People really need to stop coming into nursing

40 None of you will like what I have to say. But let me kick the hard truth to you. Honestly about 50% of people I talk to are in nursing school or are taking pre reqs for nursing school. This is a major red flag for several reasons. If you have not noticed, nursing wages/benefits have been on the down trend.

Pension?? goodbye.

Crud 401k 403b plans hello. Raise? LOL "sorry hospital is working out financial issues, maybe next year".

Nevermind if you work for a community/SNF agency. But yet insurance companies, medicare derived/gov agencies, and anyone else from the top 1% will continue to blast the RN as "shortage" in order to drive drones of students into nursing schools pulling each others hair out on the way to land a seat. Proof of this is lets see (ABSN ***** ADN, BSN, diploma, LPN/LVN bridge to RN programs, RN to BSN) why do these different routes exist? To flood the RN market as fast as possible to drive the wage, need, and profession into the ground.

Lets look at our oh so loyal CNA's. If you can find one that isn't in nursing school to be a nurse, ask them how much they make?

Look at LPN's 20-30 years ago and look at them today??

Surely the ANA and other organizations treated them with respect. The RN is next, so make sure to support your local nursing agency so they can do nothing for you. So they can be paid off by organizations so powerful that no one can say no and "not have the power to stop a bill". So they can continue to cry nursing shortage when this is not true.

RNs today are treated like children and are required to demonstrate fundamental task and other skills in inservices which were designed for nothing else but cut throat. To place blame of UTI's and poor patient satisfaction on the nurse.

If you are an RN today, your only safety net iS to become an APRN if you want to live comfortably. But in several decades the APRN will be under attack just like the LPN had been an RNs currently are. "OH the aging population is going to need nurses" you really think so.

Nursing homes are shutting down and now elderly people live at home with "24 hour care takers" that get paid **** wages and do things only an RN should be doing. You don't think so? Wake up.

None of this is to say that i hate nursing. I love helping people who are mentally ill, suffering from dementia, sick, or on their death beds. It is when we do great things for them that my love for nursing shines. There aren't other people standing around to reward you for your great deeds.

When the family comes in the next day complaining about everything, they never had a chance to see how well their dieing love one was cared for. Your good deeds will never be rewarded, but in a safe place in your heart.

I am just here to open the eyes of people who are intelligent and looking for a new career. I think you may find better job security else where. Invest your time in classes and money else where. Nursing is honestly under great attack right now and the future is black.

Work Cited
The Future of the Nursing Workforce: National- and State-Level Projections, 2012-2025 Last edit by Joe V on Feb 18
Thank you. I wish someone had told me this back in 2008. But what is available these days? Other than service industry jobs that are minimum wage, there are no other jobs out there

Quote from whichone'spinkThank you. I wish someone had told me this back in 2008. But what is available these days? Other than service industry jobs that are minimum wage, there are no other jobs out there

I don't disagree that the production of nurses should slow waaay down, but I do not share the same experience with non appreciative families, since 1987 they're still appreciative.

Here are my thoughts on this hotly contested issue.1. The lowest-quality nursing programs need to be closed.2. Nursing needs to do a better job of controlling the numbers of new entrants into this profession. Other health professions such as medicine, physical therapy and speech language pathology maintain tight control over the number of people who enter those occupations.3. Nursing needs to implement slightly higher barriers to entry. Moreover, entry requirements should be standardized and consistent across the country.4. Nursing needs to adopt limits on the number of times that candidates are allowed to repeatedly take NCLEX. You cannot pass after 10 attempts? Step aside, please. Aspiring attorneys are not permitted to keep retaking the bar exam as many times as they want, and I think nursing needs to follow that model.5. Nursing is one of the few professions that produces large numbers of graduates who feel entitled to employment in their hometowns. Meanwhile, graduates who enter other professions keenly expect to relocate to land their first jobs. Overall, I predict the glut will continue to worsen. The powers that be expect all 'older' nurses to drop out of the workforce in the next decade, but real life simply does not unfold in that manner.

Quote from TheCommuterHere are my thoughts on this hotly contested issue.1. The lowest-quality nursing programs need to be closed.2. Nursing needs to do a better job of controlling the numbers of new entrants into this profession. Other health professions such as medicine, physical therapy and speech language pathology maintain tight control over the number of people who enter those occupations.3. Nursing needs to implement slightly higher barriers to entry. Moreover, entry requirements should be standardized and consistent across the country.4. Nursing needs to adopt limits on the number of times that candidates are allowed to repeatedly take NCLEX. You cannot pass after 10 attempts? Step aside, please. Aspiring attorneys are not permitted to keep retaking the bar exam as many times as they want, and I think nursing needs to follow that model.5. Nursing is one of the few professions that produces large numbers of graduates who feel entitled to employment in their hometowns. Meanwhile, graduates who enter other professions keenly expect to relocate to land their first jobs. Overall, I predict the glut will continue to worsen. The powers that be expect all 'older' nurses to drop out of the workforce in the next decade, but real life simply does not unfold in that manner.

