Where are all the nurses?

CareteamRN70 · Aug 27, 2009

In Indy where I live we have three tradional RN schools plus a new bunch of new technical adn schools so jobs look tight with the amount of nurses being churned out. I "want" to get into a hospital, orientate and get into 2 yrs in medsurge or another good experience unit. that not withstanding, I will be more then willing to work LTC, clinic, local VD clinic, or even standing on a roadside holding a sign that says "Will remove fecal impactions for $":nmbrn: The short of it is I understand I may not get my first choice of jobs but I'll be damned if I took this trip to become an RN and not work.

PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN · Aug 27, 2009

My hospital doesn't want new grads, so those waiting for that "perfect" dream spot, get over it and go for something like this.....my 2 cents....

deleern · Aug 27, 2009

I was the only Nursing student in my Class that wanted to work in LTC.... I would not work anywhere else.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Aug 27, 2009

Not to say that your place is like this, but I was told that LTC are not a good place for new grads to start because of the all laws/rules they break and all the corners the cut...not a good way to start out when you are just learning.

Little Panda RN, ASN, RN · Aug 27, 2009

I have seen numerous posts that state that hospitals are not hiring new grads. Well, then who are they hiring? Eventually more expierenced nurses are going to be retiring, so who are they hiring to replace them? I realize that it takes time to train in a new nurse, but I think it would be well worth the time and money. There is only one way to get expierence and that is by working in a hospital, so if they are not hiring new grads then how are they supposed to get hospital expierence. :confused:

Moogie · Aug 27, 2009

CCM, I would work for you in a heartbeat. You seem very reasonable---strict but fair---and you respect your staff. I would take a nurse manager who respected his/her staff any day over an easy commute, great hours or high pay.

I'm not saying a nurse manager should coddle staff or praise them for every single little thing they do. But come on---LTC is physically and emotionally demanding and an occasional, sincere "thank you" is always appreciated. There are too many LTC managers who think of their staff as expendable and don't give a rodent's posterior about retention. :down: When I worked LTC, I enjoyed the work and the relationships with the residents but the attitudes of management toward the nursing staff were just too negative to take.

I think many experienced nurses are too burned out to do LTC and many new grads either just don't think about it as a career possibility or look down on it because it isn't as "glamorous" as other specialties. It's a shame because gerontology is the biggest area of growth in health care and, unless one works exclusively OB or peds, we're all going to be taking care of older adults at some point in our nursing careers.

Hope you find someone for your open positions soon.

Meredith09 · Aug 27, 2009

I hired 3 new grads. 2 worked one shift and then got a job closer to home. The other one just doesn't get it and argues when nurses with 25+ years of experience try to show her how to do things. My facility is in Massachusetts....you can walk to the Atlantic Ocean....tell your friends!!!

I feel for you on the flakey/ mouthy new grads...I haven't even made it to nursing school yet (hopefully this cycle, though), and I would be glad to go to work for you! :)

Plagueis · Aug 27, 2009

So I read posts here which bemoan the fact that new grads can't get jobs. Where do they all live? I have 2 32 hour positions I have not been able to fill. My facility is only a year old....looks like a hotel. Our staffing is better than any other skilled facility around. I'm saying...the nurses do meds,treatments, and charting..that's it --for 20 residents days and evenings. I have one nurse for the unit on 11-7. Why do I keep reading about all these new grads who can't get hired and I can't find enough nurses to fill my shifts? My pay scale is as good, if not better, than the other facilities around. What do I need to do to attract some good nurses?

CapeCodMermaid, if I could move from Jersey to where you're at to apply for the position, I would so be there. :)

I do agree with what Moogie posted about the perceived lack of "glamour" of working in skilled facility, as opposed to a hospital. It's still considered more prestigious to work in a hospital than in a skilled or LTC facility. Plus, from what I've been told by a few RNs, they believe that working in a LTC/skilled facility would somehow "hurt" them, and that it would make it harder for them to be accepted at a hospital. I don't get that at all. Is that what some hospitals believe? (As if it's "easy" to work in LTC.) :uhoh3:

achot chavi · Aug 27, 2009

I hired 3 new grads. 2 worked one shift and then got a job closer to home. The other one just doesn't get it and argues when nurses with 25+ years of experience try to show her how to do things. My facility is in Massachusetts....you can walk to the Atlantic Ocean....tell your friends!!!

Dont you love the new nurses who know it all. I welcome all comments and recommendations, but arguments? Besides if she disagrees with the older more experienced nurse, she can speak to you for advise how to approach it, not with arguments

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Aug 27, 2009

If I had a big enough house, I'd invite you all to come on down and live here. For the poster who said people in long term care cut corners, I'd have to disagree. My nurses all know to do things by the book because we never know when the survey team will be walking in. We are always ready for survey. I think the staff know I respect them and are thankful that they come to work every day to take care of our residents.

As to those who think working in long term care hurts your chances of working in a hospital, those ideas are changing. Our hospital will hire nurses from the sub acute floor because they realize now the skills it takes to work on one of those floors. I was offered a job in the ICU because the nurse manager there heard I ran a sub acute unit. She said "If you can do that, then having one patient in the ICU would be a cakewalk." Slowly, and with the combined voices of those of us who work in LTC and love it will be loud enough so everyone knows what we do and how valued we should be. I am not dissing anyone's specialty, but how many people end up in an ICU? 4% of the population? How many people end up staying at least a short while in a SNF? I think the numbers are up to 65% of the the population. We are all ahead of the game when it comes to knowing how to care for medically complex elders.

I shall now step off my soap box.

Losingfaith · Aug 27, 2009

HA! Please, honey, feel free to speak for yourself. CapeCod, thank you for advertising your willingness to take on new grads. Many of us just feel hopeful hearing stuff like that.

I said that was the dream, not the reality. At least where I am and the program I graduated from 99% were applying for major medical centers in the area (Chicago) in hopes of beginning their graduate programs next fall and growing their careers while still young and without a family. I also read a couple posts of new grads yesterday contemplating this same dilemma, unable to get into a hospital due to the freezes but LTR's offering them positions...I just think if those were the dream jobs of new grads they would not have such a hard time making that decision.

nyteshade, BSN · Aug 28, 2009

Not to say that your place is like this, but I was told that LTC are not a good place for new grads to start because of the all laws/rules they break and all the corners the cut...not a good way to start out when you are just learning.

It's silly to assume that this does not go on in the hospital...I've worked the acute side, and the LTC side. It's the same thing. I hope that with time you will see this for yourself.