SHORTAGE OF NURSES

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I HAVE 1 QUESTION : IS THERE REALLY A SHORTAGE OF NURSING EVERYWHERE????:geek:

Specializes in Neuro/ ENT.
There's only one issue with this conjecture: approximately one-third of all Baby Boomers have zero retirement funds saved. Hence, these people will be working until the day they die or the moment they are forced to stop working due to health problems.

78 million Baby Boomers are in the US. The 26 million (a.k.a. one-third) of Boomers who cannot retire due to lack of money are a force to be reckoned with.

Those baby boomers getting close to retirement age means they are getting older, regardless of whether they actually retire or not... which means more health issues as they age, which means we will need more nurses.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

Regionally, yes. Nationally, no. And there's no need to shout.

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No, they try. No one WANTS to work here. There's sign on bonus at the hospital if agree to work there for 3 years. And I see ads for agency nurses for the hospital & prisons in town. Trust me, it's a shortage.

They can't keep anyone at the prison. So yeah, there is a nursing shortage here.

This is not an example of a nursing shortage- This is an example of nurses not staying with an employer- probably due to working conditions.

Sounds like this is a retention issue, not a shortage.

And to the OP, no there is not a nursing shortage. The Dept of Health and Human Services just released a study showing that we are in a situation of too many nurses.

http://bhw.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/supplydemand/nursing/workforceprojections/nursingprojections.pdf

https://www.google.com/search?q=nurse+retention&oq=nurse+retention&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.3455j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.
No, they try. No one WANTS to work here. There's sign on bonus at the hospital if agree to work there for 3 years. And I see ads for agency nurses for the hospital & prisons in town. Trust me, it's a shortage.

They can't keep anyone at the prison. So yeah, there is a nursing shortage here.

The nursing homes in my area are in the same situation. They can't find adequate staff because of horrendous working conditions. Even offering to pay for ferry rides and licensing for nurses from the Adirondacks (where the wages are even lower) hasn't worked. The people who end up working there don't stay long.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
Is the pay crappy, too? Have they tried offering cool stuff like tuition reimbursement, flex-time and sign-on bonuses like they used to do when there really was a shortage?

I don't know, I haven't worked at the hospital. I did mention they are offering sign on bonuses.

I worked at the prison where they took AWAY most of the incentives. Although I assume the pay is on par with most of the hospitals in the area.

I think the only reason the nurses, doctors & other staff are miserable is because of short staffing. They can't get anyone local & people get tired of driving 1 hour+.

Of course the nursing homes are in feeling the pain too.

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

Propaganda cleverly perpetuated by nursing schools looking to keep classrooms full and dupe people into paying for the torture that so many here refer to as "clinicals".

If there is no nurse shortage, then why is the saying out there??
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Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

There is a shortage here in the critical care areas.

Shortage might be too strong a word. If you're ICU and ER trained, you don't have to worry about finding a job.

There's always going to be a "shortage" in facilities that don't pay or staff well.

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I don't know, I haven't worked at the hospital. I did mention they are offering sign on bonuses.

I worked at the prison where they took AWAY most of the incentives. Although I assume the pay is on par with most of the hospitals in the area.

I think the only reason the nurses, doctors & other staff are miserable is because of short staffing. They can't get anyone local & people get tired of driving 1 hour+.

Of course the nursing homes are in feeling the pain too.

You must live in a border town.

I have read about that area on Allnurses.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
You must live in a border town.

I have read about that area on Allnurses.

Rural farm town actually. Haha.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
If there is no nurse shortage, then why is the saying out there??

Because once upon a time, it was true. However, the employment environment has changed, but the old research is still being quoted. Remember, schools have a product to sell- why wouldn't they use sources that would help them sell their product?

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In Michigan, I think workloads have changed and you just can't keep nurses in these key positions.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

we are short staffed most of the time, not b/c there are not enough nurses available to hire, but because they won't hire more.

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