Will the nursing field become saturated with new graduate nurses in a few years?

lpnflorida, LPN · Feb 3, 2009

I think it pointless to worry trying to predict the future. Focus on today and what you can do during the economic times. The best advice anyone can give is, do not get into debt over your head. At some point try and sock away at least 3 months salary. I have known people who manage to get their education with few education loans. They did it through hard work and living very frugally often times staying with their parents.

Get your education . It is not a waste of your energies. Once you graduate and pass your boards then you see where it leads you.

None of us has a crystal ball. I can say for myself and others I know that we are not retiring as soon as we would have liked. Yet , still we all know the time will come when we can no longer work.

chicookie, BSN, RN · Feb 3, 2009

Here where I live this is true. Every semester the school I went to graduates 100-150 new nurses. That is only one school, there are about 3 more school in this area that also graduate new nurses every semester and I heard that there is a 4th in the works. That is about 300 new nurses every semester!That is alot of nurses so many that alot of them either have to move to find a job because Jacksonville is not hiring alot of nurses.

rngolfer53 · Feb 3, 2009

I'm trying to figure out that exact same thing!!
I know that nursing is something i'd be good at, and something that I want to do for myself and for my daughter. I'd like to keep hope that everything will work out, even if my first gig isn't my dream one...
its still stressful :/

I think the realization that first jobs are often less than ideal is key. You may very well have to work nights, in an area that isn't your real interest, etc. But you can usually move on from those jobs that just pay the rent in a year or so.

Right now there is a bottleneck in training nurses. The faculties at nursing schools are nearing retirement age, and this will have a limiting effect for a while on the number of new nurses.

Nursing is a discipline that offers many avenues of career options. Geriatric practice will likely become more and more in demand, for instance.

My advice would be to keep adding letters after your name, that is certifications in the area you work. Education shows an employer you are intent on your work, and willing to put in the time and effort to improve yourself, and the knowledge and expertise you bring to the job. It makes you stand out from the rest.

inland18mempire · Feb 3, 2009

I totally agree with what someone mentioned here. I can't even begin to tell you how many former nurses I've run into. The truth is, of those that graduate, several of those will end up quitting long before retirement age. New grads go from working full-time to gain experience... After they do that for a while they get burned out and switch to the inevitable part-time position. Then they leave nursing alltogether. I know very few nurses that have been a nurse for 20 years. I'm still new and I'm already getting burned out. If you think about other careers, such a teachers, I know many that have been teachers for a very long time. Not so much for nursing ;-( I suppose this is GOOD news for new grads, but not so good if you're looking for a long term career.

wonderbee, BSN, RN · Feb 3, 2009

Depends on the location. Where there are a lot of nursing schools, stands to reason there will be a lot of grads grabbing up those bedside jobs. If they leave, there will be another grad to take their slot.

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2009

Agree with the previous comments about a bottleneck at the gates to nursing school. In addition, new grads are currently getting squeezed by two factors: the shortage of existing nurses/potential preceptors, and the fact that hospitals see hiring new grads as an investment, since they (we, I should say) take a good long while to reach a point where we're as useful as someone with even just one year's experience. In a tight economy, it shouldn't be a surprise that hospitals will try to cut costs by not hiring people who would earn a full salary while doing maybe half the work an experienced nurse could manage.

That said, it is a really good industry to align yourself with during an economic downturn. And there will be jobs out there for new grads, as long as you're willing to compromise for a while if need be.

sunray12 · Feb 4, 2009

In response to the title of this thread - No.

OP is making this post I think because of the numerous threads on this board and maybe on others by people experiencing the frustration of looking for their first job. I think you ought to know that many new grads in every field go through this in every type of economy not just this one. Employers don't tend to wait on the sidelines at graduation ceremonies and hand people jobs. If you've read anything indicating this is so consider it urban legend or an exception to the norm. For most new grads in any field finding a job is a full time job and to get one you have to hustle.

Also it's best not to use an internet board - any internet board - as your sole source of information. This is a good information source for nurses but it's not the only one. You only see one side of things. Some nuances are exaggerated online and others are downplayed. That's the nature of this medium of communication.

And unemployment should also be defined. I've seen people on this board saying they can't find jobs in one line and in the next line of the same post they say they have already turned down two jobs. "Nursing shortage" does not mean you will get the exact nursing job you want under dream conditions that may not exist in the first place. It just means if you want a nursing job you will mostly likely be able to find one - somewhere. Bottom line - to keep things in perspective - talk to nurses and other health care professionals in real time not just online.

And if nursing school is what you want to do then go for it keeping in mind that as long as they have people, they'll need nurses. Good luck.

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2009

Nursing recruiters are going to have to get off this "high horse" and hospitals are going to have to start beefing up programs to get ready for new grads or else in a few years, as more and more "experienced" nurses find other career options, their bodies give out, or they just decide to quit...if they think they are having trouble finding experience now...it will be worse in a few years.

Everyone cannot start out in med-surg...acute care, critical care, ICU, trauma, all of these specialties needs staffing too and if you find a new grad willing to work hard to study, be open minded and learn...there is no reason why a new grad cannot learn these areas.

