Will there ever be a surplus of nursing jobs again?!

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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:

http://www.nursetogether.com/Career/Career-Article/itemid/2325/Misreading-the-Current-RN-Labor-Market.aspx

Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

Here's a thought: how about I'd the nursing schools actually teach people how to be nurses so hospitals don't have to spend so much time and money on training. I hire new grads and am amazed at how little they know when they graduate....can't even pass meds to more than 3 people without melting down.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

True enough. Although we just had a 20 year nurse leave. I was amazed at how little she knew. Like the action and effect of insulin, for example. I think there are good and bad nurses from all walks of life, not just new grads.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
People can (and do) default on student loans when they stop making payments, but the consequences are dire because this type of debt can never be written off or discharged. They'll garnish your wages, take your social security, and basically shake you down for every red cent. Either way, they're getting their money by any means necessary.

Hence, you cannot default on your loan. They're going to get their money from you, one way or another. My understanding of defaulting on a loan was you stopped payment on a loan, but the lender was essentially "stuck" with the remainder of the loan.

In any case, you're right: you can't walk away from a student loan.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

It ain't pretty:

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/default-student-loan-29859.html

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Don't know if I am just making this up, but I am remembering when applying for my license, the application asked if I had defaulted on ANY educational loans, child support payments, etc. These, I think prevent you from getting a nursing license in my state.

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Specializes in Nephrology.
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)

This is totally off topic but i had an administrator who actually asked if I would help them catch-up on charting while I was inpatient and pregnant! :eek:

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http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/minnecon/archive/2010/06/nursing-supply-and-demand-out-of-whack.shtml

This article shows the amount of new grads vs the amount of jobs.

The comments below the article are interesting.

The first comment from the nurse educator who cautioned against making any changes in the number of new grads they churn out every year was most interesting to me.

Of course she doesn't want any changes. The more new grads that get churned out, the more job security she has.

Also, what is so hard about looking at the number of people applying for RN licensure to figure out who is actually entering the nursing workforce vs. grouping together everyone graduating from a nursing program?

Of course the numbers get blurred when you group together people who are already RN's going back to school for higher degrees.

That's basic research and statistics taught in a basic BSN program.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.
Here's a thought: how about I'd the nursing schools actually teach people how to be nurses so hospitals don't have to spend so much time and money on training. I hire new grads and am amazed at how little they know when they graduate....can't even pass meds to more than 3 people without melting down.

A small percentage of the problem is the hospitals don't often give you the access to actually learn to do the job of a floor nurse. Your so restricted even to the touch of look but don't touch. Even at the hospital that gave us more access often the nurse wouldn't acknowledge that you were taking on of their patients and they would do everything 3 seconds before you went to do it so again get relegated to watching and scut work.

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Specializes in O.R., ED, M/S.

One point most people miss is until this country stops the drove of foreign nurses being imported into this country there will always be a glut of nurses. Allow the US trained nurses to compete for the jobs and you will probably see the applicants to drop at least 25% or more. Too many foreign nursing mills that are running just so they can come here and take jobs that belong to nurses that go to school here, overpriced mills or traditional programs. Sorry, sometimes the truth hurts.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.
One point most people miss is until this country stops the drove of foreign nurses being imported into this country there will always be a glut of nurses. Allow the US trained nurses to compete for the jobs and you will probably see the applicants to drop at least 25% or more. Too many foreign nursing mills that are running just so they can come here and take jobs that belong to nurses that go to school here, overpriced mills or traditional programs. Sorry, sometimes the truth hurts.

I DO agree with this ( even though I am from NZ myself though came here for love not money and without a nursing degree in hand). Though I was under the impression that no H1B (I don't know the term) had been issued in several years. And I agree with this not just because it's in my own self interest since I don't begrudge anyone the opportunity for a better life BUT because they tend to be so exclusionary once they are here. The US is my home now and no one likes to be hazed in their own home.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

The only time I've ever seen foreign nurses in "droves" was several years ago at a skilled facility. Apparently we weren't a good enough kind of place for American born nurses to work. With the downturn in the economy, I have too many applications from new grads who know next to nothing and experienced nurses who can't keep up with the pace required.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.
The only time I've ever seen foreign nurses in "droves" was several years ago at a skilled facility. Apparently we weren't a good enough kind of place for American born nurses to work. With the downturn in the economy, I have too many applications from new grads who know next to nothing and experienced nurses who can't keep up with the pace required.

Yes this is the setting I'm referring to. It's very hard to get your application past the front door. I have experience in areas other than skilled nursing but never can get my resume through to the interview stage. I really DO want to work in this setting and I never thought it would be so hard to get a nursing home position.

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