The imporrtance of having a degree in this economy especially In Nursing !!

Nursing Students General Students

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So I was having a talk with some of my peers on the importance of having or fulfilling a degree in this economy! Its been reported this week on CNN that job losses continue to be on the rise and that there are to many people without jobs right now and how people need to start getting into degree programs that are recession proof! Ive been hearing alot of new grads not being able to find jobs after graduation but i still believe Nursing is one of the top professions in America besides Law, medical, and dental school! Im glad to be in the program(BSN)! Its so important to hold some form of degree to fall back on because jobs these days are not easy to come by! A ADN and BSN are the best to have right now because Nursing will always be here! People get sick and die everyday so there u have it why Nursing is in demand right now! Anyone agree?! :stdnrsrck:

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I completely agree with the need for an education. However, Nursing IS NOT RECESSION PROOF!!!! Please do not perpetuate this uninformed myth despite what you hear from the popular media. It is based on a vague assumption that the ratio of nursing jobs per population will remain constant. This is NOT the case. As healthcare reimbursement gets worse, nursing jobs are replaced with lesser-paid staff.. . . and we 'ain't seen nothing yet'. Hospitals are closing poorly reimbursed acute care services and cutting back on RN positions in most areas of the country - and we haven't even seen the impact of healthcare reform yet. In a few years, we will look back on 2010 as 'the good old days'.

Work as hard as you can in nursing school - position yourself as a standout student in your clinical rotations. Network as much as you can so you will have a better chance of getting a job as a new grad.

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Nursing is recession proof? I live in the NY metro area, and 10 (TEN) hospitas have either: closed, laid off nurses, put hiring freezes on nurses and/or given existing nurses more and more work to the point of MAKING them quit!

I love how all nursing students have the fantasy of "Be a nurse. Save a life. Get paid well. Ahhhhhhhhh."

In reality, these days it's "take what you can get." Those student nurses that have narrowed down areas they WON'T work for are in for a rude awakening. Nurses that won't DARE do "menial" things like bed baths, changing diapers, dealing with screaming patients, annoying staff.

Ain't ya ain't seen nothin' yet....

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Specializes in Home Care.

I wish I felt that optimistic about my career in nursing. I'll be thankful enough to keep my job in LTC when I get my RN. There's very few jobs for new RN grads in my large metro area.

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Be that as it may nurses still have one of the best professional licenses available anywhere. Even MDs and attorney's can't change countries and keep working. Attorney's can't even practice in different states without a lot of hassle and red tape involved. This is a transitional period in the global economy but overall a nursing degree is a good investment. I'm not fantasizing about getting paid well, but I'm related to quite a few nurses who are working hard and receiving pay commensurate with it. It's not a get rich quick scheme by any stretch of the imagination but a license that entitles you to help and sometimes get paid is a nice thing to have.

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Huh? Nursing isn't recession-proof, NO job or degree is recession-proof. A nursing degree will give you a better chance at getting a job than a history degree, but it's still no guarantee. New lawyers are doing miserably these days. Law schools have been pumping out way more new grads than there are jobs available, and they often wind up unemployed (with HUGE student debts) or severely underemployed.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

If someone had asked me that question even 5 years ago, I probably would've agreed with you. Not anymore. Up until pretty recently the only question a new nurse needed to ask themselves was what hospital in what unit they would like to work, at least out here in California.

The demand and flexibility was a very important consideration for me, and I liked the security of knowing that wherever I moved to, I could get a job, and I did. If a degree in Fine Arts would have yielded the same job security and variety as nursing, I may have chosen that path.

Pre-nursing and nursing students of today can't use the high demand factor in their decision making process as I did. It doesn't mean it's a waste of time to get a degree in nursing, just that the frenzy of demand is now back in line with most other jobs and I'd suggest students keep their fingers closely on the pulse :) of trends within the field, as well as the opportunities provided by post-BSN degrees (and Advanced Practice).

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Ive been faced with reality and even if i have to work in a nursing home or psych ward i'll do it just to have the experience one needs on the floor! Im pretty opened to moving anywhere after i graduate! Im pretty optimistic and staying positive as always because many of new grads i know have already landed jobs! I come from a family of nurses with BSN's and beyond and My mom has been a nurse for 20 years and works at a huge hospital in dallas texas who hire new grads around the clock so im not worried! I have faith :nurse:i'll have a job after graduation!

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Nursing is still a good degree to get but I think everyone puts down the other very crucial health professions that usually don't get as much coverage like nursing such as Speech-Language Pathology, Respiratory Therapist and Occupational Therapy. These jobs aren't going anywhere either and in fact there seem to be more of these jobs out there at the moment than nursing (at least in my area) and Respiratory Therapy only requires an associate's degree and that is the preferred method. The other health professions of course require master's degrees and there seems to be more job openings for people with master's but I think all health profession degrees are still a good investment.

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Most indicate that the supply of lawyers far exceeds demand. If that weren't the case I'd go to law school.

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Nursing is recession proof? I live in the NY metro area, and 10 (TEN) hospitas have either: closed, laid off nurses, put hiring freezes on nurses and/or given existing nurses more and more work to the point of MAKING them quit!

I love how all nursing students have the fantasy of "Be a nurse. Save a life. Get paid well. Ahhhhhhhhh."

In reality, these days it's "take what you can get." Those student nurses that have narrowed down areas they WON'T work for are in for a rude awakening. Nurses that won't DARE do "menial" things like bed baths, changing diapers, dealing with screaming patients, annoying staff.

Ain't ya ain't seen nothin' yet....

I know NY is a tough place to move away from, I've been there and I loved it, but have you ever thought about relocating because I heard about the NY nurse situation from this Manhattan doctor I know, but it's not like that in the Southern states. I mean, I can't speak for all of them but the ones South and Southwest aren't like that. I mean, it's just a suggestion but man from the sounds of it NY is a tough place.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.
I love how all nursing students have the fantasy of "Be a nurse. Save a life. Get paid well. Ahhhhhhhhh."

I don't and never had that fantasy. :uhoh3:

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