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?

[loving life jan22]

I truly have not seen a nursing shortage but what I have seen is a push to make nurses get their BSN or MS which actually pushes them out of the work force. Another words what I am seeing is the OK now go get your higher degree but oh no didn't we tell you we only pay you 80 cents more an hour or didn't we tell you if you have a MS your not going to be working on the floor your going to be in some type of administration. I only found this out by experience !!

[HIstudent808]

Here in Hawaii, the shortage of EXPERIENCED nurses are true. I know of several nurses who've had to move away to secure jobs (mainland) and others who were able to get jobs, it's such a crappy experience when you can't find a job. I'd like to add, the majority of the new ADN graduates that I know were either working as CNAs prior to getting hired on as an RN in that unit OR they knew someone that pulled them in OR kissed a lot of behind during their clinical lol. It's not easy here, and to be honest, just to get into the program IS CRAZY COMPETITIVE! Everyone wants to do it and in hawaii, there is no interview process, solely based on grades. It's kind of discouraging...

[wolf9653]

Reality right now, nationwide, as I believe it to be, some places are hiring some are not. you may need to move to find a job, even out of state. I don't know about your exact area. Just graduating with an RN, even with many years as a LPN, you are considered a new grad with no experience. So try seeing how much experience these jobs want. They may not be available to you. But they might be. Or they might be very, very competitive for a new grad program

[AddictionNurse]

Wow, what kind of magic salary do you fancy worthy of you? Time and a half plus $100 would be a ton of money to me.

[delilah1010]

I am a physician with 25 years of experience in primary care. I am of the opinion that some of the very best nurses that I have worked with over the past 30+ years, from medical school onwards, were those who were trained in the hospital diploma programs. That's right; nurses with no university degree whatsoever were great at patient care and very knowledgeable in their field. Hospital based programs were already rare by the time I was in high school, and instead, students received an RN degree at a community college. Several of my HS classmates did this. I never even heard of an NP until I was in residency. Now, when I see HS students who state they are interested in nursing, they have in mind that they are going to get an NP degree. It reminds me of what one of my professors said in my Quantitative Analysis course, which for those who didn't major in chemistry, is second-year undergrad course. I was at the Unversity of Florida, in one of the large lecture halls with 300-400 students. To make a point, the professor asked, "How many of you are pre-med students?". More than half the class raised their hands. To which the professor commented, "what are you going to do if all of you succeed, practice on each other?". Not all of my classmates succeeded, of course, but, still, I make the observation that few if any of the prospective nursing students I see want to be the direct patient care nurses we need. Not sure how to fix it, other than to note that it is probably linked and related to the shortage of primary care physicians. Nobody wants to work the hours I do for the money I get paid, either (it's less than some of those advanced practice nurses get).

[Buyer beware, BSN]

There is - in SOME PLACES and in SOME SPECIALTIES - a shortage of EXPERIENCED nurses.

That is the only shortage I can detect.

Yes and those shortage (allocation) problems are usually located in the garden capitals of the U.S. like East L.A., Downtown Baltimore or possibly even rural Kentucky. (cue banjo music).

[BrendanO, MSN, RN]

These types of threads (and there are several on here) are fascinating, especially given the diversity of geography, experience, and credentials of the participants.

Here's what I think I've learned from reading many of them:

- scope of practice matters (LVN/LPN market is not the same as RN market, which is not the same as APRN market)

- education matters (ADN/RN and BSN/RN markets are different, MSN vs. DNP seems less so)

- specialty/unit matters (LTC or Psych may have a severe shortage, ICU/high acuity may not; or vice-versa)

- location matters (even different parts of the same city/metropolitan area can have different job outlooks)

- experience matters (1-2 years is a "magic" threshold to unlock many positions)

- professional networking matters (some positions are filled before they're posted)

- working conditions matter (crappy employers can't retain workers, great employers can be more discriminating in their hires)

Sounds like every other industry I've worked in (skilled trade, IT, and K-12 education). A music teacher with 15 years experience and a doctorate faces a completely different market than the BA-credentialed English teacher with ESL endorsement, yet they're both in "education".

The program I'm starting in January says that 90+% of their grads are employed within 6 months of graduating, and 100% within 12 months. Here's hoping their statistics continue to be accurate!

[Buyer beware, BSN]

In my neck of the woods there is a catastrophic shortage of nurses. We are having to close rooms in many units simply because we can't keep enough staff. All depends where you're located

That may be because you're located in some woodsy area that may not have quite the glamour of a place like say, downtown Atlanta.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

I don't see a shortage in WI. I do see a huge disconnect between number of nurses available vs the number of nurses who want to do fast paced, direct care shift work. I can count at least a hundred BSNs in my circle of friends who are either voluntarily unemployed or working part time at a flower shop because they cannot see themselves going back to floor nursing. Of course that always means there is an earning spouse in the picture as well as benefit provider.

Many if of us also have had jobs pulled out from under us. I was the night shift nurse supervisor for a rehabilitation unit for 8 years. I'd have stayed there forever...loved the patient care and the management role. The order of nuns sold off the business and there went my dream job. Not always easy to find the right fit, shortage or not.

[beckster]

Certain areas always have openings, particularly for experienced RN's. But these positions are often ED or ICU7P-7A, or Day/Night Flex, for example. But these types of positions are burnout jobs and it's difficult to keep them filled.

There really isn't a nursing shortage nor will there be; there will be a shortage of nurses willing to remain in abusive working positions.

If you are looking for a better-paying job look into tech fields, software or computer development. Much better working conditions. And no malpractice liability!

[Cnm04]

The 'what we have' group of nurses makes it terribly difficult on the 'what we need' groups of nurses.

Also the push for magnet status in a hospital system makes it hard to get in there if you are an ADN nurse-regardless of your plans for BSN or MSN.

[Quickbeam, BSN, RN]

I wanted to add that the high pressure push for 12 hour shifts has made the decision of my peers to retire early a no brainer. Even in my 50s I had 8 hours in me, no problem. Employer after employer converted to 12s. It was a huge factor in my clinical exit to case management.