So Much For Nursing Shortage!!!!!!!!!!

buzkil · May 23, 2008

I live in NJ and from all of the area hospital websites I have checked there seem to be lots of jobs for RNs. (i'm not far from where you are looking).

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · May 23, 2008

Thanks to many hospital closures there has been an overflow of experienced nurses job seeking, as well as a flood of new graduates entering the field. I've heard from many NJ nurses on this board that jobs have become VERY tight. I work in NYC, where thank goodness, jobs are plentiful and pay well.

mina123 · May 23, 2008

stevern21 how to u do that from jersey shore NYC is so far from where i live and if i count the travel expense and time is it even worth it????

mina123 · May 23, 2008

I have literally applied in every local hospital, most of the time when i called they even have not looked at the resume and i a very good nurse, have a lot of experience and i unlike lot of new graduates know what;s out there and not going to runaway after 1-2 years of experience. My resume is good and i have excellent cover letter. If i had the same experience and years few years ago they would have hired me right there!!!!!! SOMETHING IS GOING ON. They have cancelled all agency work, making few nurses take on toooo much responsibility and compromising patient care.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · May 23, 2008

Don't forget that Corzine cut funding to hospitals. Do you think that the huge influx of undocumented immigrants and uninsured that seek the same care (unreimbursed)are going to stay home?

This is an example of stop-gap measures to keep healthcare systems afloat.

llg, PhD, RN · May 23, 2008

Another factor is the economic situation. When the general economy is bad, nurses already on staff want to pick up extra shifts -- or at least not cut back on the shifts they are working. Those per diem employees WANT lots of hours and budgeted staff members are looking for a little overtime. That fills all the "holes in the schedule" and take the pressure off management to hire a bunch of new people who will be costly to orient.

When the economy improves, those same staff members will cut back on the hours they work ... leaving holes in the schedule that need to be filled ... and stimulating hospitals to start hiring a little more.

elkpark · May 23, 2008

A lot of us have been saying for a long time that there is no nursing shortage ...

However, it is true that there is a signficant maldistribution of nurses across the US; some areas/markets are completely saturated, but there are areas of the country that do have shortages. People in nursing schools are apparently being led to believe that, as soon as they graduate, they'll have their choice of jobs, can choose their preferred shift and specialty, and can find a job right in their current location -- but people going into lots of other fields expect that they'll have to move to where the jobs are to start their careers when they finish school, and that may be becoming the case in nursing, too.

Best wishes for your job-hunting!

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · May 24, 2008

stevern21 how to u do that from jersey shore NYC is so far from where i live and if i count the travel expense and time is it even worth it????

I make about $8-10 more an hour in NYC than in NJ, and I get great union benefits including $10,000/yr toward my grad school tuition. The tuition reimbursement was the selling point for me.

I used to spend around $500/month simply commuting, with gas, tolls, parking, etc. (plus wear/tear on the car) Now I take NJTransit. $20 bucks, (tax-free, thanks to employer-sponsored pretax transit plan) and I can sleep going in, and coming out....

llg, PhD, RN · May 24, 2008

A lot of us have been saying for a long time that there is no nursing shortage ...
However, it is true that there is a signficant maldistribution of nurses across the US; some areas/markets are completely saturated, but there are areas of the country that do have shortages. People in nursing schools are apparently being led to believe that, as soon as they graduate, they'll have their choice of jobs, can choose their preferred shift and specialty, and can find a job right in their current location -- but people going into lots of other fields expect that they'll have to move to where the jobs are to start their careers when they finish school, and that may be becoming the case in nursing, too.
Best wishes for your job-hunting!

Exactly! Throughout history, people have been willing to migrate in order to provide themselves with better job opportunities. That's how the United States (and many other countries) were populated. However, in recent years, it seems that fewer people are willing to do that and "go where the jobs are."

As an extreme example, I once had a colleague complain about not having an MSN program near her home -- when there were 4 highly respected programs within an hour's drive, one of which held classes at the hospital where she worked! I reminded her that I had been forced to move half-way across the country to attend one of the 2 existing programs in my field. She gave me a look as if she just "didn't get it." If the program she wanted wasn't in her back yard, she wasn't going to make any effort to go.

There are plenty of nursing jobs out there. They might just not be in your back yard ... and/or they may not be exactly the ones you would prefer.

My advice for new grads it this. If you happen to live in an area that has an over-supply of new grads, you may have to move to get the type of job you want. The good news is that you probably won't have to "stay away" forever. After you get a year or two of experience, you should be able to find something reasonable in your preferred area of the country.

For people totally averse to moving (even temporarily), then they will have to either take jobs that no one else wants ... or find a job in another field for a while until the nursing jobs open up again. That may require you to take a refresher course at some point in the future unless you can find a way to keep your nursing skills fresh.

Life isn't always fair ... and I am sorry that you are in this situation. But you have to face reality and make a tough choice. There may be no attractive option for a local nursing job that really appeals to you. You may have to start seriously considering the unattractive options. (e.g. moving to where the jobs are)

VetTechingWasEasier · May 28, 2008

Don't take it personally. Someone having trouble finding a job, can fall into the trap of thinking "It's because I'm not good enough!!!" This is rarely the case. Being TOO GOOD is just as harmful, it scares people away because they know that the chances of you falling into line as slim to none. This is Managed Care logic.

You have a lot of useful credentials and experience, I'm guessing that you also have a moderate to high salary history and an admirable work record.

To Hospital HR, you are an expensive potential wave-maker with too much job mobility!

Cheapscrubs · May 31, 2008

The problem with the whole nursing shortage situation is that it is based on the current and future need for nurses because people are living longer. It does not address the situation with HMO's, Medicare, mismanagement, and the overall economy. Basically, just because we need more nurses, doesn't mean hospitals are willing to hire more. Many hospitals are closing in New Jersey, some of which have been open and operating for hundreds of years. This makes it difficult for new grads to get a job. Out of nursing school, you will not have any real nursing experience, but with these hospitals closing - you may have to compete with a nurse who has many years experience and now has to look for a new job because their previous employer shut down. I know many of the new grads from my cohort still don't have a job. We graduated in January and many have been licensed since as early as Feb. Many can't even get an interview. I was extremely fortunate, I passed the NCLEX and got a job in less than 3 weeks. But that was because I was referred by an employee. Also, I'm licensed and working for New York because I wanted to work in NYC. I don't know for sure if NYC is any better because I know some people who are still looking for RN jobs in NYC for over 4 months. There's also nursing schools and colleges popping out ADN and BSN's all over the place. It seems that there's a hospital in NJ closing every month - and yet many more students are becoming nurses. Where are all these new nurses going to go??? I remember when a close friend of mine graduated nursing school 7 years ago, he told me he was getting dozens of calls every week to come in for interviews. He even turned down many oppurtunities. I believe those days are gone. My advice is that you still try to excel both in and out of nursing school. Get an externship at a facility you have your eye on, keep your grades up, pass the boards, wear your best suit for an interview, and stay positive. With so many new nurses applying for positions, many facilities have raised the bar on who they're willing to hire.