The mindset of recruiters really needs to change.

walk6miles · Feb 4, 2009

One unit in the hospital in which I work is saturated with new nurses - most of those of us who are experienced took early retirement last year.

From what I see, and I qualify this by saying the following comments relate to the new nurses that I work with:

If the call light goes off, they ignore it -- oh, by the way, they don't hear the alarms, call lights, or telephone with their IPOD's on blasting music in their ears.

If it's a weekend night - call in at the last minute.....better yet, set things up so that you have family leave - that way, you can't get written up for calling in!! One newbie has family leave for her ear infections - how does that work??

Get a reputation for never, ever, bathing a patient - oh, yeah, that's why we have one tech for the entire unit - so you can order him or her to bathe your patients.

Bring your personal information to the lounge so that while we wait for our assignments (three in ICU) we can give you advice.... hey, my advice is that the married man you screwed around with for three years now has left his wife but not for you - he has some other woman. Didn't you hear me say if he screws around on her, he will screw around on you.

Bring all your anger to work with you - throw charts at your coworkers....take your hostility out on us. Slam things, threaten your patients with restraints if they dare ask you one time too many for something meaningless like a drink of water!!

Sleep at the desk...put your head down and sleep. I will be happy to watch your patients.

Sorry, I wasn't there when your clinical advisor told you that you would not be required to handle stool, blood, vomit, or urine.....

I still love my job, 20 years later, I love it...... you will need to find your "soul" if you intend to stay in nursing. I wish you the patience and inner strength. Not all of us are meant to be nurses.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2009

One unit in the hospital in which I work is saturated with new nurses - most of those of us who are experienced took early retirement last year.
From what I see, and I qualify this by saying the following comments relate to the new nurses that I work with:
If the call light goes off, they ignore it -- oh, by the way, they don't hear the alarms, call lights, or telephone with their IPOD's on blasting music in their ears.
If it's a weekend night - call in at the last minute.....better yet, set things up so that you have family leave - that way, you can't get written up for calling in!! One newbie has family leave for her ear infections - how does that work??
Get a reputation for never, ever, bathing a patient - oh, yeah, that's why we have one tech for the entire unit - so you can order him or her to bathe your patients.
Bring your personal information to the lounge so that while we wait for our assignments (three in ICU) we can give you advice.... hey, my advice is that the married man you screwed around with for three years now has left his wife but not for you - he has some other woman. Didn't you hear me say if he screws around on her, he will screw around on you.
Bring all your anger to work with you - throw charts at your coworkers....take your hostility out on us. Slam things, threaten your patients with restraints if they dare ask you one time too many for something meaningless like a drink of water!!
Sleep at the desk...put your head down and sleep. I will be happy to watch your patients.
Sorry, I wasn't there when your clinical advisor told you that you would not be required to handle stool, blood, vomit, or urine.....
I still love my job, 20 years later, I love it...... you will need to find your "soul" if you intend to stay in nursing. I wish you the patience and inner strength. Not all of us are meant to be nurses.

Friend of mine at my last assignment, a good GN, knew a girl in school who quit in their senior year. The girl got her impression of nursing from the TV show E.R. She absolutely thought she was going to hang out in offices argueing about moral issues and telling people what to do with their personal lives......mixed in with an infrequent trip to a pt. room to be the one who discovers some obvious detail that everyone else has missed and save said pt.

Halfway throught the senior semester, she realized instructors were watching things like if she did baths and collected specimans. She decided she didnt want to do these parts of the job and changed majors.......to accounting I believe.

I see more and more facilities going to a primary care system. People of this sort, the girl I described and the people you described, cant function in primary nursing environments. That, to me, is the single biggest advantage to primary nursing. You sink or you swim, no delegating.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 4, 2009

are there any similar careers that are kind of like nursing? or should i just stick with nursing? i dont want to graduate from nursing school in the next two years and not be able to find a job because there are too many nurses and not enough jobs.

no industry is recession proof. four years ago i looked at my state bon's website and saw that many of the licensed nurses in my state were not working. this week i looked at my state bon's website and saw that active licenses now outnumber inactive licenses 2:1 for most nurses and certifications and in one category, rns, it is 3:1. this makes sense to me…. there are not many who can afford to retire right now. many of my co-workers have told me that he/she would retire (or did retire) but now his/her savings is wiped out by the stock market and cannot afford to retire. not to mention owning a house that is worthless then it was upon purchase or losing a home because either they or their spouse lost a job.

plus, if there is a nursing shortage in your area, it probably means experienced nurses; not new grads. so many new grads are out of work around the country. this is the first year since my hospital has had a new graduate program where they could not hire every applicant from my graduating class. therefore, you should go into nursing if you like nursing. this way no matter how bad the market is in your area or others, you will continue to work as a nurse or stick out trying to find a job because nursing is your passion as well as a necessity (we all need money too). in order to better your chances for employment become a cna then a nurse extern while in nursing school. this way you will be the first chosen to work by your employers when you graduate. gl! :twocents:

Athenas83 · Feb 4, 2009

Don't worry. I just graduated and found a job before I graduated. So did a bunch of my classmates.