Will the nursing shortage ever end?

diva rn, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2011

diva, she is a CNA not an RN.

Right, that's what I said, "I see you are not a nurse yet", yet if she is a CNA how can she make the statement that Florida needs so many nurses...believe me, where I live, Florida does not.

I am just curious as to where she got that notion.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2011

Sure, there is a need for nurses in both Ohio and Florida. FL has some of the poorest ratios around.

The question is WILL THE FACILITIES EVER HIRE ENOUGH STAFF/NEW GRADS!

And the answer is often a resounding, NO!

No one argues that nurses are overworked and overextended, the endpoint is will employers hire more staff.

Sure, the public sees jobs listed and sees nurses running their feet off. They don't realize that many of those jobs have requirements that are difficult to fill, already pegged for an internal candidate, or undoable in hours or pay. They also don't realize that the facility deliberately underhires. So they assume the shortage is true.

MissBrahmsRN · Jul 28, 2011

They also don't realize that the facility deliberately underhires. So they assume the shortage is true.

my hospital system definitely underhires! if you dig enough you can find several articles where hospital execs freely state that it's cheaper to offer your current staff overtime rather than hire more staff. it sounds good to lots of people, i have plenty of coworkers who make tons of money working 12-24 hrs OT each week but they burn out pretty quick like that..the hospital system doesnt care, for each 2-5 year burnt out RN there are like 11 new grads right behind him/her. they are cheaper and in debt from schooling so they love OT...and so it goes round and round:uhoh3:

aamco · Jul 30, 2011

no nursing shorage in north carolina

allnurses Guide · Jul 30, 2011

Right, but as the boomers finally die off,

Is it taking too long? :lol2: I'm getting wind of an evil plot - I probably shouldn't tell you guys but we plan to work until we're completely incapacitated and then immediately keel over and die right there on the spot depriving new grads of the jobs that are rightfully theirs if we would just get the hell out of the way and becoming the hordes of old people languishing about and providing jobs for everyone! :cool:

they will be replaced by the overstaggering number of nurses that are being churned out now in record numbers...which will still ==no real shortage...at least not like we used to know it a few year ago.

Eventually they will snap from the stress and form tribes chartering bus trips to those places listed as "plenty of jobs here what are y'all whining about?" I understand Fresno is one such area. I understand from reading the "roll call" thread that Palm Beach, Palm Springs, Brentwood, Miami, Honolulu, and La Jolla are having a horrible time recruiting nurses.

chevyv, BSN, RN · Jul 31, 2011

Not even close to a shortage in Wisconsin. Can't even land ltc! :crying2:

dnay · Aug 2, 2011

Regardless if there is a technical nursing shortage or not, we all know that nurses are having a hard time find jobs, especially new grads, in general. My question is why the flock to nursing? I am not trying to knock down anybody for choosing nursing,I myself, have been out of high school for a one year and I am choosing nursing. I eventually want to either be a PA or NP and study something like nutrition or herbal medicine from a naturopathic school. It just seems like everyone is going to nursing school. People are being waitlisted for years, denied from nursing school, taking out huge loans,etc.. Why not do something else in the medical field? -- a Physical Therapist, Physical Therapist Assistant, Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienist, Massage therapist, etc... especially those who have recently gotten laid off, can't find a job, etc...Can someone answer this? :confused:

DizzyLizzyNurse · Aug 3, 2011

Regardless if there is a technical nursing shortage or not, we all know that nurses are having a hard time find jobs, especially new grads, in general. My question is why the flock to nursing? I am not trying to knock down anybody for choosing nursing,I myself, have been out of high school for a one year and I am choosing nursing. I eventually want to either be a PA or NP and study something like nutrition or herbal medicine from a naturopathic school. It just seems like everyone is going to nursing school. People are being waitlisted for years, denied from nursing school, taking out huge loans,etc.. Why not do something else in the medical field? -- a Physical Therapist, Physical Therapist Assistant, Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienist, Massage therapist, etc... especially those who have recently gotten laid off, can't find a job, etc...Can someone answer this?

Maybe they can't afford more school. Or take off more time to go to school. Plus I just read that the dental field is saturated too.

allnurses Guide · Aug 3, 2011

Regardless if there is a technical nursing shortage or not, we all know that nurses are having a hard time find jobs, especially new grads, in general. My question is why the flock to nursing? I am not trying to knock down anybody for choosing nursing,I myself, have been out of high school for a one year and I am choosing nursing. I eventually want to either be a PA or NP and study something like nutrition or herbal medicine from a naturopathic school. It just seems like everyone is going to nursing school. People are being waitlisted for years, denied from nursing school, taking out huge loans,etc.. Why not do something else in the medical field? -- a Physical Therapist, Physical Therapist Assistant, Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienist, Massage therapist, etc... especially those who have recently gotten laid off, can't find a job, etc...Can someone answer this?

