USA Today Article on Tight Job Market for Nurses

[Edson!]

I find this interesting. The article puts emphasis on nurses NOT retiring, but the BIGGER TRUTH is that Due To the great ECONOMIC CRUNCH, while hospitals may post positions, they have FROZEN HIRING OF NURSES, PERIOD. They aren't hiring even many strongly experienced nurses.

So now new grads can to continue to blame the nurses that aren't retiring, but the truth is, these hospitals have been told from the top to severely restrict hiring of nurses. They will post jobs to the outside b/c they have to; but those internal RNs will get the jobs that they advertise for. There may be a few smoozers that get through the wall of HIRING FREEZES, but mostly ADMINISTRATIONS are told to squeeze tight nursing positions, even if they can use them for positions.
I can prove this with the postings for hiring up and pulled down after meetings, inside administrators that have shared as much, and HR directors that are willing to be straight forward and address the REAL issue.

I find that the USA Today article is NOT being balanced in addressing the REAL ISSUE re: Tight Job Market for Nurses.
Sure, those that hold on longer d/t to 401K losses and economic fears are there, but the BIGGER and more realistic issue is that hospitals are being told to SEVERELY RESTRICT HIRING OF NURSES. Experienced nurses that seek to return to the hospital are NOT being hired either. So GNs, don't be misled here. It's a MUCH BIGGER economic issue than people not wanting to retire. Much, MUCH BIGGER.

USA TODAY, pease get to the bare bones of reality rather than touching on one factor while skirting around the bigger issue.



http://www.usatoday.com/money/econom...ses09_ST_N.htm

[Gona_bea_nurse]

hiring freezes, sure but if old nurses would retire they'd have to fill those position and in house hiring only goes so far.

[OBNurseJeanne]

Read what Edson wrote: they are posting positions, RN's from inside are filling them and then ADMIN's are freezing the postion's vacated by the in house RN's and not filling them.

And believe me, I would not retire so that you could get a job. People work because they want to /have to. If you live long enough, you will too.

[Gona_bea_nurse]

You can only fill so many positions in house, those rns taking those jobs are vacating jobs to do it and you can only run a hospital on so much a skelaton crew.

I know, old people never retire, they just work slow and slow things down. I'll happily retire at 40 from the military and take my check if I stay in that long.

[reesern1963]

Read what Edson wrote: they are posting positions, RN's from inside are filling them and then ADMIN's are freezing the postion's vacated by the in house RN's and not filling them.

And believe me, I would not retire so that you could get a job. People work because they want to /have to. If you live long enough, you will too.

QFT.

Talk about someone not getting the point at all.

[reesern1963]

You can only fill so many positions in house, those rns taking those jobs are vacating jobs to do it and you can only run a hospital on so much a skelaton crew.

I know, old people never retire, they just work slow and slow things down. I'll happily retire at 40 from the military and take my check if I stay in that long.

You talk a big game now, kiddo. Let's see how your life works out down the road.

[Edson!]

hiring freezes, sure but if old nurses would retire they'd have to fill those position and in house hiring only goes so far.

Yes Gona, but the greater truth is it is really all about the hiring freezes. They have positions now that should be filled, and yes, it's true. They won't fill all that need to be filled from the inside. But it doesn't matter. Administrations have the mandate to pretty much keep hiring only from within. There are some exceptions, but that is pretty much the way things are going right now. They can get away with it for now, and make nurse in house do more with less help, and whenever possible, the lowest salary.

Now, if procedures pick up again, and when there is more stuff they can't just turf out of the hospital, then they are going to be in trouble. But they will pull tight to try and ride this out for now. . .and probably they will try to keep things pulled tight when stuff picks up enough that nurses won't tolerate the abuse and they find plentiful opportunity elsewhere.

Sure, I am not starving; but you need to understand that many of us have so paid our dues and then some. And for all that we have given to the field, well, the long term pay out hasn't been what it should be, professionally speaking. Nursing shouldn't be treated as a dead end kind of job rather than a profession, but often it really is. . .and please spare me the whole, professionally it's what you make it. That is true, but ONLY to a point. I have seen from many positions how nursing is viewed and treated overall. . .and I am not just speaking of those that play the game well and get ahead. I have seen too many excellent and dedicated nurses get push out, pushed aside, passed over, and all the rest of that. Yes, they paid their dues, made and OK living (as compared with other "professions"), and they care deeply about what they did and their patients and families.


I think you said you weren't planning on staying in the field too long anyway.


Lastly, what do you mean by OLD. That whole notion is ageistic, and I'm surprised USA focused on the 'normally would be retiring' aspect of things. Shame on them. It's not the whole and bigger reality, and it leads, as we have seen here, to a rather ageistic POV.


In case you are wondering, people that are healthy and take good care of themselves can work very productively past 70s. I have known and know excellent docs that work past 70, some into 80s.
I just met a physical therapist the other day that is healthy, working full time with kids, and she is past 70.

Good for her and the rest of them.

I hope to work at least PT when I become a senior--shoot well into my 70's and such. Hope to still be having sex too.

[Gona_bea_nurse]

Doctors are different they can work into old age and slow down, take fewer patients. An old nurse can't, she's in the hospital and needs to keep the same fast pace.

Nursing is just blue collar work with a degree. It's how I see it. I plan to go NP or MD as soon as possible.

Most of the hiring freezes in this area are over.

[OBNurseJeanne]

FYI: "Old" nurses can run rings around you. It's called time management, experience and something you don't seem to exhibit in your postings--integrity and caring. You were the one who told us how you saw nothing wrong when you walked off your nursing assistant job in a huff, leaving your fellow staff and patients with inadequate staffing.

Come back and talk to us when you get your RN, never mind your NP or MD. Easy to talk the talk when you haven't walked the walk.

[reesern1963]

I wonder if she's as dismissive of her military superiors who are older than her. I guess the older, more experienced military personnel should just get out and let the newbies take over. Yeah, that would work out really well.

[Gona_bea_nurse]

there aren't any 70 yo nurse officers in my unit who refuse to retire.......

[reesern1963]

You're awfully good at missing points.

[Frankreich]

You're awfully good at missing points.

Maybe she should go into politics.

[Gona_bea_nurse]

If I ever make any money I will go into politics. Catch me at democracyforums.com if you want to debate.

[Gona_bea_nurse]

perfect example of what this article was talking about. http://forums.nurse.com/showthread.php?t=8569

I think this article nailed it.