Potential nursing students who dont want to hear the truth

10 I'm so sick of being accused of trying to discourage potential nursing students when I tell them the job market is tight or that many new grads are having a hard time getting jobs.

They usually say to me, "well, I'm different and its really my dream and I have always wanted to be a nurse". Then I say, "Well,what about the others who thought the same as you and are unemployed?" Then I add, "You may end up working in a nursing home or home health, will you be okay with that? "They then respond, "No,I want to work in the area I choose, and it will happen because it's my dream."

I am in no way trying to discourage them, but I also don't want to lie to them and say there are plenty of jobs in any specialty you want.

Then when they graduate they end up asking why no one told them the truth. I even tell them to read Allnurses and the troubles new grads are having. They then respond "well it has always been my dream and nothing is going to stop me. Some people are trying to discourage me because they don't want others to take their jobs and make as much money as they do."

Is there any other way that I could bring up the subject with statistics and without it making it seem I'm trying to discourage others? Last edit by tnbutterfly on Mar 19, '12 : Reason: Reformatted
I added pragraphs and it seems the new format didn't let me,that sucks.The "I'm in no way trying to discourage" line are me responding.

Personally, I think you should just leave it alone after the first attempt. Telling them the job market is tough and they may not get a job right away and then leave it at that. People told me that too, but being I was a tech I got a job immediately. Many of my friends got jobs quickly and weren't techs. It just depends. It sounds to me like the only answer from the nursing students that will make you satisfied is if they say "ok, maybe you're right. I just won't go into nursing"....The fact is, most college degrees are like this anyways, and even worse. You don't graduate and get your dream job right away. Sadly, many other degrees get you working as a bartender or server for the rest of your life because there really are NO jobs in their chosen field.

Quote from smartnurse1982I'm so sick of being accused of trying to discourage potential nursing students when I tell them the job market is tight or that many new grads are having a hard time getting jobs. They usually say to me "well,I'm different and its really my dream and I have always wanted to be a nurse". Then I say "Well,what about the others who thought the same as you and are unemployed?"Then I add "You may end up working in a nursing home or home health,will you be okay with that?"They then respond"No,I want to work in the area I choose,and it will happen because its my dream."I am in no way trying to discourage them,but I also don't want to lie to them and say there are pkenty of jobs in any specialty you want. Then when they graduate they end up asking why no one told them the teuth. I even tell them to read Allnurses and the troubles new grads are having. They then respond" well it has always been my dream and nothing is going to stop me. Some people are trying to discourage me because they don't want others to take their jobs and make as much money as they do."Is there any other way that I could bring up the subject with statistics and without it making it seem I'm trying to discourage others?

Quote from smartnurse1982Then I say "Well,what about the others who thought the same as you and are unemployed?"

That is fine if they do not want to hear it. However, they need to be prepared to pay cash up front for classes, books, uniforms and ect. They need to know that student loans never ever go away. They cannot be discharged in BK. Tuition is going up at the state schools due to the states running out of $$. I am almost finished with my NP but if I had not started when I did I could no way afford it. Due your due diligence. Student loan debt is now outpacing consumer debt. We are building a bubble and nobody knows when the bubble will burst. Please be careful. This is the same advice I have given to my own children.

Quote from smartnurse1982I'm so sick of being accused of trying to discourage potential nursing students when I tell them the job market is tight or that many new grads are having a hard time getting jobs. They usually say to me "well,I'm different and its really my dream and I have always wanted to be a nurse". Then I say "Well,what about the others who thought the same as you and are unemployed?"Then I add "You may end up working in a nursing home or home health,will you be okay with that?"They then respond"No,I want to work in the area I choose,and it will happen because its my dream."I am in no way trying to discourage them,but I also don't want to lie to them and say there are pkenty of jobs in any specialty you want. Then when they graduate they end up asking why no one told them the teuth. I even tell them to read Allnurses and the troubles new grads are having. They then respond" well it has always been my dream and nothing is going to stop me. Some people are trying to discourage me because they don't want others to take their jobs and make as much money as they do."Is there any other way that I could bring up the subject with statistics and without it making it seem I'm trying to discourage others?

Quote from smartnurse1982Is there any other way that I could bring up the subject with statistics and without it making it seem I'm trying to discourage others?

Quote from gettingbsn2msnThat is fine if they do not want to hear it. However, they need to be prepared to pay cash up front for classes, books, uniforms and ect. They need to know that student loans never ever go away. They cannot be discharged in BK. Tuition is going up at the state schools due to the states running out of $$. I am almost finished with my NP but if I had not started when I did I could no way afford it. Due your due diligence. Student loan debt is now outpacing consumer debt. We are building a bubble and nobody knows when the bubble will burst. Please be careful. This is the same advice I have given to my own children.

35k? I've seen quite a few posts mentioning over 100k! That seems absurd for anything less than medical school I'm an RN doing a RN-BSN program, currently in my last semester. The majority of the classmates I have in some of the required Gen Ed courses I didn't have to take for my ADN are intent on being nurses. I'll agree to what some of the OP is talking about - many don't want to hear it from someone who knows, and usually attribute my more realistic outlook as pessimistic or a result of personal dissatisfaction with the field (hence why i'm going for the BSN right? lol). I usually tell them, look at the numbers: General Chem class - 130+/160 raised their hands for 'nursing majors' when asked by the instructor, mind you, this is one class, of which there are maybe 8 more sessions running concurrently! The mathematics do not support a flexible job market as seen by these poor delusional individuals We all tend to believe others will not want something as bad as we do, that we are more diligent and intelligent than those around us, but the older I get, the more I realize we're more alike than we are different. Ahh well, give realistic advice with the best intentions - if they prefer to believe differently, that's their wallet

Warn them once, then let it go. Maybe they will get their dream job...or maybe not. But they have to figure that one out on their own.

Quote from smartnurse1982I'm so sick of being accused of trying to discourage potential nursing students when I tell them the job market is tight or that many new grads are having a hard time getting jobs.They usually say to me, "well, I'm different and its really my dream and I have always wanted to be a nurse". Then I say, "Well,what about the others who thought the same as you and are unemployed?" Then I add, "You may end up working in a nursing home or home health, will you be okay with that? "They then respond, "No,I want to work in the area I choose, and it will happen because it's my dream."I am in no way trying to discourage them, but I also don't want to lie to them and say there are plenty of jobs in any specialty you want. Then when they graduate they end up asking why no one told them the truth. I even tell them to read Allnurses and the troubles new grads are having. They then respond "well it has always been my dream and nothing is going to stop me. Some people are trying to discourage me because they don't want others to take their jobs and make as much money as they do."Is there any other way that I could bring up the subject with statistics and without it making it seem I'm trying to discourage others?

I don't understand the purpose. I mean I don't understand what you expect them to say to you. Do you want them to just say "oh really? then I am quitting nursing!". You told them what you have heard or experienced. Okay. If they have high hopes or still want to pursue this, let it be. Jobs may be tight. So? Everybody finds jobs; here or there. May or may not be their dream area at first. There is no need to dramatize this like they are going to starve after graduating.You sound so pressurizing to this person. Economy is tight, not just nursing. Any other profession isn't any better right now. No point in arguing with someone for this, in my opinion.