Vent - Business sense and the nurse.

[caroladybelle]

Never the twain shall meet.....

There are loads of discussions on this BB about the fluff in curriculums for Nursing school.

Yet, I repeatedly see posts displaying total ignorance of most basic economic issues and how it affects them. I have friends who are recruiters who get resumes that are a disgrace from people that have a BSN. I have coworkers that have no clue of how financial issues work.

I see repeated posts from new grads and experienced nurses about ignorance of local pay rates - do you not research your job field BEFORE you spent 2-4 years getting a degree or deciding to move across country?

You don't think that your credit rating, or your DUI or your conviction from check is going to follow you? Or that it should affect you.

You think that you can bring your kids to work or to an interview, that since you have kids, that means you get the "preferred" schedule...right out of nursing school

You think that employers can be "guilted" into hiring you, that all it takes is a good storyabout how hard it is to get a job, will trump finances and have the employer pony up the 40-80 grand a year plus training and benies.

Or that a hospital that had the kind consideration to PERMIT you to learn on their campus, despite the strain on their resources (ie. nurses that did not get pay for taking the stress of precepting, and dealt with the liability), should be forced to hire you and perhaps fire/cut hours for those very nurses that sacrificed to help you learn.

Or that the large number of unemployed/uninsured/underinsured are not going to affect our bottom line.

I would like to see Nursing schools incorporate some form of business/basic economics class in Nursing school. Included should be current economic conditions, world economy issues, researching (accurately) salaries, COL of where on intends to practice, filing taxes, getting licensed, WRITING A RESUME AND INTERVIEWING, proper behavior in the workplace. And a week or so of workplace poliics and how to deal with them.

Anyone with me?

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I see repeated posts from new grads and experienced nurses about ignorance of local pay rates - do you not research your job field BEFORE you spent 2-4 years getting a degree or deciding to move across country?

I agree with most of what you said, but this line struck me. How many people started nursing school when there were jobs out the wazoo, only to find the well totally dry by the time they graduated, forcing them to take whatever job they could find at whatever rate they were offered? It wasn't because they didn't do their research.

[DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN]

The poor resume writing skills work for me (as do the bringing of children etc. to interviews). It is rather Darwinian.

[caliotter3]

May I please add a different take on the OP post... the new grad just off orientation who has purchased the $60,ooo car... purses and all the gold... worn to work of course that is working massive amounts of OT.... who has no physical ability to do the NEEDED work involved in those shifts and comes to work with the attitude...

"I'm working extra to help you all", and does nothing.. no patient turning, no phone answering, no call bells, skips dressings and baths... because I came in extra for YOU.

Sucking the time clock for a paycheck will NOT work with me. This is NOT a career to fund your expenses while our patients go without care for your padded paycheck.

This reminds me of an older CNA who "worked" at two facilities. The DSD, who did the scheduling at one facility, treated her as if she was royalty who deigned to grace us with her presence. I was stuck with her on night shift at this facility. Her "work" consisted of coming in and making herself comfortable for eight hours of slumber. No amount of talking or write-ups on my part could get her to work. She knew she did not have to work and did not care what anyone else thought about it.

[caliotter3]

People who have not learned how to apply the basics of personal money management keep Dave Ramsey in business.

[Junebugfairy]

i took all of the pre preq's for my diploma nursing school at a local cc, so i am unsure if *everyone* had my experience.

we learned resume writing in my college level english class, as well as appropriate sentence structure and grammar.

all of the economic classes, lectures, books, and seminars, will not make stubborn people/some suddenly have a moment.

if someone cannot be bothered to research local pay scales, demand for new grads, options for new grads in surrounding counties, and options for moving, then so be it. that is their loss, they will learn the hard way.

i 1000% agree with you, but you cannot teach common sense.

[JenniferSews]

We were taught to write a resume, by my out of touch nursing instructors who had no clue what they were doing. I turned in my resume and then completely rewrote it to land a job.

I agree with others that that sort of common sense just can't be taught. Some people refuse to believe the rules apply to them or make poor choices even when they know better. It has nothing to do with nursing, it's the human race.

[DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN]

My college has some student services people who help with this stuff (resumes and job searches). The problem is people have to know they need help.

Don't most colleges of nursing have graduate reports? Mine does. I can tell you how many are employed, underemployed and what their average salaries are like. It even tells me what local institutions hired them.

[pers]

My program covered most of that stuff. We didn't go over world economy issues or how to file taxes but resumes, interviews, work behavior/dress, licensing, salaries, and dealing with workplace politics/problems are all things that were covered. I would have liked a bit more with regards to retirement and investing as mostly we just went over what types of benefits an employer might offer and how to compare them and with that was 401K matching info.

As a traditional student I didn't know this stuff would be included in my program nor would have I thought to ask prior to applying. Since I learned it as part of my program though, I was surprised to learn these things weren't standard for everyone.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Learning how to live as an adult is what you do on your own time. Once you are 18 it's sink or swim. If you need answers it's part of growing up that you learn that you need to find them through resources you cultivate. IMHO it's ridiculous to expect a college to be responsible to change children to adults.

If you have resume/dress/attitude problems that seem to label you as a child. Then, you will just have problems with other adults until you figure things out on your own.

[anggelRN]

i strongly believe in personal responsibility. there are numerous resources available for people who want to improve their resumes or learn about saving for retirement, nurse or otherwise. if the new grad wants to buy the 60k car or someone has a lot of student loans it is their responsibility to pay their bills. it is frustrating when i see people make poor choices but ultimately, i could care less.

[CeilingCat, ASN, RN]

I disagree with this idea. The kind of people you describe : are clueless, don't want to do their homework, feel entitled, and/or whine... they are the SAME people who will sleep through a business-sense class because they "don't need it". And then they whine when they squeaked through with barely a C grade... and then they blame the hospitals or their school when they can't get the job/pay/whatever they expected.

I'm a mature adult who had plenty of chances to write (successful) resumes before I shifted into Nursing. I KNOW better than to bring family members along with me to an interview. I know to read the terms of an employment offer. As a student, the last thing I need is yet another "we're doing this to help you be a better person" kind of class. The students who need help with research or resumes already have plenty of resources at their fingertips: writing labs,excellent advisors, nursing instructors, mentors, hospital externships, you name it.

As it is I may not graduate on time because I still need a "Human Development" class, despite already taking a similar one when I got my BA. Wouldn't I be a better nurse if I instead got additional clinical experience in the meantime? Or to grab an optional-but-relevant class such as Nutrition or Chem, which will help my understanding & pave the way to possible grad school?

Yeah, I really need to spend 3 credit hours having someone review with me how to type a resume in Microsoft Word

[Music in My Heart]

I know to read the terms of an employment offer.

Just look at the multiple thousands of people who evidently didn't read the terms of the mortgages that they signed and apparently have not even the most rudimentary understanding of compounding interest, net worth, or cash flow.