I won't be dropping out, well I'm not even close, and I will stay fit and relevant. I think the fit part is important to reducing ageism, appearance hasn't mattered in nursing as it has in other industries but it might increase with a push to lower salaries. Health reasons aside.

I strongly agree with TheCommuter and would like to add:1. People entering nursing need to get a better grasp of the profession before the enter school (or during school). The reason we have so many people leaving the profession in the first 2 years is not just because the jobs are bad -- though some jobs are bad -- but also because some new grads have such unrealistic expectations.2. One of those unrealistic expectations that needs to be squashed from the beginning is that we ALL need to understand that getting RN behind your name is not sufficient for the best jobs in nursing for the rest of your life. To get the most attractive jobs and be successful in the profession long-term, we all need to be life-long learners. We need to up-date and up-grade our knowledge and skills continuously. We need to invest in ourselves to keep ourselves "attractive" for the job market. That's our job -- it's nice if the employer helps, but we need to take some responsibility for ourselves. That is what professionals do.3. The best jobs usually go to the most qualified applicants that meet the needs of the employer. A surprising number of nurses don't seem to realize that.4. If we want to be treated like professionals, we need to act like professionals. I hear/see so much unprofessional behavior among nurses, that I often think many of us don't deserve to be called professionals. (And I see it here on allnurses every day.)

Trouble is people will keep coming into nursing. Maintaining a middle-class life is getting harder and there is more interest in nursing now that entire job categories have vanished. You can quote many facts, but a potential nurse will still see a pretty decent starting wage for the cost of a community college education.

To some degree, the crappiest pop-up nursing schools tend to not impact the profession too greatly, IMHO, simply by virtue of the fact that so many of their graduates cannot pass the NCLEX to save their lives. And the ones that do manage to snag a license aren't likely to stay in the profession long, based on the reading I do on this very website ("help, i think i'm gonna loose my license, i gave the wrong meds to the wrong people at the wrong times.....and it's really not a big deal that i didn't call the doctor when his patient totally crashed......and i just forgot to change the dressings and chart what i was supposed to.......and the other nurses are just old and jealous and mean so they make me call out all the time and why not i deserve to....but i'm a great nurse!!!!"). Or how about this one: "I'm a brand new grad but that doesn't mean I should have to work nights, and weekends, and holidays, and not get my preferred vacation time off every year, does it?? I've sent my resume to every employer within a one hour drive, why can't I find a job???"I wish a survey existed that could show the percentage of new grads from these crappy schools who can't hold onto a job once they get one!

You have to consider the generation who are entering in this profession. The-it-is-all-about me generation!!! Not realizing you have to pay your dues like everyone else. I can understand the frustration among experienced nurses who have been in the trenches and are still standing proud. I think it will only get worse before improvement will occur. Nursing has its moments, but for the most part it is a dynamic area in which you can choose where you want to go, the resources to build upon your knowledge is plentiful. My sister who is 46 years old graduated from nursing school a couple of years ago realized the short coming on her unit and is already enrolled in a BSN to get off the floor. She did not whine or complain she simply decided more education and seek other options.

Quote from TheCommuterHere are my thoughts on this hotly contested issue.1. The lowest-quality nursing programs need to be closed.2. Nursing needs to do a better job of controlling the numbers of new entrants into this profession. Other health professions such as medicine, physical therapy and speech language pathology maintain tight control over the number of people who enter those occupations.3. Nursing needs to implement slightly higher barriers to entry. Moreover, entry requirements should be standardized and consistent across the country.4. Nursing needs to adopt limits on the number of times that candidates are allowed to repeatedly take NCLEX. You cannot pass after 10 attempts? Step aside, please. Aspiring attorneys are not permitted to keep retaking the bar exam as many times as they want, and I think nursing needs to follow that model.5. Nursing is one of the few professions that produces large numbers of graduates who feel entitled to employment in their hometowns. Meanwhile, graduates who enter other professions keenly expect to relocate to land their first jobs. Overall, I predict the glut will continue to worsen. The powers that be expect all 'older' nurses to drop out of the workforce in the next decade, but real life simply does not unfold in that manner.

Whoops - sorry, but the US Constitution is what gives states the right to regulate their licensed professionals. Nursing is moving as quickly as possible to a Quasi-standard by virtue of the Compact (for basic nursing license) and Consensus Model (for APRNs), but the authority will still reside at the state level unless the US Constitution is changed to modify state's rights. I don't know about all states, but according to the annual financial disclosures in mine, the BON is not amassing a fortune. The cost of regulatory services they provide frequently outstrips the revenues generated by fees. They are trying to develop new revenue streams to supplement this, but since the # staff they can employ is determined by state legislature, it is pretty slow going.