Where are all the jobs????

kcmylorn · May 29, 2011

mac10023- I think your post is very accurate on naming the poor conditions staff nurses in the hosp. face. It captures the sense of powerlessness we nurses face working a staff position and the why it its soooo bad. You gave excellent advise to that new grad- don't be beholding to these hospitals- they are not beholden to us. The hospitals are abusive to us nurses and therefore; end users, the patients- there is no other way to state it. I worked in hospital bedside for 29 of my 30 years- and I can't get a perment full time staff position. Ive seen the decline in patient care- with all this technology and suppossed forward thinking and analysis on how we think and make decisions- the patient care is at its poorest in DECADES. And I came into nursing when primary care was first being taught. Team and task oriented nursing was still being practiced as the across the board norm. I've seen the decline in how nurses are treated and viewed. We have been de humanized. We are viewed by management and hospital administration like a piece of meat, to be bought and sold/hired and fired depending on which side of the bed their manager gets out of. Your suggestion to that new grad to get further degrees were excellent. In the right areas and for the right reasons: Law school to prosecute the abusive management in nursing. The MBA with solid bedside staff experience( not just 2-3 yrs) to go head to head with the hospital purse strings. Teach them to spend the money where it SHOULD and NEEDS to be spent- not in some CEO's personal bank account while the 'CEO's'(???) patients get poor, sub standard, dangerous and deadly care due to poor, substandard, dangerous staffing levels, and really pee poor administrative policies and practices. These MBA's running these hospitals today wouldn't last in their own element/areana: ie: Macy's or a casino, very long with their business practices. The casino or Macy's would be out of business!! $150 meal with low grade meat burnt to a crisp or a $300 dress missing the skirt.

DeLana_RN, BSN, RN · May 29, 2011

New grads are not alone, the job market is crap even for experienced nurses; I can't find a job either. I think hospitals are fishing for resumes (for future use?) and advertising jobs that don't even exist; or that have been/will be filled with internal applicants. As for doctors' offices - I don't think they hire RNs anymore, MAs cost them much less. And as for public health - the states are broke, so no health department jobs either.

Instead of hiring, agencies here are still laying off. It's very frustrating and discouraging. So in the meantime I have taken a volunteer job with a local hospice, which is great for me (and something I was always interested in). Although there's no hope of a paying job opening up right now, it might in the future.

Meanwhile, we can all just hope for the best and keep on looking.

DeLana

DNS on the go · May 29, 2011

mac10023- I think your post is very accurate on naming the poor conditions staff nurses in the hosp. face. It captures the sense of powerlessness we nurses face working a staff position and the why it its soooo bad. You gave excellent advise to that new grad- don't be beholding to these hospitals- they are not beholden to us. The hospitals are abusive to us nurses and therefore; end users, the patients- there is no other way to state it. I worked in hospital bedside for 29 of my 30 years- and I can't get a perment full time staff position. Ive seen the decline in patient care- with all this technology and suppossed forward thinking and analysis on how we think and make decisions- the patient care is at its poorest in DECADES. And I came into nursing when primary care was first being taught. Team and task oriented nursing was still being practiced as the across the board norm. I've seen the decline in how nurses are treated and viewed. We have been de humanized. We are viewed by management and hospital administration like a piece of meat, to be bought and sold/hired and fired depending on which side of the bed their manager gets out of. Your suggestion to that new grad to get further degrees were excellent. In the right areas and for the right reasons: Law school to prosecute the abusive management in nursing. The MBA with solid bedside staff experience( not just 2-3 yrs) to go head to head with the hospital purse strings. Teach them to spend the money where it SHOULD and NEEDS to be spent- not in some CEO's personal bank account while the 'CEO's'(???) patients get poor, sub standard, dangerous and deadly care due to poor, substandard, dangerous staffing levels, and really pee poor administrative policies and practices. These MBA's running these hospitals today wouldn't last in their own element/areana: ie: Macy's or a casino, very long with their business practices. The casino or Macy's would be out of business!! $150 meal with low grade meat burnt to a crisp or a $300 dress missing the skirt.

