Why?

USMCRN2015 · Oct 23, 2014

Make yourself part of the 30 they accept. Don't give them a reason to say no or pick someone else. There's two types of people, those that ***** about what they want, or take it. Choice is yours.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Oct 23, 2014

I'm not sure what you mean by nursing students who complain of the hard work, but refuse to do the work....? Nursing students who don't meet expectations are typically dropped from their programs. Do you know something different?

As for nursing shortages, that is (by and large) a myth of the media, and one the public believes but is generally untrue. It IS true that in some areas of the country new grads have no difficulty finding work, but in many areas, they are a dime a dozen: new grads, those with no experience, often struggle to find any employment before the NEXT crop of new grads graduates.

A word about difficulty getting into nursing schools: Instructors are typically paid considerably less than they could earn in an acute-care hospital setting, and therefore the most desirable candidates for those positions frequently don't want to teach. That is NOT saying that you won't find really wonderful instructors teaching, it just means that sometimes schools are limited by how many they can hire.

On top of that, schools are ALSO limited by the number of students they can reasonably accommodate in clinical settings: hospitals, outpatient facilities, nursing homes all have students in the facility and usually more than one school. Or more than three. And everyone needs time to learn, so.....that limits space.

I would strongly suggest you take a look at your local area, where you're interested in working, and see just what (if any) need there is for new grads. You might find you still are willing to wait for a seat in a nursing program (btw, wait lists are common across the country). Or, you might find yourself willing to relocate to an area where you might have more success (both in getting into school, AND in getting a job afterward).

Good luck in your decisions! :)

labordude, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2014

This is really two different, but related issues. The shortage of spaces in nursing programs is related to the shortage of nursing educators. If more people were hired to fill those roles, the programs would have more ability to take on more students. The market is not fantastic for new nurses (there are some regional variations). Part of this is that there have been some poor assumptions regarding retirement of nurses that never happened (for multiple reasons), decreases in the number of in-hospital nurse educator and new grad training programs, and an overall shift in hiring processes by hospitals in general.

Don't give up if this is what you want. You may just have to be flexible and patient. Good luck!

MidLifeRN2012 · Oct 23, 2014

Try a BSN program at a private college. A lot of those schools don't have waiting lists but they are expensive and you may not get enough financial aid to cover it all especially if you have a bachelors already

If you live in the Chicago area 2 schools are Resurrection University and Lewis University. No wait lists.

But I have to tell you that there is no nursing shortage. That is a lie perpetuated by the schools to get your money. The market is currently saturated with new grads who can't get jobs. You can read all about this issue all throughout this forum. It took me 2 years to get a job. And I have 25 years of work experience in another field and 2 Bachelors. Thank God I kept my day job during nursing school and the 2 years after.

I don't mean to discourage you but I'd hate to see you go in blindly thinking you will be guaranteed a job after graduation. It is just not true and the school recruiters won't tell you this. It's ugly out here for new nurses right now.

firstinfamily, RN · Oct 24, 2014

You might try on-line colleges, they are also more costly but seem to satisfy the student's need. It is true the media keeps telling us about the impending nursing shortage, but this is mostly because the baby boomer nurses will be retiring in the next 10-15 years, that is if we can afford to!!! Nursing colleges have limited enrollments because they do not have enough faculty to teach and limited clinical sites. Time keeps on going and tuition does not get any cheaper, so you need to investigate a little further into what your expenditures will be and if you can afford to leave the area where you are for a more reasonable entry time. Make sure before you devote your time and money to nursing college that there is a need in your area. New grads are having difficulties finding work at this time.

klone, MSN, RN · Oct 24, 2014

There is no high demand for nurses. Buyer beware. Research your city - many areas of the country have new nurses searching 3-12 months before they can find a nursing job, and it's usually not their first choice in an acute care hospital.