Where is the nursing shortage?

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Specializes in ICU.

I was looking into University of Portland's nursing program, and came across a video about how their nursing school and others in the Portland area are especially difficult to get into because there is no nursing shortage in Portland. Here's the video if you want to check it out:

Where exactly is the nursing shortage? Would these locations be relatively easier to get into? Does the location of where you get your degree matter after graduation?

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I think the nursing shortage is in parts of the country that has a shortage in just about everything else. Take, for instance, back hills Louisiana, Mississippi, and rural north. Appalachia, etc. Where there are shortages in community services, there are shortages of medical services.

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Specializes in Endoscopy/MICU/SICU.

Try states where the economy is good, low unemployment, etc. Think places like North Dakota and Oklahoma.

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Specializes in Telemetry, OB, NICU.

Kentucky would be one too. Even though it is not the most attractive state.

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Keep in mind that a major component of the nursing shortage is due to the shortage in nursing education.

Many four-year programs are looking at applicants who express an interest in working in academics as part of their career goals. One of the reasons schools are so competitive is because there just aren't enough instructors to expand programs, at least here on the West Coast. That's why there has been such a shift towards the appeal of BSN degrees as opposed to two-year programs, and massive amounts of funding opportunities for BSN students who continue with their education.

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Specializes in Telemetry, OB, NICU.

That's true. Nursing shortage is for BSN and higher degrees. Great shortage on nursing instructors in nsg schools.

People who can't find jobs are usually the ones who don't hold BSN or higher.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

There is no nursing shortage.......click on the link here and the one below. Browse the Nursing Career Advice

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/no-nursing-shortage-752411.html

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Lets be honest, economy is messed up.

If nurses have a hard time getting a job, then almost everyone is having a hard time. There is not a single career thats easy to get.

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I read an article from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing recently that indicated that there were more new RN graduates than jobs for them in 28 states. Only Alaska and Nevada had more entry-level jobs than graduates. For Nevada, the shortage was the the part of the state outside of Reno and Las Vegas.

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Specializes in PCU, LTAC, Corrections.

There really is a shortage however this must be broken down into two groups: the ADN/BSN shortage and the advanced practice nurse shortage. In some areas of the nations Rn's ( both BSN and ADN prepared) have reached full market saturation. In other parts of the nation there is a true lack of RNs. APNs however are wanted nationwide. That is where the true shortage is. Most nurses do not continue past their BSN ( if they even get that far).According to NursingWorld, in 2011 there were 3.1 million RNs in the nation. Out of that number only 2.6 million were employed in the field. Out of that only 250,527 were APRNs. That is where the shortage is located. However, it also depends on your local market. This has not deterred me from getting my BSN through an ABSN. I am willing to spend the funds because I know the opportunity is great. The baby boom generation once they start increasing in age will need medical care. The birth rate has dropped but that is due to the job outlook. Once the baby boomers well and truly begin to retire ( because they cannot work forever) things will change. I know things might not look the best right now however it will pay off in the end.

It will not deter me from becoming a nurse and hopefully becoming a neonatal or pediatric ICU ( or anything in the ICU) nurse.

It just might take time.

link : http://nursingworld.org/NursingbytheNumbersFactSheet.aspx

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Like, Esme mentioned, there is no nursing shortage if a nurse is defined as an RN (I know LPNs are nurses, too but just for purposes of discussion) and a job is any job that can be done by an RN.

When you hear it said that "there is a shortage, but . . ." followed by any number of qualifiers related to geography or whether or not you have an ADN or a BSN or how many applicants there were for your program, that is not a shortage. It's an issue of distribution or employer preference.

When you hear it said that there is a shortage of faculty, you might ask the AACN why it is pushing hard for a nursing doctorate requirement to teach when most presently employed have Master's degrees.

When you hear news reports like this, they usually aren't considering the impact of distance learning (online degrees) which aren't tied to the physical limits of a classroom or building or people currently bridging from LPN to RN, or RN to BSN.

When you hear that there is a shortage because nurse: patient ratios are high at your local facility and nurses are available for hire . . . "shortage" is the wrong word to use.

I would never tell anyone to drop the idea of being a nurse, just to get a realistic idea of what you'll be facing in the job market.

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The Valley - southernmost Texas: Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen.

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