So is there really a nursing shortage?

[VegGal]

I've been a nurse (LPN) for several years, and a fairly new RN now in California. While in school, both ASN and now my BSN I kept hearing about the huge nursing shortage we're facing, and how much worse it's going to get, and I still hear it. Then I read posts from experienced nurses on here who state that there's no nursing shortage in most US cities.

So which one is true? I read about how the Baby Boomers will need many more nurses, and I also read how there aren't enough Gen X and Millennials to take over the Baby Boomer Nurses' jobs once they retire. I also read statistics by the ACA 2010 that state that we're facing a major nursing shortage and how many more nurses are needed, and in fact many agencies and companies have been bringing in foreign nurses to fill these so-called vacancies in nursing.

So what's the real truth? In my state of California I see lots of nursing jobs posted all the time, and I wonder if it's because of nurses retiring, quitting, new positions being created, or if it's truly a shortage of nurses at all times. What do you think? Is there a shortage? Do you see a shortage in your city / state?

[florenceromijn]

Sorry, but as a brazilian nurse (enfermeira) = bachelor in nursing (only 'bachelors in nursing = enfermeira' have the legal right to be recognized and act as so = Nurse – LEI N 7.498/86, DE 25 DE JUNHO DE 1986 Conselho Federal de Enfermagem >

[Who can explain / describe /comment (those and some more) expressions LPN, ASN, BSN, FAAN, ANP, etc,... ] (Thanks for the 'help'!)

Is the question about 'nursing shortage' or ' the PROFESSIONAL shortage (which education /qualification / experience' )??

Regards.

[phil325]

Getting jobs, in my opinion, fall into certain categories: 1. How badly a specific UNIT needs nurses, 2. how saturated the city is with hospitals, and 3. who you know/do you have a foot in the door for employment. You can add onto that if you think of some more. I personally fall into the #1 category. Straight out of nursing school i was fortunate enough to be picked up by a hospital in another city (I went to school in jacksonville, FL. and moved to Melbourne, FL) because they were short on ICU nurses. They told me that this is a new trial residency they're doing since normally hospitals want experienced nurses to transition into ICU. They also post one position at all times regardless of whether they are fully staffed so that there are always applications coming in.

I had a fairly good background in ICU with preceptorships so I was put right in it without requesting ICU specifically. As for shortages, this hospital is hiring at least 20-30 new associates every 4 WEEKS. Granted, they are spread throughout the 4 hospitals in the IDN we are under, but they definitely have a shortage. In Jacksonville, there are at least 5 major hospitals in the city, and all my colleagues found a job within a month of getting their RN. (Some of them worked as another lower position for over 6 months and as soon as they received their BSN they transitioned seemlessly into an RN.)

TL;DR ---- I believe there is a shortage, but its not necessarily a nation-wide issue.

[Yosemite, RN, ASN, EMT-I]

I agree that location, specialty and experience makes quite a difference. Although, likely retired, I keep my eye open for a compatible position. I speak mostly for the Greater Sacramento (CA) area. My observation mirrors many comments previously submitted. Where I'm seeing the most positions are in those specialties that are emerging to care for an aging population (long term care, rehab, home healthcare, hospice). Unfortunately, many if not most of the employers are observed to post the same positions going unfilled or post again shortly after an absence. For the very few interviews I've had, the reason is obvious: understaffed (even by "Boomer" standards), "busy" turning out to be near chaos and/or less than stellar pay. I had one home healthcare HR/RN let slip that their biggest complaint from their RN's is "feeling overwhelmed" due to increased admissions, decreased follow-up visits, increased case managing of LVN's, desperate need to perform a start of care with little to no notice and completely reschedule your day (which takes time); as one gets paid by the visit, they have no problem with you working 14+ hour days (no overtime!). Probably the easiest RN or LVN job in this area is home healthcare shift work (8 hour shifts, usually) for pediatric clients on vents and feeding tubes for $16 to $21 per hours (Medicaid payer almost exclusively); this is the only specialty that I regularly see accepting new grads.

So, my opinion is that, overall, no significant nursing shortage except for aforementioned "pockets" or for employers who are cruel even by us "Boomer" standards. Now, throw in the H1B visas and you have the near perfect storm with the only light on the horizon is we "Boomers" retiring or being forced to retire due to age and near disabilities.

[sherri64]

For as long as I can remember, the nursing shortage story has circulated and I've been a nurse for about 35 years. When I first went to nursing school, there was a 2-3 year wait to even get into the nursing classes/clinicals. We had much better staffing back then too. The only shortage I really saw was as staffing got cut. And it remains that way. Short staff has become an economical tool used by many facilities and it sure makes it look like there is a shortage. We had 32 hospitals in a tri-county area back then, and now there are three, with two of them owning all the rest that didn't close, and continuing to build smaller outpatient/office buildings all over the place, while continuing their large main campuses. There is no wait, other than maybe a semester, for nursing classes so clearly not as many are going into them here. But they are full classes. Ohio has some outlying financially strapped areas where there are probably legitimate shortages. But a study was done a few years back and the results were that if every licensed and registered nurse in Ohio went back to work, we would have too many to fill the vacancies. A lot of nurses have burned out from the short staffing and have looked for alternative jobs where that isn't an issue. The worst part of it is that the people who suffer for this are the patients. I don't care how many QA and QI are put into place, without adequate staffing, quality of care will continue to suffer. Thank God I'm a nurse and can oversee/manage the care given to myself and family members who have to be in the hospital or a nursing home. I feel bad for those who don't have that advantage.

[rachel100639]

Why won't you state how much? It's not a secret!

[Probitas]

I believe The Atlantic can say it better than I can so here you go :)

The U.S. Is on the Verge of a Major Nursing Shortage - The Atlantic

[rachel100639]

Your last couple sentences are not guaranteed. Either you might be too incapacitated to oversee/manage your own or your family members' care or, you could be deceased before anyone in your family needs care.

[rachel100639]

I think in the next 10 years, the typical nursing home will be obsolete. More and more places that are home-like environments are popping up. Baby Boomers will not tolerate the kind of "care" patients now get in a nursing home.

[rachel100639]

Hmmm...you must live in an area that doesn't pay very much.

[rachel100639]

Why would someone stay in acute care when they are treated so badly?

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Hmmm...you must live in an area that doesn't pay very much.

It is impossible to know to what post you are responding when you do not use the quote button. It's right next to the reply button and will include the text of the post to which you are responding so that your posts make sense without having to search through multiple pages.

[karrikon]

I would be curious to know which towns or states you are all in. I am in Asheville, NC which has a shortage here and they are always looking to hire new nurses here. Great place to live and work