.

They're right.

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Specializes in FNP-C.
i'm curious if this will affect their hiring of ADN's. a lot of magnet facilities make a push for a predominantly BSN nursing staff.

I believe this may be true. However, I looked at the websites of other magnet hospitals mostly in California, that they have tuition reimbursement either full or partial for higher degrees such as for an RN to BSN. So ADN's may NOT be in a disadvantage.

To WindwardOahuRN: Well said. I've heard about the millions $$ in funding and the goal of nursing recruitment and retention from a few nursing instructors at my school who are also nurses at Queens and have been there for more than 5 years. I was also looking into going to the mainland to get the experience for a few years. Or join the Air force for a few years and come back to work.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Queens has tuition reimbursement now. They don't pay extra for a BSN. They give you a bonus if you get your CCRN and a bonus every time you renew it.

All things being equal they will probably take a BSN over an ADN nurse, especially if it is for a new grad position.

An ADN nurse with tons of experience and a national certification might very well edge out a BSN nurse with little experience.

Education never hurts, of course.

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But you've got the free Blaisdale shuttle! =P~

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Specializes in FNP-C.

i just take the bus home to Aiea/Mililani.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
But you've got the free Blaisdale shuttle! =P~

LOL---when Blaisdell doesn't need the parking...

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Well...let's see.

Most of us are hoping that we will finally get a permanet nurses' aide on the night shift who won't be called off so often that she quits.

We're losing three FT nurses who will not be replaced. The buzz is that we will be relying on agency nurses and experienced call-ins to fill those spots as needed. Our low-seniority regular hire nurses are sent home on a very regular basis, without pay unless they use their PTO, whenever the census dips and the matrix calls for a nurse to be cut.

Magnet status or not it's all about the money honey on the daily nitty-gritty level.

I hadn't heard anything about "millions" for funding for "nurse recruitment and retention."

There is simply no need for Queens to spend "millions" on attracting new nurses. Nurses would be lined up around the block if Queens had a job fair with bona fide openings available. A few pots of coffee and some cookies, some free pens. If they do get "millions" that must be used for recruiting and retention I suspect we will see some snappy new koa furniture in the nurse recruiter's office. Some nice new brochures, badge lanyards. :jester:

Nurse retention? Ummm....this is a captive audience. Here we sit on the most isolated archipelago on the planet. Choices are extremely limited and if you get a nursing job here, now, you best hold on to it.

The nurses who are leaving to which I referred earlier are all leaving the state for various personal reasons. Nothing to do with their job at Queens. If they were staying in Hawaii they would stay at Queens.

Most important things as far as retention goes, according to a recent survey at Queens? Flexible scheduling, granting of PTO, and PARKING.

They could take those "millions of dollars" and build a parking garage. That would boost their recruitment and retention numbers immensely.

I'm pleased that Queens got Magnet status. Plenty of people worked really hard for it. If it improves working conditions for nurses I'm all for it.

It looks like a big PR project so far but time will tell.

New grad programs? There simply are no openings for new grads. There is a need for experienced nurses in specialty areas. For safety's sake one cannot simply flood a hospital with new grads and expect it to run well. I truly do feel for the plight of the new grads but in all practicality I don't see much hope for them in the immediate future for getting new grad positions in Hawaii.

Most of the hospitals here have been hiring and training new grads and are now saturated with them.

Again, experienced (yes, you can read that as "dinosaur" if you want, LOL) nurses who have jobs are not leaving them. Years ago you could take a leave for a while, cut down your hours maybe, and then go right back to full-time at any number of hospitals on the island if you wanted. Not so now---you leave, you're gone and someone grabs your seat before the cushion is cold.

I work with several nurses who are also nursing instructors. One said recently that all the students graduating this year in her group are headed to the mainland. They figure that if they get a few years of experience and come back home with that experience their chances of landing a nursing job here will be so much better.

They're right.

It is the same in California right now. They will have to head east to find a full time position I am sorry to say but if a seasoned nurse is what you are looking for :bugeyes: Lol just kidding... Just an attempt at humor. It is really bad here. The new grads are not working either here so the new grads there will not find anything here. Best of luck to them.

TuTonka

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Specializes in Critical Care.
It is the same in California right now. They will have to head east to find a full time position I am sorry to say but if a seasoned nurse is what you are looking for :bugeyes: Lol just kidding... Just an attempt at humor. It is really bad here. The new grads are not working either here so the new grads there will not find anything here. Best of luck to them.

TuTonka

LOL...a lot of my stuff is an attempt at humor too but I really do wish the new grads out there all the luck in the world. I know how hard they've worked and how they've been dreaming of the day when they walk into a hospital with that hospital ID badge on and start working.

In all honesty a lot of the not-so-great things that are going on in the hospitals these days are desperate attempts to stay afloat in tough economic times. Nurses are a very big part of the hospital budget and if a hospital can save money anywhere, including the nursing budget, they may very well have to do it to stay alive.

It's hard to watch and it really does make us feel, often, like we are just numbers on a spread sheet. :crying2:

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Specializes in FNP-C.

Well if anything, my friend told me that the army, navy, and air force will train new grads but you must serve for 3 years. Now nurses in all branches of the military are pretty much working together since there are not enough of them in just one branch who need to help out in Afghanistan. Army and navy has more choices in new grad training but the air force only has OB and med/surg for new grad training. I find this rediculous, unless I'm wrong? Well, thats my last PLAN X if I am absolutely unable to find a new grad program anywhere in Hawaii, California, and Washington at ANY hospital. I am not picky where I work and what unit I work in. I just want to start off in acute care hospital or a geriatric hospital is good for me too.

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