Why Is There A Shortage?

Harleyhead · Dec 31, 2003

Ther are many reasons for the nursing shortage. My personal favorite is nurse to pt ratio. I beleive that over worked nurses are not happy in their jobs.

minurse · Dec 31, 2003

My theory deals with management. check out http://www.laurenbrasile.com for more details.

sierranic · Dec 31, 2003

I believe it all starts at the educational level!! If there is such a shortage then the government should see to it that anyone who wants to be a nurse should have the opprotunity to be one. Rather than only picking out select students that the institution sees fit for their program. The government should step in and see to it that there are more programs available to accompany the many students who want to enter the field. At my school we have over 300-400 applicants and only 64 seats. Wouldn't it make sense to offer more seats to get more nurses trained? But then again, I can see if we did offer it to everyone, then some nurses would never be able to find a job because of the overload of nurses available on the job market. But they could atleast offer a few more students the opprotunity to get their education rather than telling them they don't fit their student profile and turn them away.... We could be shutting the door on some really good nurses... But that's just my opinion!!

LisaRN2B · Dec 31, 2003

Originally posted by sierranic
I believe it all starts at the educational level!! If there is such a shortage then the government should see to it that anyone who wants to be a nurse should have the opprotunity to be one. Rather than only picking out select students that the institution sees fit for their program. The government should step in and see to it that there are more programs available to accompany the many students who want to enter the field. At my school we have over 300-400 applicants and only 64 seats. Wouldn't it make sense to offer more seats to get more nurses trained? But then again, I can see if we did offer it to everyone, then some nurses would never be able to find a job because of the overload of nurses available on the job market. But they could atleast offer a few more students the opprotunity to get their education rather than telling them they don't fit their student profile and turn them away.... We could be shutting the door on some really good nurses... But that's just my opinion!!

With all due respect, I must disagree with many of these points. I think that, yes, there should be more available seats, but the answer does not lie necessarily in govenment intervention. If the educational institutions would recognize the value of their teachers and pay them accordingly there may be a solution to the shortage of instructors, as well.

I am not sure that the percentage of admits to nursing programs would be huge anyway, even with more seats. Yes, maybe get rid of a few long waiting lists, but not all people wanting to be a nurse could or should. Simply opening the gates to anyone who wants to be a nurse...I don't know about that. I think the waiting lists are yet another way to weed out those who REALLY want to be a nurse and those who don't in some cases. I am all for strict admission policies.

I am not trying to flame you here, just offering some other discussion for healthy debate.

SteelTownRN · Dec 31, 2003

I have to agree that not everyone who applies to nursing should be admitted to the program or has a right to be a nurse. I have been on an admissions committee for years, and can definitely speak from experience on that one. If we admitted everyone who applied, we would have numbers only and no quality of nursing. The resources, such as class, lab and clinical space, as well as available qualified faculty would be tapped out so quickly that your head would spin.

The nursing shortage has so many identifiable causes, that pinpointing one of them is hard to do. Admitting everyone who is interested in being a nurse looks good on paper, but in theory, would be a natural disaster.

Hope I'm not offending anyone. Just adding some thoughts.

STG

wjf00 · Dec 31, 2003

During the last nursing shortage hospitals chose to recruit overseas nurses. When they were sucessful and realized they could save money as well they accelerated the hiring. Then as cycles go there was a bit of a glut, salaries dropped dramatically. Enrollment in Nursing schools fell and long time nurses left the profession. Low and behold things have cycled again and the hospital industries "quick fix scheme" to lower wages has come back to bite them in the butt. Do you think they will learn this time and increase wages and improve working conditions. Or will we have another round of imported labor. I am very much for immigration, but when it used to drive down wages it has a way of backfiring. Make nursing an attractive career choice and you will have no problem finding future nurses.

live4today, RN · Dec 31, 2003

Originally posted by wjf00
During the last nursing shortage hospitals chose to recruit overseas nurses......................................................................

.......................Or will we have another round of imported labor. I am very much for immigration, but when it used to drive down wages it has a way of backfiring...............................

