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This is a thread about nursing and the so-called shortage. I want to ask if people really believe there is a nursing shortage. I would particularly love to hear back from nurses.
I'm a nurse myself and I KNOW there isn't a nursing shortage. Nurses these days are lucky to land a job. However, if you disagree, please feel free to vote and give an explanation as to why.
On another note, this thread isn't about me--it's about nursing in general--and I'm no longer in the nursing field. Life is good again and I'm incredibly happy with my decision.
Commence!
Last edited by BingCherry; 06-30-2011 at 03:27 PM..
I think there may be a shortage of experienced nurses. Colleges have been spitting out new nurses at record rates, but hospitals can only handle so many at a time. You need experienced nurses to teach the fresh ones. The new grads are typically assigned 4 patients max, and that means the hospital looses money on them.
Another point to consider, the attrition rate in nursing is extremely high, so that means even fewer seasoned nurses. Hospitals have adjusted to their own benefit though... Fewer experienced nurses handling way more patients... It's a brutal profession, and any shortage will likely be due to the working conditions, and people leaving it because of them.
I actually know a lot of BSN RNs with 10+ years of experience who have been unemployed for 1-2 years. A good majority of them have applied all over the entire country.
I actually know a lot of BSN RNs with 10+ years of experience who have been unemployed for 1-2 years. A good majority of them have applied all over the entire country.
Please send them to Minneapolis then..our hospital has been working with short staffing for over a year now..we currently have travelers on our unit to help. I know we have offered jobs to at least 3 to 4 in the past month and have been turned down-so frustrating for the staff. It seems many hospitals in this area are hiring again. Pass it along.
Please send them to Minneapolis then..our hospital has been working with short staffing for over a year now..we currently have travelers on our unit to help. I know we have offered jobs to at least 3 to 4 in the past month and have been turned down-so frustrating for the staff. It seems many hospitals in this area are hiring again. Pass it along.
What kind of wages were they offering? Many in Michigan were arguing about the so called shortage, but only willing to pay 14-16 bucks an hour. Then came the layoffs... Short staffed seems to be the new rage for hospitals.. Same number of patients and same revenue with fewer workers on the payroll... I think there's a little trickery going on
Not only is there no nursing shortage, we have colleges churning out subpar nurses and creating an oversaturation. Too many folks went into nursing for the money and promise of jobs and not because it was their passion. Patient care will suffer if the nurses who went into it for the money are the ones getting the jobs. Hopefully, the passionate nurses are the ones working.
Not only is there no nursing shortage, we have colleges churning out subpar nurses and creating an oversaturation. Too many folks went into nursing for the money and promise of jobs and not because it was their passion. Patient care will suffer if the nurses who went into it for the money are the ones getting the jobs. Hopefully, the passionate nurses are the ones working.
I know, it's really very scary. This "profession" should require at least a Bachelor's and the fact that it doesn't is pathetic.
I know, it's really very scary. This "profession" should require at least a Bachelor's and the fact that it doesn't is pathetic.
It will only get worse because of this.
I don't completely agree. The associates degree programs have been around for decades. The vocational style route is almost non existent these days, but it at one time supplied tons of nurses. Back then, the profession did not pay all that great, so those who got into it had a passion for helping others. As the wages went up, other motives become more prevalent. The problem as I see it is colleges have lowered their standards when it comes to accepting nursing students. They've boosted enrollment numbers in the programs to alleviate the so called shortage, and now there's too many for the available jobs.
The degree did not make the difference 40 years ago, and it won't make a difference now. Both the A.A. and bachelors degree routes have 2 solid years of nursing education, teaching the same core principles. The only difference is one requires two years of unrelated prereqs while the other only requires 1 year of prereqs, often times less. To get the A.A., one still must go to school for 3 years, so there is really no difference, except the expected debt load is much more favorable for the A.A. student. They both are qualified to do the same job, except the one with the bachelors degree can go into higher management positions or transfer more credits to study to become a nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, ect. The A.A. degree kind of limits the upward progression of the degree holder.
Most nurse educators will also tell you that the schooling is more a test than anything. Most nurses complain that the stuff taught in the program served little value after gaining employment in the field. You will learn more in one year working the floor than 2 years in any nursing program, or at least I am always told.
Requiring a BSN (4-5 year commitment) would deter AND weed out a lot of trash. People go NUTS over going into nursing because you can "get your degree in 2 years and make loads of $$$$"....or so they think.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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After the many recent graduates that thought there was a shortage get jobs there might really be one. There's an aging population that will need a medical attention, already started. Here near me they just opened a full service brand new hospital, and 3 others are expanding.
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