What Does the Nursing Shortage Really Mean for Your Career?

Arecent post at The Nursing Site Blog, Nurses Needed: The Nursing Shortage is NO Myth brought the PBS program NOW's program on the nursing shortage to our attention, so we took some time out to watch it and share some thoughts. We hope you can take a few moments to watch it and share your thoughts as well:

A recent re-airing of an October 2008 NOW on PBS show celebrated the role of the modern nurse, with the narrator offering tributes like, "Nurses are the engine inside hospitals everywhere. Nothing moves without them." The show followed several new and experienced RNs as they made their rounds, and hinted at advanced practice roles: "Nurses do a lot of what many of us think only doctors do," pointed out the narrator.

Of particular interest was the show's examination of the reasons behind the nursing shortage. One common misunderstanding is that a shortage of nurses equals an easy time for job-seekers. With the Department of Labor predicting that the number of nurses needed will grow to 2.9 million by the year 2012, and PBS quoting the expected shortage to increase to one million by 2020, aspiring nurses can be forgiven for assuming that the high demand for nurses translates to a high hire rate.

Sadly, the truth is not so cut-and-dried. Not only can it be tricky to find a nursing job, it can also be a challenge just to get accepted to nursing school. Do the applicants not make the grade? On the contrary--most applicants who were denied entrance to nursing schools in the last year were fully qualified. PBS asked Dr. Mary Naylor, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, to explain this apparent conundrum.

"The real issue is that there are schools across the country, but they don't have enough faculty to prepare these nursing students," Dr. Naylor said on the show. "Last year, about 70% of the schools in this country reported that they could not accept qualified applicants into their programs because they didn't have enough faculty...Really, it is a historic proportion."

In addition to the shortage of qualified nursing faculty, there's also the dilemma of funds. The "high demand" for nurses that's so often touted by the media refers to the fact that there will not be enough nurses to care for patients--not to the number of job postings available.

But, one might ask, if nurses are so badly needed to provide care, why don't hospitals hire them? That's where the recession rears its ugly head. Many hospitals simply cannot afford to hire new nurses. Furthermore, the stress of a nursing job may cause 1 in 5 newly licensed nurses to throw in the towel within their first year, according to a national study cited by USA Today in February 2009. And the price tag for recruiting and training a replacement for a burned-out nurse is said to be about $50,000. Residencies, internships, mentoring programs and special classes help retention rates, but not many hospitals offer those--although this is changing, due to studies that show the cost for these strategies to be far lower than replacing a nurse.

As is frequently cited, nursing is indeed the largest health care occupation and one of the fastest growing of all occupations. On the flip side, nursing careers are not immune to the recession: over the 12 months ending in September 2009, the job openings rate decreased in health care, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics). Furthermore, the shortage of nursing educators is not going to be solved overnight.

The bottom line is: if you're interested in a nursing career, take off the rose-colored spectacles. There are many factors in play that are making it difficult for new grads to find work. Don't get carried away by statistics that focus on the public need for nurses. By the same token, don't be overly discouraged by high unemployment rates: health care is still one of the only two categories that have consistently added jobs since the recession officially began in late 2007, according to the Department of Labor.

Think Long Term! Do your research on which nursing careers are unaffected by the problems facing nursing as a whole. Here's a hint: advanced practice nurses are not having ANY trouble finding jobs, nor will they. Why? Take the example of a nurse anesthetist. One of the most highly respected of all nursing positions, these advanced practice nurses are known to command six figure salaries. You'd think hospitals would be cutting these jobs first, right? Here's a hint: anesthetists do a similar job to anesthesiologists...who make even more money. Who do you think the hospitals are going to hire and retain? Other advanced practice specialties include clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners. If you feel intimidated by the idea of pursuing such lofty career goals when you're at the bottom of the career ladder, just remember that they all started in the same place as you. It might make more financial sense to invest in your education for a few more years if it will give you a permanent edge in the job market.

When it comes to career opportunities, weigh your options wisely and think outside the box. In the long run, nursing is a solid career choice, especially if you feel passionate about it. The nursing shortage may not guarantee you a job, but innovations in healthcare, technology and education will affect the future in unpredictable ways.

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