While I understand the writers passion, the nurse needs a job not a "pie in the sky" peep talk.

Even if our nurses gets a job, gets alots of experience and gets an IVY league MBA (all not even remotely likely), the sad reality is that nurses are a cost center not a revenue center. You would think that since patients are admitted to hopsitals for nursing care, nursing would be the paramount concern, but reality shows us just how wrong we are. Please do not think that hospital managers are oblivious to the conditions that are occurring in their facilities.

Nurses do not understand that the system, while saying nice things about nurses being the heart of healthcare, has the real goal of maximizing revenue and minimizing expenses. Hospitals get paid the same for good care versus bad care. Even the fad of Magnet is fading as it is not required for reimbursement, is very expensive process and does not help physicians or senior managers further their careers.

For the woman who wrote for advice, the best advice to offer her is to move on. Nursing is no picnic and if you think you have seen bad days, just wait as less money is feed into the system.

If you want to affect change in health care (real change not nursing diagnosis will save the day non-sense), you must be a power broker-i.e. the physician, the insurance company or a high level somebody. Think of it this way- the maids in a hotel know the operations and customer service yet they are not held in high regard or listened too. The recent case of the IMF chief assulting the maid shows just how difficult the life of the maid is. Now think about a nurse, your job is to provide patient monitoring and custodial care (regardless of your degree). If you are not at the bedside, your job is to oversee the nurses-and either manage or educate nurses. Even at the VP level , your job may be enlarged to oversee other support services (PT, OT, Respiratory, etc). All of these services are support services-not the primary service which is the physician's care. Please do not get me started about the billing issue-nursing care is not billed out but rolled into the daily bed rate.

You have been in nursing a long time 30 years. You should be able to retire but most nurses do not get pensions or other goodies like cops, fireman etc. It is sad, we work so hard and are treated so poorly only to end up with nothing. I can not tell you how many nurses I have worked with that have gotten sick in their 50's only to find themselves without a job or health insurance. The only hope you have is to be so sick you can get on disability and go on medicaid.

As for the young nurses who are unable to get a job, take this as maybe away to avoid enetring nursing. Nursing will break your back, leave you without your dignity and discard you faster then you ever thought possible.

They do not teach you the reality in school... you have to be in to understand. Schools are businesses and tution dollars is the revenue they crave.

If you have your old career to go back to...go back. Do not waste anymore time and energy in nursing.

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · May 29, 2011

Economy is bad, there are so many unemployed nurses that hospitals don't want to invest any money in new grads, yet congress is proposing unlimited importation of foreign trained nurses.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.1929:

Doesn't make sense to me.

su9032 · May 29, 2011

Beatrice,

Have you utilized the "shadow a nurse" for a day programs at the various hospitals. This will give you an opportunity to meet nurses and hopefully unit managers. As everyone knows, in these times, it really helps if you know someone to get noticed so you can even get an interview. As others mentioned, volunteering is an opportunity to make a good impression and meet influential people (which may be another nurse) and then hopefully someone will recommend you to a unit manager. Then you can go and introduce yourself with resume and letters of recommendation from your instructors in hand. That's how I got my nurse tech job. I applied everywhere utilizing online applications and made no progress, then I met an RN who was well respected and wanted to help me. He told the unit manager about me and then I went in the next day and met him. At the time he did not have any openings, but 2 months later he called me and told me that he was going to have some tech positions so I applied as soon as the position was posted, got an interview, and got the job the same day. He also told me that if I do well, then I am safe to assume that I will have a job when I graduate. Had that nurse not recommended me, I wouldn't have met the manager and he wouldn't have already had me in mind for the job. With online applications, you are competing with all the in state and out of state new grads so you may be the 700th person to apply for a given position and what if the manager already has somebody in mind like in my situation. One other thing, tell everyone you know, call every relative and friend that works at a hospital and see if they can help you. You may have already done this, but keep trying. I don't think that you should give up and switch careers, not after working so hard. No way!

wintersantanaRN · May 29, 2011

So sorry you all are going through this I live in Chicago, IL and jobs are still plentiful for experienced and new grad Nurses, especially RN's. Definately try Home health agencies, LTC, and private duty. Good Luck :)

beatrice1 · May 29, 2011

Thank you all for your responses again.... although some were really, really discouraging. Giving up is not an option, I didn't go into Nursing "to get a job" I went into Nursing because it's what I've always wanted to do. I know it's not an easy career, and hospital jobs are backbreaking... But I will find my niche.

