Where have all the jobs gone?

[Foxfour]

when i graduated in 2003, there were so many nursing positions. now there are a handful of jobs. where have all the jobs gone? i have a few thoughts on the matter: 1) nurses who retired are back in the workforce due to loss of spouse's job or loss (or decrease) of retirement savings 2) part-time, prn nurses became full-time 3) administration cutting back on nsg hours due to the economy (having said that, i'm not sure about due to the fact that you can cut back nursing hours, but you can't cut back on the amount of people requiring health care). do you have any theories on why?

[bodz01]

are we talking about US graduates still struggling to get a job? aren't they supposed to have internship programs where they can actually "sell" themselves within the affiliated hospitals while on the floor? =c

what chances do us foreign grads do have then? =[

any foreign grads out there who was able to get a job in a snap?? and how long were you on the job hunt??

[mag_new]

If you have good experience, and no work authorization problem, then I don't see why foreign grads cannot get a job.

My friend is a foreign grad, has a green card, and 6 years hospital experience in US, She has not problem getting a job and as many hours as she wants.

are we talking about US graduates still struggling to get a job? aren't they supposed to have internship programs where they can actually "sell" themselves within the affiliated hospitals while on the floor? =c

what chances do us foreign grads do have then? =[

any foreign grads out there who was able to get a job in a snap?? and how long were you on the job hunt??

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

I keep repeating myself, but I will do it again.

There is a HUGE demand for experienced nurses in SoFLA.

HUGE demand.

THERE is a nursing shortage--but only for experienced nurses.

They should rename is EXPERIENCED NURSING SHORTAGE.

[barbfrank]

I agree...it IS all about the $$$$, unfortunately. I live in South Jersey and work in Philadelphia at Pennsylvania Hospital on a surgical floor. I was able to get hired cause I worked there as a tech. But, we're not hiring either. And because they're striving for magnet...they're only hiring BSNs if they need to fill positions. I think the decline in the economy has a direct impact and eventually (just like everything else in life) things will turn around. Before you know it, the baby boomers will be needing massive amounts of healthcare and they'll be crying out, once again, about the nursing shortage!

[imim]

Don't let the term "health care" fool you. Any facility is first and foremost a business and in business the dollar rules regardless if the entity is "non-profit". The most expensive aspect of any busness is it's employees. In many industries/fields empoyees are "asked" to "do more with less" and health care is no exception. So while the public hears cries of a nursing shortage, facilities continue with understaffing and eager-to- work nurses aren't hired.

Man, it's difficult to keep cynacism at bay!