So Many Students! Will Shortage Now End?

[PacoUSA]

I've been reading posts on here and I just can't help to notice how many nursing students there are out there, some on the verge of graduation, others just now starting their programs and others like me who are lurking on here and beginning their prerequisites. If all goes well and as planned, I should be finished with my accelerated BSN by the beginning of the summer in 2011. Cannot help to wonder if I will be graduating into a market that's overrun with nurses and have trouble getting work. Let alone the concern on here that new grads are having a hard time getting hired ...

One small reason I am leaving the legal profession, there are just too many lawyers out there! In hindsight, I should have steadfastly followed my childhood dream of entering the medical profession, but better late than never!

[SanDiegoScrubs2010]

Lol. No flames, just laughter.

Really? How on earth can a new grad compete with an experienced nurse? They are terribly expensive to train, most leave the bedside during their first year, and they are not even remotely as safe for pts as experienced nurses.

If you really think that we are worried then you're crazy. Trust me, we're not worried about you coming after us.

In my town, I know of at least 25% of our hosptials are NOT hiring new grads at all. If you want to blow that off as anecdotal data then so be it. I would be terrified to be a nursing student in many parts of this country right now.

We are also having tons of highly experienced nurses returning to the bedside, and many who want to retire but remain working.

Again, call it anecdotal.

I call it -reality.

We are not trying to 'scare' you. We are telling people to: Not spend 46K on ADNs, not quit your high paying job right now to enter school, to try to get the best grades possible, get letters of recommendation, get CNA/tech experience and to look for work early.

Last I checked, that was US helping YOU.

Or, you can call it us scaring you out of trying to take our jobs.

Again, lol.

Okay, I think you missed the main point that was being made. Of COURSE many new grad nurses are having a hard time getting jobs right now! I don't think ANYONE is arguing that it's easy. But the point is that EVERYBODY, especially new grads in ANY field, is having a hard time right now!! Nursing is not the only field where many employers won't hire new grads, believe me. I have friends now graduating from law school after spending 3 years and as much as $150,000 for their degree, who networked for all three years, took unpaid internships during the summers, applied for dozens and sometimes even hundreds of jobs all throughout their third year of school, and do not expect to find a job anytime soon. Meanwhile they're sitting on terrifying amounts of debt. Some HAD job offers and have now been told their start date is POSTPONED for a year, or, worse, their offers are being rescinded. So, no, there is not a guaranteed job for every new grad nurse, and, yes, it might take some time and many, many applications, but nursing is probably still a wise choice (if it's what you want to do!) relative to other careers out there.

[triotracer]

I will soon be a new grad in the greater Washington DC area. Yes, it is very difficult to get a job here for new grads. My class is 237 (at last count) and I think there are maybe 10 of us that have jobs for when we graduate. Scary business. To those people in nursing school, gain as much experience as you can and try to get a job while you are in school in a facility that you would consider working in. Then use it as a "leg up" for when you graduate. If your school offers preceptorships, sign up for one as well as a summer externship. The more you can do, the better off you will be.

[Wishinonastar, BSN]

In economics we learn about supply and demand. These things tend to be cyclical no matter how you look at it. More demand means more recruiting, more job security and results in more supply. Demand drops, pay falls, work conditions decline, more nurses leave nursing. Back in the 80's I graduated into a glut of nurses. I was one of only two in my class that got hired at our local large hospital, and I was only hired because I worked there as an aide already. Lots of nurses from my class left the area and some became stewardesses because the airlines were booming and paying top dollar for skilled people.

If you look at social trends, I am 47, a baby boomer. Many boomers are going into the end stretch of their careers. We are a huge group, who are aging and we are going to need nurses to take care of us. That being said, more nurses are out there working beyond retirement age now. Plus, the retirement age is rising. In ten years you will probably see a large need for nurses, but I think this need will be partially met by older nurses and the influx of new nurses that we will see as a result of the economy and loss of jobs. Additionally, I think in general my generation has less of a dependency characteristic. We are more open to learning self-care and we are empowered consumers. I think we will be less likely to depend on health care providers such as home health care, nursing homes, and traditional avenues of care, and more likely to use alternative treatments. So, in my humble opinion, the next ten years or so will not result in the terrible predicted shortage of nurses that the press keeps warning of.

In 20 years, my age group, which is one of the largest ever, will be retiring. That could be where the shortage peaks. Our current teen generation is in general more of a "me" generation and is not as likely to want to be in nursing or stay in nursing. The older baby boomers will be frail elderly, and my cohort will be retiring and aging. All these factors will come into play very quickly, but again, demand will create more interest in the field, and more nurses!

Then again, robots may take over some of our work by then, or some cataclysm might negate my predictions. The bottom line is don't go into any profession based on the promise of a job. Go into it because it is what you want to do for a living.

[Effie, RN]

i'm also one of those baby boomer nurses. been doing this for 32 years and have seen the job gluts come and go but the need for nurses does not change. i personally do not plan to continue working until i'm in my dotage and want to be sure that there will be some younger yet experienced nurses there to take care of me when i need it. i agree that there may be less facility based care for us but believe that the home-base care will sky-rocket for economic and comfort reasons. having worked as a vna nurse, i know that this kind of care requires experienced rns because you are out there on your own so please students...study hard, work in acute care to get that great experience, and be there when we all need you. (and can we all play nicely together?)