There are no jobs in any field really, so why should I give up Nursing and have to look for another kind of job anyway. All I'm saying is it's alot harder to find a job than I thought it was going to be. But... I'll keep plugging along.... It will be worth the wait.

Bea

netglow, ASN, RN · May 29, 2011

Winter, Maybe south? Chicago metro is one of the "dead markets" LPNs aren't seen north of Chicago much. Just talked to a few recruiters from all major hospital networks Chicago North. Most hospitals are content with short staffing and have been for the past 2 years. However they are getting into trouble and RNs are quitting. There has been a bump up in agency traffic that can be verified by a slight uptick in flex non-benefited position postings.

Guest717236 · May 29, 2011

While I understand the writers passion, the nurse needs a job not a "pie in the sky" peep talk.
Even if our nurses gets a job, gets alots of experience and gets an IVY league MBA (all not even remotely likely), the sad reality is that nurses are a cost center not a revenue center. You would think that since patients are admitted to hopsitals for nursing care, nursing would be the paramount concern, but reality shows us just how wrong we are. Please do not think that hospital managers are oblivious to the conditions that are occurring in their facilities.
Nurses do not understand that the system, while saying nice things about nurses being the heart of healthcare, has the real goal of maximizing revenue and minimizing expenses. Hospitals get paid the same for good care versus bad care. Even the fad of Magnet is fading as it is not required for reimbursement, is very expensive process and does not help physicians or senior managers further their careers.
For the woman who wrote for advice, the best advice to offer her is to move on. Nursing is no picnic and if you think you have seen bad days, just wait as less money is feed into the system.
If you want to affect change in health care (real change not nursing diagnosis will save the day non-sense), you must be a power broker-i.e. the physician, the insurance company or a high level somebody. Think of it this way- the maids in a hotel know the operations and customer service yet they are not held in high regard or listened too. The recent case of the IMF chief assulting the maid shows just how difficult the life of the maid is. Now think about a nurse, your job is to provide patient monitoring and custodial care (regardless of your degree). If you are not at the bedside, your job is to oversee the nurses-and either manage or educate nurses. Even at the VP level , your job may be enlarged to oversee other support services (PT, OT, Respiratory, etc). All of these services are support services-not the primary service which is the physician's care. Please do not get me started about the billing issue-nursing care is not billed out but rolled into the daily bed rate.
You have been in nursing a long time 30 years. You should be able to retire but most nurses do not get pensions or other goodies like cops, fireman etc. It is sad, we work so hard and are treated so poorly only to end up with nothing. I can not tell you how many nurses I have worked with that have gotten sick in their 50's only to find themselves without a job or health insurance. The only hope you have is to be so sick you can get on disability and go on medicaid.
As for the young nurses who are unable to get a job, take this as maybe away to avoid enetring nursing. Nursing will break your back, leave you without your dignity and discard you faster then you ever thought possible.
They do not teach you the reality in school... you have to be in to understand. Schools are businesses and tution dollars is the revenue they crave.
If you have your old career to go back to...go back. Do not waste anymore time and energy in nursing.

In a nutshell, this is why nursing loses enthusiastic, caring, outstanding professionals out the door.

However, I strongly disagree to discourage someone so fast. The OP has already invested in her

future by obtaining a nursing degree. She can continue to search in nursing, while working in another field if

she selects that option. As a second career RN, jobs were difficult to obtain as a new grad as well back then in the 80's.

Be optimistic and persistent.....

DNS identifies the current truth in the medical system and schools of nursing, its mostly

concerned with the dollar bills and not the patient or the student.

Heaven help us if we keep dismissing excellent nurses who have worked hard at school,often with sacrifices for family and finances..

exactly who is management expecting to replace them?

