RNs tell your hospitals to hire new grads

You assume both that the economy will improve significantly and that care will be provided in the same model as now. Neither is necessarily the case, particularly as one requires the other!

If the economy is slow and haggard, if we experience stagnation (or stagflation), there will NOT be more jobs, and the new care requirements will result in diluted quality (read non-RN care) to handle the increased demands at lower cost.

The problem isn't that there isn't a "need" per se, but that management has learned they don't have to fill the need or they can improve the tech : patient ratio for cheaper than the RN : patient ratio. When the economy improves, what motivation will management have to change this new status quo, especially as reimbursements drop?

Further, even if your peachy scenario came to fruition (and we all hope it does), the ever accelerating rate of new grad production can still outstrip increased future employment demands, especially as the market already has a ever growing backlog of unemployed NGs.

Lastly, the majority of NGs are not entering the profession looking for careers in LTC or HH (nothing wrong with LTC or HH, it is just not what many desire). I agree that is where the new demand will be until nonRNs take over the role, but that is not where the majority new blood wants to be nor remain for long. A possible scenario is that the nursing shortage will return to HH and LTC while acute positions grow increasingly competitive and the lifespan of the NG in the job market will be increasingly short as those unable to find the nursingjob they want switch careers after a few years in LTC.

When i talk to nurses who are satisfied with their jobs its ones that are in HH. as a 'new grad' granted one that is in my early 30's i am realizing the romanticism of hospital nursing is not as pretty as I thought, every other weekend, increasing pt loads ect..... I see why other nurses told me to get my experience in and then move out to the community. thankfully I think that is where the jobs are going to be anyway.

It's easy to sit back and defend these specific nurses, but when you are placed in the position of getting the extra work load, or patient's care is being minimized because their nurse can't do the physical labor, then something needs to change!!

Hey, I'm with you. I'd like for all the pregnant nurses to quit too, since they "can't" do any lifting, walk more than 10 feet, take care of anyone on any kind of isolation and have to leave early because they can't do a full shift. Not to mention, they go on maternity leave, and we end up working short the whole time because it's a busy time at the hospital so there aren't enough floats to cover.

Oops, sorry, we were only supposed to be criticizing the old nurses...

Hey, I'm with you. I'd like for all the pregnant nurses to quit too, since they "can't" do any lifting, walk more than 10 feet, take care of anyone on any kind of isolation and have to leave early because they can't do a full shift. Not to mention, they go on maternity leave, and we end up working short the whole time because it's a busy time at the hospital so there aren't enough floats to cover.

Oops, sorry, we were only supposed to be criticizing the old nurses...

Well, now that you mention it...

We should get rid of all the female nurses... not as strong as us guys, you know, and we're tired of being the human forklifts...

Being a male nurse gives me a special perspective on it. I have worked on units where nurses finger you as the serogate CNA simply because you are more able to do the physical aspects of the care. I can tell you some stories about how the buck got passed off to me for the "physical labor" that would make your head spin and have you looking for the nurse so you could slap them.

Here's how it has always worked for me with male nurses. They do a bit of the extra lifting. Us women end up doing their old lady peri care and caths. You convince an old lady to let your penis wearing body do her peri care, I won't pick you first when I need a little extra help lifting. :) (And I say this as a bigger woman who often gets called for the lifting help too.)

I'd rather lift with an older nurse with experience. I find the younger nurses don't get the training in how to lift like we older nurses did. And if I try to tell them how to lift better, I get accussed of "eating my young".

And we have 1 male nurse - he's a crappy lifter and I hate lifting with him.

I have been unemployed -due to budget cuts-for over a year after working 5 years in a clinic. Clinics arent hiring RNs, hospitals and home health arent hiring RNs unless they have hospital experience so where do I go? I have expereince in a acute settings from the clinic, am willing to learn what I need to adapt, am easy to get along with and quick leaner yet still no job. I heard long term care was the only option for new grads but for some reason I havent found any jobs there either. Meanwhile, I have a BSN and loans to pay but no job. Also aways seeeing about how there is such a shortage and unemployment dept thinks I am not looking or something> So frustrating.