[jewel100]

The nursing shortage rages on. What you are seeing are new graduates not being hired because of the amount of money that it takes to train them, and the money used for that purpose is being slashed from hospital operating costs. Nurses with experience are still in demand, and if you look on job posting websites, you'll see hundreds, if not thousands, of postings for EXPERIENCED NURSES. So new graduates are scared. What this means, in my opinion, is that new graduates won't get the jobs they dreamed of right away. They may have to work in a unit that they don't like, or work in LTC facilities, or even move or commute. And in time, they'll be able to transition into the type of work they want to do.

Also, for anyone considering nursing school because of the job security etc., if you don't have the heart of a nurse, you will hate every second of it. Don't put yourself through the rigors of nursing school only to graduate and see that a nurse has to have compassion and enthusiasm to do things that they think a college educated professional shouldn't do. I can't tell you how many times I've changed beds and gave baths and did all the things a tech was supposed to do because we were short handed. Or been yelled at, swung at, thrown up on, or spent ridiculous amounts of time charting or fixing mistakes made by others. Or when I've gone 12 hours without eating a thing because I just didn't have the time. Spend some time working as a CNA or tech, or shadow a nurse for a couple shifts (and I mean the whole 12+ hours) and see that this is what you want. What you see and experience in nursing school is reality.

[dutypc1219]

I recently received my nursing license and I have called from state to state and I received explanations that many of the PRN nurses have had to go full time due to their spouse losing their job. Many have returned to the nursing field for the same reason. Many elective surgeries have been delayed and many have lost their insurance so delay seeing Drs. I also have been told that many have delayed their retirements since their retirement packages have fallen in value. Because many have lost their jobs and have no insurance they are waiting with the hope that they will get better only to end up in the ER unit. They have no money to pay so the hospitals are getting no money and have had to put a freeze on any New Grad programs.

I am so sad about the situation because I changed careers because the Health field was to be so much more stable and their was such a shortage. I am now applying for positions that relate to the very field I left. I only hope that the economy picks up and we can all to what we were trained and wanted to be.

[dutypc1219]

Since many RN's have returned to the job market, many hospitals require 1 years experience. This includes Med-Surg, nursing homes, LTC, etc. Many CNA's have returned as well. So these same health care facilities require 1 year experience. I would welcome a position on a med-surg floor just to keep my skills going....if only I could find one.

[dutypc1219]

To all...I can relocate to any state at any time. I would be happy to relocate if I could find a new grad program. Please let me know if anyone is aware of any facility taking new grads.

Thanks so much.

[mysterious_one, ASN, RN]

To all...I can relocate to any state at any time. I would be happy to relocate if I could find a new grad program. Please let me know if anyone is aware of any facility taking new grads.

Thanks so much.

As of April 16th. , I saw three intern positions posted. Click on Methodist Charlton Dallas and nursing in the search options. https://www.healthcaresource.com/methodist/index.cfm?submitbutton=Search&cjobattr1=All&ijobrowstart=1&ideptid=&fuseaction=search%2EjobList&ifacilityid=100068&template=dsp%5Fjob%5Flist%2Ecfm&ijobcatid=104&&CFID=921642&CFTOKEN=85556c16911b1684-BE5CA5F9-5056-9E55-C45031C18DD719E1&jsessionid=c8303bf3f59d79535ea4

This is another hospital group in Dallas area, here you need to click on RN in search area and look for the term: Residency ( all hospitals term their GN programs differently). http://www.texashealth.org/body_secure.cfm?id=2570

I don't see the shortage that is talked about in other areas, here in the Dallas, Tx area. But it is now April, with most intern programs starting in June. I know that many positions have already been filled. The next one would be for Dec., for which you would have to start aplying at least 3 months ahead.

I graduated in May 08 and had my internship position for June in April before I even graduated, so did most of my classmates.

Other hospitals to try in Dallas area are: Parkland Memorial, Medical City, Arlington memorial, just to name a few.

[dutypc1219]

Thanks so much for the information. I will look in the TX are for an internship.

[mysterious_one, ASN, RN]

Thanks so much for the information. I will look in the TX are for an internship.

another big hospital group I forgot to mention is Baylor.

[Bazooka]

I know I'm no expert on the subject, but changing careers is a risk for anybody. I chose nursing for several reasons, but nursing skills are some of the best skills to have. Although it may be difficult for a new graduate to get a job, I don't believe it is impossible. Especially if that person is willing to work difficult shifts in any hospital environment to gain the experience neccessary for a better position. Internships and volunteer work will definitely look good on a resume. Every career has strengths and weaknesses, and I feel that nursing is a strong carreer. I think it's important to analyze yourself before fully committing to becoming a nurse, and develop the spirit of a true competitor. It's also important to ask yourself why you want to be a nurse? If you do something for the right reasons then you're doing yourself a favor. If it's just about the money and security, then it might not be worth it.

I'm in TX, and my father-in-law works for Methodist. He told me that he would get a several thousand dollar bonus if I got hired with him as a reference (after I graduate).