3 Reasons Why Nursing Schools are Turning Away Candidates During a Nursing Shortage

Did you know that over 56,000 qualified nursing school applicants were turned away in 2017? This number is shocking by itself but added to the fact that we are in the midst of a nursing shortage, makes it downright confusing. Learn why this is happening at nursing schools across the country. Nurses Announcements Archive

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nursel56

7,078 Posts

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I have an MSN in nursing education and IT. I am unable teach in my area because the schools want PhD s with minimum of 8 yrs experience. Along with a laundry list of other requirements...its RIDICULOUS!! I have almost 30 yrs as RN in various areas. Mentored and preceptor many many nurses. And a desire to do two things I love nursing and teach nursing, but sorry for me I wasted 35000 bucks to get an advanced degree that is useless.

This profession has a knack for shooting itself in the foot, being it's own worst enemy, etc. This is a perfect example of that.

babychickens

79 Posts

How so? I'm just curious.

In reference to nursing students who don't want to become nurses.

babychickens

79 Posts

Amen! A lot of "kids" are still working on their pre-reqs and in their heads, they're already planning NP/CNA school!

Re: the "shortage". Um...no. In many cases, more of a decision not to fill and/or create positions. There may be some geographical anomalies, but some good ole' fashioned hiring bonuses and relocation assistance would help with that.

Oooooh....Yep. You right! My cohort= same. Future NPs and CRNAs all around. Not me, but hey... However, I DO want to teach someday but that's like SOOOOMEDAAAAAY.

Nunya, BSN

771 Posts

Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.
I have an MSN in nursing education and IT. I am unable teach in my area because the schools want PhD s with minimum of 8 yrs experience. Along with a laundry list of other requirements...its RIDICULOUS!! I have almost 30 yrs as RN in various areas. Mentored and preceptor many many nurses. And a desire to do two things I love nursing and teach nursing, but sorry for me I wasted 35000 bucks to get an advanced degree that is useless.

Try the VA hospitals. I have a friend there with some good experience and 2 Masters ( Nursing Education and a throwaway) making almost $100 K

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
This!^ In spades. I had a manager once that wanted to change the color of our scrubs...so we matched the furniture better. Seriously?!!!

I just threw up in my mouth.

leannemeier

8 Posts

Good job Melissa! I'm not surprised at any of your points, except I didn't know the number turned away. What about checking into the ranks of returning nurses. There are some extraordinary nurses there. Some even have PhDs. Beyond the salary, the work is often overwhelming. In addition to teaching FT, many institutions require working in a hospital 1 weekend a month. Leanne

leannemeier

8 Posts

Smiling blue eyes. If you behave on the floor with the tone of your letter, it is clear why patients are reporting you. A bit of self reflection goes a long way. I must admit as a 20-something nurse, I had similar frustrations with what you call, "the old bats." As I look back, I realize how much I learned from the "old bats" about compassionate care, a wealth of experience, life and people knowlege, personal depth and so much more. We see what we choose to see. A bit of humility and opening those blue eyes, could amaze you on what you can learn. Good luck in your future! I mean that sincerely.

elkpark

14,633 Posts

I have an MSN in nursing education and IT. I am unable teach in my area because the schools want PhD s with minimum of 8 yrs experience. Along with a laundry list of other requirements...its RIDICULOUS!! I have almost 30 yrs as RN in various areas. Mentored and preceptor many many nurses. And a desire to do two things I love nursing and teach nursing, but sorry for me I wasted 35000 bucks to get an advanced degree that is useless.

This profession has a knack for shooting itself in the foot, being it's own worst enemy, etc. This is a perfect example of that.

You can call it nursing "shooting itself in the foot," but it's just the nursing departments of colleges and universities being held to the same academic standards for faculty that all the other departments have to meet. And why shouldn't they be? If we want to be taken seriously as an academic discipline, we have to do the same academic "heavy lifting" that everyone else does. I, for one, do not want to see nursing get some special exception that our programs can have lower standards than all the other departments in a college or university. That makes us "second class citizens" at the schools.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN

5,879 Posts

Smiling blue eyes. If you behave on the floor with the tone of your letter, it is clear why patients are reporting you. A bit of self reflection goes a long way. I must admit as a 20-something nurse, I had similar frustrations with what you call, "the old bats." As I look back, I realize how much I learned from the "old bats" about compassionate care, a wealth of experience, life and people knowlege, personal depth and so much more. We see what we choose to see. A bit of humility and opening those blue eyes, could amaze you on what you can learn. Good luck in your future! I mean that sincerely.

