Nursing shortage

Many people do not realize why there is such a major nursing shortage in America. There are several reasons for this:
1) Lack of money into Education
2) Limited Nursing space and facilities to accomodate nursing students
3) Nursing Educators are retiring from the profession, therefore there are less Nursing Educators
4) Nurses who are overworked due to staff shortages are at risk of leaving the profession

There are many bright people who want to enter Nursing but have to wait for many months or years to get into Nursing school due to a limited amount of space into the program. This is unacceptable. There has to be a way to get these students into Nursing programs without waiting.

Patient care is compromised when there is inadequate numbers of nurses available to take care of the patients. Our patients are becoming more sicker and they need good care.

Anybody know how we can fix this drastic problem?

Thanks,
Paul
Moved to the General nursing discussion forum

Where is this nursing shortage located? If there is a nursing shortage, why are so many nurses out of work and unable to find jobs?

Quote from rivet32many people do not realize why there is such a major nursing shortage in america........ there are several reasons for this:anybody know how we can fix this drastic problem?

Unemployment of nurses in my area is extremely high - few of the new grads can even get jobs. There is no nursing shortage - there is a recession.

Quote from rivet32Many people do not realize why there is such a major nursing shortage in America.

I see that you're a nursing educator. I hope that you don't feed the shortage lies to your students and prospective students.

During school, I heard all about this mythical "nursing shortage." What I have discovered since graduating is that the only shortage existing is that of nursing jobs!

I am so sick of hearing about the "nursing shortage." People are always telling me "You're a nurse. You will never be out of work." I feel sorry for the new nurses especially who can't get jobs. I worry that the public is thinking "Gee, you're a nurse. What's wrong with you that you don't have a job?

In the recent past there has been a shortage - not of nurses, but of nurses willing to work under the available conditions.Now with the economy so bad and so many others out of work we are seeing nurses taking jobs and working under otherwise unacceptable conditions, so now there are few positions left empty and those are not being filled by hospitals which would rather make the nurses work short and save the money.

I'm a "newer" BSN grad that finally got employed after 10 months of looking. I would suggest that you look into the "nursing shortage" before you post such questions. My heart is breaking for nursing students and potential student right now because they are in for a shock when they graduate. We don't need anymore nursing schools. We need to stop perpetuating the message that nursing is the "perfect, recession-proof, stable, well-paid, glamorous" career. Then there wouldn't be a shortage of spots in nursing schools.

Quote from LaughingRNI'm a "newer" BSN grad that finally got employed after 10 months of looking. I would suggest that you look into the "nursing shortage" before you post such questions. My heart is breaking for nursing students and potential student right now because they are in for a shock when they graduate. We don't need anymore nursing schools. We need to stop perpetuating the message that nursing is the "perfect, recession-proof, stable, well-paid, glamorous" career. Then there wouldn't be a shortage of spots in nursing schools.

This "glut" that many of you are posting about is a false one. Hospitals stopped hiring and people stopped quitting d/t the economy. But I assure you, there is still a shortage, at least when and where I work. However, by 2020, 40% of the current nurses (baby boomers) will retire. Yup, that's true. Even those who may have retired by now have postponed their retirement because of the economy. I'm not saying that it is easy for new grads, but your time will come. In the mean time, take any job you can get to give you the edge when people start hiring again. BTW, I graduated in 1994, and it took me almost a year to get a job as well, so the shortage/glut thing is cyclical just like most trends.