I'm not entirely sure about that but I know that for years there has been a drumbeat nursing shortage nursing shortage etc and there have been many outreach progams to interest high school students in the field, it was constantly talked up in publications with "hot jobs" articles appearing in popular magazines. The stigma of "women only" started to fade out as well. People my age may remember that for a while if you said you wanted to be a nurse, a teacher or a secretary people would recoil in horror . . .at least they did at the progressive all-girl Catholic high school I attended. :)

For years the shortage was portrayed as a crisis. They even put a surcharge on our license renewal fees for scholarships for low income people to become nurses and many state "welfare to work" programs picked up on this and paid for people to go through nursing school.

The colleges of nursing and the ANA are still saying there is a shortage. The for-profit schools obviously will not tell the truth. They tend to have their viewpoint reach the public eye. The working schlubs and students who know what it is really like don't have a voice. So I expect the disconnect between public perception and reality to continue unabated for a long time.

It may be that Physical Therapy, Dental Hygienist, etc have been mentioned but they are not as numerous, flexible and easily understood by the average person as a "nurse". I wish I could answer with more specifics but those are observations from watching the field for longer than I care to admit. :-)

nursemike, ASN, RN · Aug 3, 2011

Is it taking too long? I'm getting wind of an evil plot - I probably shouldn't tell you guys but we plan to work until we're completely incapacitated and then immediately keel over and die right there on the spot depriving new grads of the jobs that are rightfully theirs if we would just get the hell out of the way and becoming the hordes of old people languishing about and providing jobs for everyone!
Eventually they will snap from the stress and form tribes chartering bus trips to those places listed as "plenty of jobs here what are y'all whining about?" I understand Fresno is one such area. I understand from reading the "roll call" thread that Palm Beach, Palm Springs, Brentwood, Miami, Honolulu, and La Jolla are having a horrible time recruiting nurses.

I plan to clock out and go on comfort measures on my last day at work. Not so much because I want to. I'll retire today if someone will just give me a bunch of money. But I continue to waste money on a 401K that I should be investing in beer and cigarettes, so in 15years, 9days, my job will be open, hopefully.

The job market in nursing is weird, now, just like in most fields. A hospital in Fla. was recently (couple months ago) offering a 10K sign on bonus for experienced neuro nurses. There are jobs, and people are getting hired. It's much harder than it was a few years ago, but that's true throughout the economy, and not only in the US.

I have to say, I'm a bit perplexed about these vast, invading hoardes of new GNs. Fairly recently--like, 2-3 years ago--prospective nursing students were being waitlisted because there weren't enough nursing instructors and clinical spaces to accommodate all the applicants. Has that changed? Or is it that the new GNs are more visible since they are job hunting?

VioletKaliLPN, LPN · Aug 3, 2011

I'll bet they are more visible due to job hunting.

DoGoodThenGo · Aug 3, 2011

I plan to clock out and go on comfort measures on my last day at work. Not so much because I want to. I'll retire today if someone will just give me a bunch of money. But I continue to waste money on a 401K that I should be investing in beer and cigarettes, so in 15years, 9days, my job will be open, hopefully.
The job market in nursing is weird, now, just like in most fields. A hospital in Fla. was recently (couple months ago) offering a 10K sign on bonus for experienced neuro nurses. There are jobs, and people are getting hired. It's much harder than it was a few years ago, but that's true throughout the economy, and not only in the US.
I have to say, I'm a bit perplexed about these vast, invading hoardes of new GNs. Fairly recently--like, 2-3 years ago--prospective nursing students were being waitlisted because there weren't enough nursing instructors and clinical spaces to accommodate all the applicants. Has that changed? Or is it that the new GNs are more visible since they are job hunting?

All you have to do is go to your local BON's or professions website to find the list of board passing rate broken down by program. Usually three or four years worth of data is posted. Simply do the sums and you'll arrive at total number of new grads for your state. To this you'll have the unknown factor of new grads from other states who either moved to find work or for other personal/family reasons.

The instructor/program shortage only meant schools could not keep up with the upsurge in demand. However it did not nor does not lower the amount of slots they already had unless they lost staff or something.