US economic crisis and Nurses???

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Oct 13, 2008

However, they believe that hospitals would rather hire a new grad because their hourly wage is cheaper. What do you guys think?

My instructor said it cost about $60,000 to train a new grad.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Oct 13, 2008

My instructor said it cost about $60,000 to train a new grad.

I can see that...and the fact that many of them don't stay at their first new grad job makes it harder for facilities to want to hire them, I assume.

lpnflorida, LPN · Oct 13, 2008

Our facility for the time being anyway, is not opening up any new intern/extern positions this has only come about very recently. The transition program which was a program for employee who say had recently had surgery or were injured whethe ron the job or off the job and did not have the financial ability to stay home and recoup were given temp things to do in the hospital so they would still get a pay check. Has now recently been changed so that only employees who have been injured on the job will have light duty jobs such as filing or answering phones somewhere in the hospital until they can return to duty. It is a sign of the difficult times.

2011NursingStudent · Oct 13, 2008

This is what Yahoo says....

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Current Employment Statistics, health care employment continued to grow in the first few months of 2008. During the past 12 months, the health care sector overall has grown by 363,000 jobs, making it the largest industry in the United States, accounting for 13.5 million jobs.

Better yet, the health care sector will generate 3 million new jobs by 2016, more than any other industry -- thanks, in part, to aging baby boomers and increased numbers of retirees. Plus, most positions will require less than four years of college education. Here's a look at the four accessible health care jobs -- and the education or training necessary to break into this growing field.

Registered Nurse

Registered nurses are in high demand. If you're nurturing, detail oriented, and capable of staying calm in stressful situations, a career in nursing may prove a good fit. By 2010, 1.7 million nurses will be needed, but only 635,000 will be available. Demand is highest for nurses in emergency room, operating room, intensive care, pediatrics and labor and delivery room. Median salary in 2006 was $57,280. To become a nurse, enroll in a nursing program, which range from bachelor's, associate degrees, and diplomas.

Quaffetti · Oct 13, 2008

For the poster that asked if you're ok starting in LTC, I would say yes.

I graduated from nursing school in 1993, the first year hospitals started laying off experienced nurses and you couldn't get a hospital to even give you a call back.

So I took a job in LTC. Was it my ideal job? No. But I learned to love the residents there and do the best I could under extremely difficult conditions (poor staffing). When the job market for nurses started opening up 5 years later, I jumped to the hospital. For me, it was like being a new grad, only worse, cause nursing school had been so long ago. I remember my first day of orientation, listening to report...I didn't understand practically every 3rd word they said.

But I wrote down everything, went home every night and studied my ass off. I am now one of the leaders on our floor that others come to for help; I have great clinical skills and a good solid job.

I guess my point is, sometimes you don't get your ideal job, but learn what you can from where you are, don't be too proud to work somewhere, and prepare yourself for the time when you do get your ideal job (and you just may find out the ideal isn't really that ideal anyway.)

Frankly, I would work double shifts at McDonalds if that's what I had to do to keep my kids fed and clothed, but that's just me.