Where to go? Case Management. As insurers (especially Medicare) look to cut costs, that will translate into managing high risk patients to keep them out of the hospital and ED.

Here's how it has always worked for me with male nurses. They do a bit of the extra lifting. Us women end up doing their old lady peri care and caths. You convince an old lady to let your penis wearing body do her peri care, I won't pick you first when I need a little extra help lifting. :) (And I say this as a bigger woman who often gets called for the lifting help too.)

Hmmm, sounds a lot like...

Team Work!

Here's how it has always worked for me with male nurses. They do a bit of the extra lifting. Us women end up doing their old lady peri care and caths. You convince an old lady to let your penis wearing body do her peri care, I won't pick you first when I need a little extra help lifting. :) (And I say this as a bigger woman who often gets called for the lifting help too.)

See, that wouldn't bother me. On the other hand, if I was doing all the lifting all day then at the end of the day the old (modest) lady who wanted peri care done by a female...............................isn't done and you are out the door 5min. early or sitting at the nurses station complaining about how hubby doesn't do his chores...................well, bring a back brace to work tomorrow cause you are going to get a workout doing all that lifting alone.

Hmmm, sounds a lot like...

Team Work!

Oh, just to make sure its understood and to clarify:

The term "needy nurse" doesn't apply to people who "need help lifting". Heck, I get help because its easier on the pt even technically I could do it myself. Much easier to T+P with a little TLC in it when there are two people.

"Needy nurse" applies to the ones who want you to go in their pt. room yourself and do their lifting, the ones who don't even come in to help at all, WITH THEIR OWN PATIENT. I mean, seriously Mrs. Needy............even if you can't help with the lifting there is a lot of nipping/tucking that follows the lift you are perfectly fine doing for yourself. You know the type I'm talking about..............they'll send the aid all the way down the hall to get you for them cause they can't walk the pt. to the BR. When you get there, they are running in circles like chicken little getting not much of anything done and they try to give you a list of everything they need done for them that day. Eh, sorry honey...............can't help ya.

Edited Mar 9, 2011 by eriksoln

Hey, I'm with you. I'd like for all the pregnant nurses to quit too, since they "can't" do any lifting, walk more than 10 feet, take care of anyone on any kind of isolation and have to leave early because they can't do a full shift. Not to mention, they go on maternity leave, and we end up working short the whole time because it's a busy time at the hospital so there aren't enough floats to cover.

Oops, sorry, we were only supposed to be criticizing the old nurses...

Pregnant nurses freak me out. I'm like :eek::eek: all day with them. Now them, I don't mind helping, and in fact I've been told "Leave me alone, I am not a cripple, I am pregnant" by them.

I should know better being a nurse and all but, here is the dirty little secret...............

<_>

>_>

I didn't pay any attention to L+D stuff cause I knew I wasn't working there. I have no clue what its like for them and what causes someone to go into labor.

I yelled at one nurse "Don't be (bleep) bending over and picking stuff up like that (bleep bleep). I'm having a bad enough night and (bleep) I am not going to have your water breaking here in the (bleep) middle of the floor and then I have to deal with that on top of my patients".

I think that's sweet, ericsoln. There are a lot of us out there who appreciate courteous gestures like that. Whatever the issue is, and the "I am woman hear me roar" response to it is just rude. We don't all think alike on it, trust me.

You might want to encourage your hospital to give new grads a chance instead of requiring experience for every job posting they have. Maybe be a little more enthusiastic about helping to train them.

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In many cases it's not a case of not wanting to hire new grads. Our unit has currently has at least 6 new grads hired in the past year. It is a huge undertaking to pair each new grad with an experienced preceptor. This creates a financial and a time management challenge that can really stress the resources of the unit. 9 weeks of orientation plus a one year residency. Probably 1/2 of our nurses were hired as new nurses.

Unfortunately, the current reality when resources are stretched, institutions will pursue the most bang for the buck.

I know it's frustrating, but hang in there.

Even Nursing occasionally experiences a tight job market, and we just went through a very severe recession. Long term prognosis is a nursing shortage.