RNs are #1 "hot job" for 2010

Music in My Heart · Nov 16, 2009

Oh yes, the projected jobs.

Unfortunately, my mortgage, insurance, and kid's tuition aren't projected, they're real.

I don't know why we'd expect the public-at-large or the media to see the truth about the 'shortage' fallacy when many nurses are still spouting the same drivel.

RNnbakes · Nov 16, 2009

:angryfire :smackingf

Artistyc1 · Nov 16, 2009

The economic downturn has been worse than expected, which has kept many seasoned nurses from retiring from jobs they had planned to vacate. Hospitals are waiting before opening new units, and staffing those units. I think it is offensive for you to call it "drivel", the reality of the shortage is going to hit this country very hard when retirement of the baby boomers also becomes a reality. MANY people are out of work right now, not just newly graduated nurses.

fiveofpeep · Nov 16, 2009

yeah can you imagine actually trying to get into nursing school now. I remember how impossible it once seemed but now the competition must be crazy!

Music in My Heart · Nov 16, 2009

The economic downturn has been worse than expected, which has kept many seasoned nurses from retiring from jobs they had planned to vacate. Hospitals are waiting before opening new units, and staffing those units. I think it is offensive for you to call it "drivel", the reality of the shortage is going to hit this country very hard when retirement of the baby boomers also becomes a reality. MANY people are out of work right now, not just newly graduated nurses.

And I think it's offensive when people speak as though there IS a nursing shortage when the reality is that there is a PROJECTED shortage which MAY or MAY NOT ever come to pass.

The uncertainty of the shortage 'projection' is no different than the uncertainty related to the 'expected' severity of the economic downturn.

Until there's a real shortage, and one that persists for any length of time, I'll stick with the word 'drivel.'

Artistyc1 · Nov 16, 2009

And I think it's offensive when people speak as though there IS a nursing shortage when the reality is that there is a PROJECTED shortage which MAY or MAY NOT ever come to pass.
The uncertainty of the shortage 'projection' is no different than the uncertainty related to the 'expected' severity of the economic downturn.
Until there's a real shortage, and one that persists for any length of time, I'll stick with the word 'drivel.'

HOT DOG!! Does this mean, that as a "baby boomer", I don't HAVE to get old, retire, and perhaps require more healthcare?? COOL!

The projections that "may or may not ever" come to pass ARE based upon genuine numbers. There IS certainty that people will continue to age, retire, maybe even die. The same certainties cannot be said for the economy, we are agreed on that.

Are you suggesting that, because of your own situation, there should be NO attempts to educate and prepare new entry nurses for the future? Many of us that have been in this profession for many years are TERRIFIED that after we have cared for thousands of other people, there will be NO ONE qualified to care for us in our old age. Many of us were genuinely worried about this issue long before the present economic situation.

Brian, ASN, RN · Nov 16, 2009

let's not get distracted and attack each other over words, please keep the discussion to the topic at hand.

keep in mind, this so called article in the original post is not news, it is an carefully crafted article to include links to a website that is intended at making revenue off of users seeking to get information from colleges.

shameless plug: if you are considering looking at continuing education, look at the allnurses.com degree tab pages and request info, that way allnurses.com gets some revenue not some ill informed article. end of shameless plug

take these kinds of articles with a grain of salt, try to see through what kind agenda they are trying push.

back to the issue at hand. imo, i definitely see a pending nursing shortage in the future, it's hard to ignore the impact of the baby boomers demand will put on health care, the aging nursing population eventually exiting the profession, the lack of nursing educators to prepare our future nursing workforce. to me, i fear all of this points to a health care disaster waiting to happen.

but then steps in the current economic crisis, and many of the nurses who had planned on retiring, have put off retirement to a later date, experienced nurses who have not been working clinically coming back into the workforce. hospitals having hiring freezes across the country due to the economic times. less people have health care access, employment loss etc... people are holding off on medical procedures do to their out of pocket cost and unknown job future, unemployed etc... all making the current situation appear that there may not be a nursing shortage.

there are so many factors, many more than mentioned above that complicate the whole issue.

yes, it stinks to hear of a so called shortage of nurses, yet several thousands of new grads seeking employment in and not getting hired, it just doesn't make sense to them to hear that there is a nursing shortage. i feel for all of you who are looking to start your career and are being rejected.

i hope things begin to improve, and government and health care institutions can figure out this mess and bring nursing issues to the forefront before it becomes a crisis.

Music in My Heart · Nov 16, 2009

Are you suggesting that, because of your own situation, there should be NO attempts to educate and prepare new entry nurses for the future?

Were that my belief then I would've stated so explicitly. No, what I believe is that rather than propagate the MYTH of any sort of current shortage with its concomitant implication that jobs are readily available for graduate nurses, the current disastrous situation should be addressed. Rather than encouraging more and more people to enter a system which is completely unprepared to absorb them after graduation, resources should be directed toward providing incentives for hospitals to hire and mentor new graduates. Simply adding to the glut of unemployed graduate nurses serves nobody's interest at all.

Many of us that have been in this profession for many years are TERRIFIED that after we have cared for thousands of other people, there will be NO ONE qualified to care for us in our old age.

If you're truly terrified then you'd be wise to expend your energy in advocating for a solution to the problem, not propagating the myth of a shortage. The projected shortage will not be helped by graduating newbie nurses and then simply withering on the vine as is presently happening.

jjjoy, LPN · Nov 16, 2009

I can agree that there is/will be more demand for nursing service out there than nursing services available. But having unmet nursing needs it's not just a matter of not enough people with nursing licensure. It's also a matter of the availability of nurses with certain experience and skill sets. It's a matter of how such skills and experience is gained. It's a matter of being able to offer competitive wages & appealing work conditions to keep those in-demand nurses from taking their skills and experience elsewhere.

Right now, financial constraints are a major limiting factor in trying to fill the nursing needs of a community. There can be a ton of need, but without the resources to pay for the services, many needs will go unmet.

But in more flush financial times, there is still the limiting factor that nursing is a practice. New grads these days are NOT already seasoned practitioners (as were many diploma, hospital-based nursing gradautes). New grads hold a license that allows them to *start* building a professional practice in nursing. They have a foundation, but not a house. Nothing can substitute experience when it comes to building a solid clinical practice. Thus, increasing the number of new grad nurses does not immediately translate to increasing nursing service availability.

So who IS responsible for providing the training & supervision most new grads need? Who is responsible for paying for this training and supervision? Schools via taxpayer subsidies? Schools via increased student fees? New nurses via out-of-pocket post-grad training? New nurses by accepting lower 'in-training' wages? Hospitals by paying full wages to in-training employees as well as affording extra supervision and instruction? Do small or rural organzations that don't have resources to provide supervision and training then have to 'steal' nurses from organizations that do bridge the gap? Can the areas/communities with the biggest demand for nursing services ever afford to meet those needs if nurses with the marketable skills and experience are to make a competitive professional wage?