.

Nurses no matter what degree level (including LPNs) need to speak with one

unified voice to place the focus back on nurses being in charge of their nursing practice

with adequate staffing on behalf of patients.

Our biggest problem is we are chasing after our combined power now instead of being proactive.

Teachers set limits years ago, and claimed their rights via unions. In our area they have

made strides through many current changes on behalf of students and their own value..

netglow, ASN, RN · May 29, 2011

I know an extremely intelligent and able new grad, younger, double degrees in healthcare, nurse who is at this very moment being pretty much screwed in that first hospital job. Wonder if this nurse will still be employed in a few days - just prior to end of 3 months employment. This nurse has heard from some caring co workers that some serious lies have been constructed in order to build a case for this to happen. Not a thing can be done.

This is nursing. How bad do you want it?

kabooski · May 29, 2011

Thank you all for your responses again.... although some were really, really discouraging. Giving up is not an option, I didn't go into Nursing "to get a job" I went into Nursing because it's what I've always wanted to do. I know it's not an easy career, and hospital jobs are backbreaking... But I will find my niche.
There are no jobs in any field really, so why should I give up Nursing and have to look for another kind of job anyway. All I'm saying is it's alot harder to find a job than I thought it was going to be. But... I'll keep plugging along.... It will be worth the wait.
Bea

We'll if money is not a concern(get "Job" as a RN $20hr+) and what you always wanted to do is to look after patients that can longer take care of themselves. There are plenty of PCT/CNA/MA jobs out there.

Maybe a option is to go ahead and step down in pay and take a Job that maybe will not fulfill your bank account

but will fulfill your heart. :redbeathe

kcmylorn · May 30, 2011

I believe as nurses we,each one of us , can effect change and start to reclaim our profession if each one of us STOP accepting, tooting and sticking up for the business mantra of these MBA's. We, each one of us has to stop internalizing and swallowing hook, line and sinker that we are on the level of a hotel maid. We especially don't need our higher degree nurses buying into this propaganda garbage. As a higher degree- you of all nurses should know this is outrageous. Nursing is not a business- patients do not choose to be ill. The 'reality' needs a huge shock wave reality check!! The acuity of today's patients needs every nurse it already has licensed and educated.

With the healthcare reform- there will be patients who were not able to afford care, coming out of the wood work, and seeking care from an already overburdened healthcare workforce. Over burdened by the current short staffing demands.

On the subject of private insurance companies, while I'm not a big fan of them and I do not work for any of them, they are a business. If the hospitals they contract with raise their rates because the CEO needs to maintain his lush salary and the lush salaries of his fiscal Czars because the electric, water and sewer and pharmaceuticals rates go up, don't you think the insurance companies are going to start squaking because the insurance customers are complaining the insurance rates are too high and they will loose customers. The fiscal dewbt in healthcare is NOT the nursing staff or direct line care givers: it's the CEO's and their entourage. We nurses need to stop accepting this behavior. We are not gwetting the tools/equipment we need to do our work---more nurses.

For one minute- consider- if there were no CEO making a multi million dollar salary, how much cash flow that healthcare syytem would have to buy the necessities- like more nursing staff, more hospitalists, more phlebotomists. Hospitals are not spas, they are not department stores. If a patient is ill, they go to the nearest hospital. They don't tell the MICU to take them to the hoospital with the beautiful lobby furniture. They either arrive by ambulance or a family/friend brings them and they go into the ED entrance. On what part of that journey do they pass the baby grand in the hotel lobby, or the coffee shop or the gift shop. These marketing tactics are bul****. It shows right there how much the CEO, board of directors, trustees, and all their MBA cronies understand the illness process and how to competently distribute revenue to competently care for a patient. How many MI's come in to the hospital ED requesting to be seranaded with "Strangers in the Night" or "I Left my Heart in San Francisco" on the baby grand. How many Post-Op leave PACU for the daily sale in the gift shop. The purse strings of healthcare need THEIR reality changed!!!!!!!!!!! If this is by means of a revolution- so be it!!!!!!!!!!