RNs tell your hospitals to hire new grads

Nurses Job Hunt

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There are so many unemployed new grads out there that pretty soon we are going to be willing to work for minimum wage if things don't change soon. I bet hospitals would be willing to hire lots and lots of us at that price. That might even translate to loss of jobs and decreased wages for those experienced nurses already employed.

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.

Anyways, its worth thinking about.

Specializes in being a Credible Source.
No, your wrong. I provided hard data on birth rates for the last 100 years. Its not speculation - there will be a massive increase in people needing care in the next 20 years. Unless they invent a way to reverse the aging process.
Again, you're speculating.

Just because people are aging - or even in need of health care - doesn't mean that (a) they will be able to purchase the care that they need, (b) that the care will be given to them by a charity or the government, nor © that there will be the expected exodus from the nursing ranks.

You are speculating about a shortage which may - or may not - come to pass... sometime in the next 5... or 10... or 20... or so years.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
The only jobs around my area pay 19$/hour (that's private duty residential nursing). Considering I left a profession that paid considerably more then that to get into nursing, I wasn't prepared to accept that. My alternatives? I found an awesome job- my ideal dream position, working in my desired specialty- but it was 2 hours away. It also paid $30/h plus benefits. So guess what I am doing these days? A lot of driving. At least until I rack up more experience- 2-3 years or so- and can find something more desirable closer to home.

I totally agree with the people who said you're not really desperate if you're not willing to move, etc. And *I get that people have spouses/families* I am married also. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

Agreed...

My home and my job are over 200 miles apart.

And I'm in no hurry to leave since I feel strongly that the hospital deserves to recoup its investment in my initial training and by burning them, I'd be (a) making myself look bad and (b) poisoning the well for those who follow me.

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Again, you're speculating.

Just because people are aging - or even in need of health care - doesn't mean that (a) they will be able to purchase the care that they need, (b) that the care will be given to them by a charity or the government, nor © that there will be the expected exodus from the nursing ranks.

You are speculating about a shortage which may - or may not - come to pass... sometime in the next 5... or 10... or 20... or so years.

I agree with this.

Remember, it's about money honey. It's not really about saving people and all that good stuff.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
No disrespect at all meant here...just a joke. However I digress....theres precious few verticals in the business world where people can work into their 60s and 70s like nursing. Its one of the things that attracts people to the career...that being said there has to be some point where someone has to retire for physical reasons (arthritis, back, chronic disease pick your poison). Those who have put it off and are still physically able god bless them..theres no reason to fault someone for working!

I understand. I wasn't really offended, either. Your message was a creampuff compared to the later one in this thread, or the many similar posts I've read. I don't think any of us has the right to insist that someone else pick up the slack because someone chooses to work with a limitation of some kind. Sometimes older nurses gripe about pregnant nurses feeling like they should be catered to just as younger nurses say we're a bunch of lazybones moaning about arthritis. At least you didn't say we were all jealous of you because you look smokin' hot in your scrubs. Yee-eah. But we won't go there. :uhoh21:

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

When hospitals had the nursing schools I don't remember anyone not having a job upon graduation. Perhaps that should be a consideration......if you want to be able to have patients you must affiliate with a school and vice- versa.

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I think you should save yourself the trouble and go to work at wal-mart. You would have to be out of your mind, crazy as ****, to work as a NURSE for MIN.Wage! I personally would not set foot in a hospital that hired

in-experienced nurses and payed them min.wage..

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

Did anyone else after reading the opening statement have a Saturday Night Live scit run through their head like this:

Nurse: "We need to hire more new grads. The care on this unit is lacking and they can really help a lot."

Boss: "Hmmmm........you may be right, give me a couple days to think it over."

Scene: Said nurse in unemployment line, wondering what happened. Hospital got rid of them to make room for the new grad (who, in truth, either never got hired or did....worked there six months then moved on).

:p

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Specializes in Urology, Gyn, Family Practice, HBO.

I suppose that I would still be considered a new nurse. I have classmates of mine that have had a lot of trouble finding a job after graduation. But I have also had one or two of my classmates who have gone through a job every 1-2 months. I got hired on in a Specialist's office a month after I got my license. It wasn't exactly my dream job, and it sure wasn't easy. But in the time that I was there I did get a lot of experience and one of the "old" nurses that I worked with was like a mentor for me. I learned so much from her that I would never have been taught in school. The time and effort that I put into that job got me into the job that I am into now. I have made some great connections and found wonderful resources that I never would have had if I had not take that job that I "knew" I didn't want. Sometimes you just have to keep yourself open to opportunities that aren't perfect for you and just make them work for you. :twocents:

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Again, you're speculating.

Just because people are aging - or even in need of health care - doesn't mean that (a) they will be able to purchase the care that they need, (b) that the care will be given to them by a charity or the government, nor © that there will be the expected exodus from the nursing ranks.

You are speculating about a shortage which may - or may not - come to pass... sometime in the next 5... or 10... or 20... or so years.