Where I used to work, "imported labor" was in FULL force! The place has no respect for its nurses. Labor is what they want, and they want it at no forethought to the abuse the nurses suffer.

There is NO nursing shortage the way people on the outside may view it as being. There's a shortage of well trained professional managers who are the root of most of the problem sending nurses scurrying out the doors. :rolleyes:

itsme · Dec 31, 2003

I dont believe there is a shortage, maybe a shortage of licensed nurses working in there feild, but not of nurses. I think there are alot of nurses working in other fields, for better hours, better working conditions, benefits... I have a friend who got burnt out on working all different shifts, having a lot of BS around the job, and working her tail off, but still being considered part time (thus no health insurance) and she now works in a factory type job. Less hourly wage (not by much) gets mon thru thurs work 10 hours a day, fulll health, dental and vision benefits, less stress, profit sharing, the whole nine yards. She loves it. One of the real estate agents in town here worked as a nurse for years also and got burned out.... so I think it is just a shortage of nurses working as nurses!!

J. B. · Dec 31, 2003

intervention helps.

Its respect and compensation.

The point that there a is a shortage of working RN is a true enough account. But what is scary is the fact that there are fewer entering the nursing programs.

Public is much more informed and when one does their research they learn very quickly that nursind doesnt keep up with inflation and there are less risky professions for self and health to provide for oneself and family.

So as we grow older and become one of the most contributing demographics contributing to the need for health care I am concerned.

My opinion is that it is respect and compensaytion that is contributing to the shortage (whether it is those leaving or those not entering the profession)

What I see for future is greater and greater influx of foregin nurses. It is here that some collegic efforts are being made in addition to other efforts to encourage and promote new blood into the profession.

Unfortunatly it may sound bleek but after 24 yrs as a male nurse in the profession I dont see it improving much.

I again also believe that the students these days recognize the work involved and dont see the compensation for the efforts and dedication it takes to be a good RN. They see the dissatifaction DR are facing with Ins Corp dittating healthcare. Its not the same world it was 30-40 years ago.

When you count the beans it make one wonder if it is worth it when a Grocery Clerk makes as much as a RN

or that a Dential Higenist makes 20-30K more a years to start.

sorry Im rambleing

.

New Castle Ken · Dec 31, 2003

Originally posted by Melly1022
Hello all. Newbie here. :-) I've got a question for those of you who have been in the profession for a while.

Question: If nursing is such a good profession to be in, why is there a shortage?

There are many reasons for the nursing shortage and that is the problem to finding a solution. The average age now of practicing nurses is more advanced than it used to be. Nurses usually go part time if they can afford it or retire early when they are in their late 40s and 50s. The job is strenuous and stressful which makes it harder to keep up with as you get older.

There are fewer applicants for nursing programs at the BS level for new nursing students. There are so many careers for women that nursing is one of many choices now whereas in the past there were fewer choices. Nurses now have a high starting salary because of the shortage but down the road other college graduates make more money. Nursing is very difficult work and stressful. You have to rotate shifts, work weekends, and holidays, which doesn't appeal to everyone. No matter how dedicated you start out, working weekends and fighting over holidays gets very old. Nurses are frequently mandated to work an extra shift. If you say no and leave you are abandoning your patients and can be reported to the nursing board and risk losing your license.

The faculty at all nursing schools is aging and there is a shortage of nursing instructors, so schools can not expand their programs. As these aging instructors retire in the very near future there may not be enough new instructors to take their place.

New female nurses leave the profession at high rates during the first 5 years. Males leaving are double the rate of females.

Coupled with all of this is the general aging population that will require more medical and nursing care in the very near future.

Hope this helps.

Ken

http://www.kbrownson.com

BayMae10 · Dec 31, 2003

just to add another point to this conversation. my mother has also been a nurse for many years...she said she feels, when ask once for and interview, yes all those things are true, over worked under payed, but many nurses are getting ready to retire. they have come to that age and when my mother went to school you had tfour choices, nurse, teacher, secratary, or you got married......the choices now for girls (sorry men) are endless....so why be the nurse when you know you can make one hell of a doctor. just some food for though.