Please use the quote feature so that we can see the post to which you refer.

NurseDiane

298 Posts

Me too. Maybe in certain very rural areas of the country there is a "shortage"--but, the population is also much lower in very rural areas--but in no other area of the countries there a "shortage". Due to insurance reimbursements, hospitals & other healthcare facilities are routinely operating with fewer nurses than they should be, despite all of the studies that show "evidence based" nurse-to-patient ratios that are safest. I live in NYC suburbs, and there are tons of nurses that cannot find jobs. Hospitals don't want new graduates because they don't want to pay to train them, and they don't want older nurses that will retire in the next 10 years because they don't want to have to pay their pensions. Many hospitals are utilizing traveling nurses or per diems for those reasons. How nursing is being treated now is absurd: Making nurses go through 2 or 3 interviews for a staff position is ridiculous. They're not being interviewed for C-level positions at major corporations. My first job was at NYU, and I was hired over the phone as a senior in college after I answered a few questions. I never even shook anyone's hand. They hired me, told me when to show up for my physical and what day orientation started. That's how it should be. Treating the interview process like a corporation would for C-level positions & then treating nurses like glorified flight attendants is ridiculous. In my opinion, if you don't get into nursing school (why it is still called "nursing school" is also ridiculous---it is college, for Pete's sake), consider yourself blessed. I would never recommend anyone to go into nursing at this point. What is going on in healthcare nowadays, between patient satisfaction surveys being the basis of reimbursement to nurses being assaulted by patients without any ramifications to the patients (and many times nurses taking the blame for not "deescalating" situations to prevent the assault) to chronic short staffing creating very unsafe patient care to nurses being treated like glorified waitresses to total apathy among administrative personnel when it comes to anything that has to do with nurses.

NurseDiane

298 Posts

You wonder why that doesn't happen? Don't you think that the issues regarding staff retention, nurse-to-patient ratios, short staffing & patient safety have not been beaten to death in the last 20-30 years? Numerous studies & "evidence based" recommendations have flooded the healthcare industry. It's ALL ABOUT MONEY. Hiring nurses based on "evidence based" practice COSTS MONEY. Administrative personnel has become so heavy that in order for them to collect their inflated salaries & bonuses & benefits, they must limit spending. So, they will get rid of some of the employees in departments that they see as "dispensable": maintenance, housekeeping, unskilled nursing services. Then, when they can no longer cut any more of those employees, they hit nursing staff. Most places have tons of ads out looking for nurses, but they never hire---I've seen the same positions on websites for 3 to 5 YEARS!!! They use "the nursing shortage" as an excuse when patients complain, don't care if the patient load is unmanageable--they expect nurses to MAKE it manageable (until there's a sentinel event, and then the "clipboard crew", dressed in their white coats & name tags come around to "investigate" what happened & what could have prevented it when the answer is that adequate staffing would have prevented it!!) & there is no loyalty to the nursing staff. They know there is a line of nurses waiting for jobs, so they look at nurses as dispensable. Back when I started as a nurse, in 1989, there was support from nursing management, nurses weren't threatened with being reported to the BON for making a mistake & everybody worked as a team. The whole environment has changed, not for the better. The healthcare industry knows exactly what it can & should do to improve quality of care but that would cost money. You can thank Washington for that.

elkpark

14,633 Posts

In my opinion, if you don't get into nursing school (why it is still called "nursing school" is also ridiculous---it is college, for Pete's sake), ...

I imagine it's still called "nursing school" for the same reasons med school, law school, business school, journalism school, drama school, etc., are all still referred to as "school," and those are graduate degrees. Doesn't seem to bother them ...

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