In case your unaware, there is a system called Medicaid - pays $50 billion in claims in NY and $20+ billion in California. Sure reimbursements may be cut and cut again, but what sense does it make for lets say, an ER to take no reimbursement? They will take Medicaid over nothing. They will take the patients who need care with private insurance, with Medicare and Medicaid. The hard numbers don't lie...its not speculation - older nurses will have to leave the profession. The point here which you missed entirely is the mass exodus from nursing won't occur as the baby boomers retire - that ship sailed with the great recession. The poor baby boomers (not sarcasm - seriously how happy can one be when they wanted to retire and their investments tanked) will have to work until they are physically unable, or pass away. This is in all areas of employment. Half the greeters I see at Walmart these days are elderly for example!

Read this HARD DATA from HRSA:

"Average age of RNs climbed to 46.8 years, the highest average age since the first comparable report was published in 1980. Just over 41 percent of RNs were 50 years of age or older (33 percent in 2000 and 25 percent in 1980).

Only 8 percent of RNs were under the age of 30, compared with 25 percent in 1980."

This data is from 2004...albeit a little old. I digress seriously 41% of RNs at that time were 51 or older and 8% of RNs were under 30.....thats insane.

These people didnt get younger up until 2011...people can discount whats coming, but its coming nonetheless. We arent vampires and there is no immortality in this life.

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FWIW, It is speculation to assume they will need nursing care. They will likely need primary care, pharmacologic care, but nursing specific needs is not a sure thing.

Ok so, our primary care doctors (MASSIVE SHORTAGE) PAs or nurse practitioners can handle #1 (wait NPs ARE RNS), pharmacologic care? (i suppose you dont know about infusion nurses?)...

If you are in denial that home health - the ultimate realm of the RN is not going to grow then god bless you. The doctors can't go into homes and provide skilled nursing care and the unlicensed personnel aren't qualified. Whos going to do it?

I am so so frustrated with all the people who discount the importance nursing will play when fully 20% or more of the population becomes geriatric. Its astonishing.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
In case your unaware, there is a system called Medicaid - pays $50 billion in claims in NY and $20+ billion in California. Sure reimbursements may be cut and cut again, but what sense does it make for lets say, an ER to take no reimbursement? They will take Medicaid over nothing. They will take the patients who need care with private insurance, with Medicare and Medicaid. The hard numbers don't lie...its not speculation - older nurses will have to leave the profession. The point here which you missed entirely is the mass exodus from nursing won't occur as the baby boomers retire - that ship sailed with the great recession. The poor baby boomers (not sarcasm - seriously how happy can one be when they wanted to retire and their investments tanked) will have to work until they are physically unable, or pass away. This is in all areas of employment. Half the greeters I see at Walmart these days are elderly for example!

Read this HARD DATA from HRSA:

"Average age of RNs climbed to 46.8 years, the highest average age since the first comparable report was published in 1980. Just over 41 percent of RNs were 50 years of age or older (33 percent in 2000 and 25 percent in 1980).

Only 8 percent of RNs were under the age of 30, compared with 25 percent in 1980."

This data is from 2004...albeit a little old. I digress seriously 41% of RNs at that time were 51 or older and 8% of RNs were under 30.....thats insane.

These people didnt get younger up until 2011...people can discount whats coming, but its coming nonetheless. We arent vampires and there is no immortality in this life.

I don't know why you feel the need to take the condescending tone that you do. Because of it, I'll not be engaging with you anymore.

Nobody's arguing that the population isn't aging. And I certainly have not missed the point (again, your condescension leads me to discontinue the interaction) that baby boomer nurses will be working until they're no longer able (I happen to be one of those). The point is whether there will be the ability to pay for medical care.

Surely you're aware that Medicare is GROSSLY underfunded and is unsustainable, especially as the baby boomer bulge moves its way through the geriatric years with fewer people behind them to support them - and as those same people are themselves denied the ability to access medical care and coping with inflation and stagnation of wages.

Just because there's a pool of potential customers doesn't mean that those potential customers will become actual customers who purchase services.

As of now, I'm adding you and your condescending attitude to my *ignore list*.

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

Just to throw in my little :twocents:

All the data in the world about age/retirement/increasing NEEDSdoesn't add up to much. Its only been a year but if you want to check me, go back to some of the threads that were flying right here on this site about a year ago.

The economy was fully tanked, people losing their homes and jobs left and right......................and hospitals were closing faster than dusty corner store antique shops. Many hospitals were freezing wages, some even asked people to take pay cuts. Nurses were on the boards talking about "Got called off for low cencus again, thats twice this week. I can't pay my rent." Cencus was low everywhere, good hospitals/bad hospitals.........Med/surge...........ICU.........rehab........everywhere.

Now, I'm no economics major/expert but I seem to think this was because people simply decided to stay at home and suffer instead of go to the hospital. Seems the whole theory that "You can live without the sports car, but you have to seek medical care when you are sick" didn't have the meat to stay true during the recession.

So, for me, unless the economy picks up and people are not forced to choose between keeping a roof over their heads and eating vs. getting that mole on their back checked out.................."need" does not mean we have the customers coming in necessarily. There are a great many people out there who have lost faith in the medical field and refuse to put money into it. They'll stay at home and suffer through pneumonia and die before giving a penny to it...........regardless of what the statistics say about their age or who is retiring.

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