Worried about the future of ICU nursing

[Telenurse1990]

I just recently started a new job as an ICU nurse at a large facility in California and some trends I've noticed over the years have stuck out to me. It worries me when I walk into a new facility, especially in the ICU and see all new and inexperienced nurses. Every new grad I meet wants to be a CRNA or an NP. And after 8 years, I found myself in the same boat. But I started to wonder what it's going to be like in the future if no one stays and gains experience? It's great that people want to advance their educations, but I feel that we've done a disservice in some way by not encouraging people to stay at the bedside. In part I blame hospitals for crappy ratios, caps in pay and lack of ancillary support.

This is just a random thought in my head that I felt like getting out there. What do you guys think?

[bryanleo9]

I can say it has to do with the hours, working conditions and pay. So many schools are around and continue to pump out new RNs. Plus in the south you can work 10 years and still not break 30 a hour. people dont want to give up nights, weekends, holidays and break down their bodies for low pay, the abuse and lack of respect. You must admit that at some point these things get to all of us and i think its why people are so fast to want to leave the floor or ICU. Heck some even decide to leave nursing all together. Just stating what other nurses have told me.

I have read somewhere that 1 out of every 4 RN's leave the profession completely in the first 5 years after getting their RN license.

[Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP]

You can place some of the blame on the administration who are not willing to hire older, more experienced nurses because they cost more and are harder to "mold". They love young, naive new grads because they accept half the pay rate and will be much more pliable and less likely to make waves regarding practices.

[Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP]

Which NP "quality programs" have acceptance rates that are less than medical school?

My program has a very strict admission policy. You have to have a GPA >3.5 and have 2 years experience in critical care to be granted admission. Also, there were >100 applicants for 14 places. There is a lot of competition to get into my school because of their excellent academic record and the fact that they have close relationships with the top 5 hospitals and will find your clinical placements for you.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

The need for NPs will continue to grow as they are a lower-cost replacement for doctors. Comparing NP programs to med schools is apples to bananas. Med school is an overly long, overly expensive, hoop-jumping "institution" that could be greatly streamlined. As in every school from Paramedic to RN to CRNA, etc., the bulk of your knowledge is gained in the hands-on clinical experience you get. The didactic portion is pretty much the same.

A couple years ago one of Wisconsin's two medical school opened a branch campus not far from where I live. My neighbor is the dean, I'm her son's boy scout leader and our sons play sports together.

The new program is three years, rather than the typical four years. She explained to me that medical school tuition is paid by the year, not credit hour. The idea behind the three year medical school is to reduce a physician's investment (and student debt) so that more can afford to go into primary care.

I find it ironic that the medical field is seeking ways of streemlining and lowering to cost of medical education, while nursing, the traditional alternative for lower cost primary care providers (NPs), is busy INCREASING the student financial and time investment of NP education by converting to the DNP.

We are shooting ourselves in the foot, and for what? Degree envy.

[ICU/EMTP, BSN, EMT-P]

I agree. And it's part degree envy by those far removed from the clinical side, and part degree racket by those on the academic/institutional side. Schools want that money. Professors want that money. Lots of people that can't do much of anything need to justify their jobs.