Just wondering what everyone's perspective is on this. The average RN is 45 y/o, and shortages seem to be cyclical. Do you believe that over-saturation of the market with new grad nurses will obliterate the long-term shortage? OR..as the economy continues to show signs of improvement (slowly, but surely..it is), will nurses leave the profession like they did before the economy tanked?
This article does a good job of putting things into perspective:
why in the snot would someone pay 120k to get an rn?
whoever is paying that needs some comparison "shopping".....those mills want money, passing test scores on nclex, and don't care if you learn how to do nursing....just that you know enough from the books to get by...
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
why in the snot would someone pay 120k to get an rn?
it gets even worse. . .there's a for-profit trade school in california that charges $132,000 in tuition for a bsn program and the chance to earn an rn license. if financed at 6.8 percent over 10 years, the payments on a $132,000 student loan would exceed $1,519 per month!
i feel sorry for the students out there who actually traveled down this path, could not find employment, and had to default on such staggering debt. it is a perpetual ball-and-chain that will never go away.
maybe....if all the nurses contracted a disease and all had to be hospitalized, but there was no one to be the nurse of the nurse in the hospital because they were all sick.
Other than that, i can't think of any way there would be a nursing shortage. even then they would find a way to make us nurses still do the work. ("You can chart while your on bed rest!!!! what a wonderful idea)
Sure the nursing surplus is bad, but i can think of quite a few more professions where the competition is WAY WAY WAY more stiffer.. Firefighting for example.. Ive been testing with various departments while waiting to finish my pre-reqs for nursing school.. and lemme tell you total in the country there are only mayybe about a 5,000 spots... ive tested with departments where 3500 people were competing for 50 spots.. FDNY had 61,000 people apply this year and from what i heard they are only going to be hiring around a 1,000 people..
190,000 people competing for 105,000 spots isnt all too bad.. It could be WAY WORSE! just be a great interviewer, try to make connections and be a good person and youll get a job..
Here in Illinois there are just so many nursing programs, Illinois can fill every new grad position available across the country. Just keep scolling down after you click the link and you will be stunned.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
The false nursing shortage propaganda is self seving and put out by those who stand to gain financialy from a glut of nurses on the market. It is a cynical scheme to make money at the expence of bright people who wish to enter a field with stabiliety.
Many of us (those of us who have been nurses for a while now) could feel the difference the moment (for my hospital that was early 2010) there where more nurses applying for each opening. Administration's threatment of nurses went from respectful and decent to "it's my way or the hiway". We went from being difficult to replace assets to nothing more than easily replaceable labor and an expence for the hospital to be cut any way possible. It was like walking into a freezer, I mean you could really feel the difference. All raises were frozen, health and other insurance premiums increased, effectivly cutting our wages, silly and stupid ideas from managment (scripting, Magnet etc) that previously were impossible to get nurses to go along with were now "you will do it or you can find some other place to work". The wage cuts for nurses, and forcing nurses to care for unsafe number of patients have made the hospitals lots of money. It is in their interest to create a glut of nurses. Along with the for profit "RN mills" and the public schools who have seen their funding and importance in the college or university grow. These people make money off the hopes and dreams of nurse wannbes and they make money by endangering patient safety.
I was very lucky in that I was able to find a great job at a great non-Magnet hospital where we have a union that prevents managment from abusing us. I still work at the big Magnet hospital I described above on a part time basis, but I am happy my living does not depend on them.
It gets even worse. . .there's a for-profit trade school in California that charges $132,000 in tuition for a BSN program and the chance to earn an RN license. If financed at 6.8 percent over 10 years, the payments on a $132,000 student loan would exceed $1,519 per month!
I feel sorry for the students out there who actually traveled down this path, could not find employment, and had to default on such staggering debt. It is a perpetual ball-and-chain that will never go away.
How would anyone make the payment?? And I've read the horror stories. I thought paying 40,000 for my 4 year BSN was enough. There is something wrong there. Canadians pay on average 45 to 65 000 for a 4 year program at any school in the country. We have great schools.
100 000 is obscene. What in the world are they paying for?
Here in Illinois there are just so many nursing programs, Illinois can fill every new grad position available across the country. Just keep scolling down after you click the link and you will be stunned.
Why in the world would any community allow so many nursing programs in the locale? Who is responsible for this mess? Someone, or some agency, is approving these programs. What criteria is used to validate the need for more nursing programs? That is where you need to start.
Also, I have no doubt that if nursing pushed for mandatory staffing ratios in hospitals and nursing homes, that there would indeed be a nursing shortage.
I am from NYC. I was recruited to California in 1979 after California went to staffing ratios in the ICUs, stepdown units, etc. They recruited out of state because they did not have enough nurses to fulfill the legal requirements of the staffing ratios.
If the nation went to mandatory staffing ratios it would be alot different than it is now. The hospital would HAVE TO HIRE MORE NURSES TO FULFILL THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE STAFFING RATIOS!! The country would need more nurses. Period.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
If the nation went to mandatory staffing ratios it would be alot different than it is now. The hospital would HAVE TO HIRE MORE NURSES TO FULFILL THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE STAFFING RATIOS!! The country would need more nurses. Period.
JMHO and my NY $0.02.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Somewhere in the PACNW
Darn good point!
I used to be sceptical of ratios until I had the chance to work in California. It didn't make much difference in the ICU but when floated to med-surg it sure did. Here in Wisconsin I expect up to 8 on med-surg and these people are sick. NTG gtts, lasix gtts, patients who are total care are common. Not safe.
This article attempts to convey the retirement situation of older RNs. However, retirement will likely be pushed back d/t the economy (diminished 401ks, cut pensions, unemployed spouse, etc).
With the economy the way it is now, and with jobs not being abundant in other fields, I wonder what the new grad RN turnover rate has been over the last 3 years.
New Grad RNs can only hope that as the economy improves, older nurses will leave their jobs for whatever reason (retirement, going PRN, etc.), and staffing ratios improve.
Hopefully medicare isn't cut anymore either, but with politics being the way they are now..who knows? Regardless of your political party, you can thank the Republicans for wanting more Medicare cuts in addition to the already agreed pre-obamacare cuts, not Obamacare. Not saying I'm for Obamacare, but just food for thought.
I worked in the Hill Country- they were always looking for nurses.... GREAT place to work :)
Rural hospitals hurt the entire 17 years I lived there.
And not just in the Hill Country. We had an opening for a night LVN for over 4 months. We are finally getting a new grad from a nearby CC class that graduates next week.
All occupations have up and down cycles unless they are jobs that are becoming extinct, like a typewriter repairman or long distance operator.
xtxrn, ASN, RN
4,267 Posts
why in the snot would someone pay 120k to get an rn?
whoever is paying that needs some comparison "shopping".....those mills want money, passing test scores on nclex, and don't care if you learn how to do nursing....just that you know enough from the books to get by...