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thanks for the info. The hours are more important to me than the pay. I have small children, and we are settled where we are, so I'm not moving to go to nursing school or any other kind of school. We're in a metro area, so I ought to be able to find a job or a school program that suits me. I have about 3-4 years to think about it and research before the kids are at school all day, and I can really go back to work or school.
the most annoying thing= we keep hearing about nursing shortages inn the US, and are despertae to move to Florida. My wife is a qualified nurse. So far it has taken us 9 months and she has still yet even to be approved to sit the Nclex. CGFNS who 'authorise; this are so slow its beyond belief. we would move tomorrow if we could but once she passes the Nclex we are told it could take 18 months to get her green card. So in the meantime I am having to start a business (again not easy). all we want to do is live work and contribute to our new homeland legally. You can see why there is a shortage.
Oh and with due respect to other posters no nursing job is 'cushy'
Well ... there is a shortage and, then, there really isn't. It depends on which area of the country you're talking about and, which facility. The nursing shortage is really a myth generated by the hospitals to try to justify paying RN's less money. Case in point:
In California where there are nursing unions which bargain for better pay and, where there is a ratio law which limits patient loads, there tends to be less of a shortage because the pay and working conditions are generally better than other states.
There are, however, some hospitals that don't pay and ... they usually can't staff unless they're located in a resort type town where lots of people want to live there regardless of the low pay.
Nevertheless ... if the facility pays very well with great benefits (like the California Department of Corrections) then there's actually waiting lists for those jobs. Literally thousands of RN's are banging on the door trying to get hired there.
No nursing shortage there at all ...
On the flip side ... if you go to other states where there is no ratio law that limits patients loads and the pay isn't great either ... that's a completely different story.
There's definitely fewer nurses willing to work there because the patient loads are so high ... especially in states like Florida where the pay is very low compared to the high cost of living.
When it comes down to it ... the nursing shortage is really a shortage due to low pay and lousy working conditions.
I have a BS in health science, and don't want to go back to my former career. I am considering going back to school to be an RN. Are RN's in demand in all areas, including school nurses, doctors offices, and public health nursing; or are hospitals the only places hurting for nurses? I want to know if I would have a chance of getting one of those types of jobs, or if those are the most desirable, and fill up first. I live in the Denver area, if anyone has info specific to my location. Thanks.
I would do it. I Have a friend who moved to NJ *where I am* and is making 45.00 an hr to start in a trauma/surg hospital working weekends (so add the weekend shift differential and overnight shift diff. too!)She is only 25 and making mint for 2 years of college! I took all my prerequisites for nursing and once I got to clinicals I bailed! too emotional for me since I had just lost my mom.
Good luck to you! Hope you find what you are looking for!
When it comes down to it ... the nursing shortage is really a shortage due to low pay and lousy working conditions.
This is what my mom says too...The perceived "shortage" isnt due to lack of nurses per sey..its the staffing issues and pay! At her hospital in Ca, nurses have great 8 hour shifts...but routinely those shifts turn into 10 hour shifts and they care for too many patients!
BUT they just let go 2 part time LVNs! Managed Care....gotta love it...
Well ... there is a shortage and, then, there really isn't. It depends on which area of the country you're talking about and, which facility. The nursing shortage is really a myth generated by the hospitals to try to justify paying RN's less money. Case in point:
In California where there are nursing unions which bargain for better pay and, where there is a ratio law which limits patient loads, there tends to be less of a shortage because the pay and working conditions are generally better than other states.
There are, however, some hospitals that don't pay and ... they usually can't staff unless they're located in a resort type town where lots of people want to live there regardless of the low pay.
Nevertheless ... if the facility pays very well with great benefits (like the California Department of Corrections) then there's actually waiting lists for those jobs. Literally thousands of RN's are banging on the door trying to get hired there.
No nursing shortage there at all ...
On the flip side ... if you go to other states where there is no ratio law that limits patients loads and the pay isn't great either ... that's a completely different story.
There's definitely fewer nurses willing to work there because the patient loads are so high ... especially in states like Florida where the pay is very low compared to the high cost of living.
When it comes down to it ... the nursing shortage is really a shortage due to low pay and lousy working conditions.
I will consede that some areas of the country do not seem to have a true shortage of actual licensed nurses. I do believe that particularly here in my area of Texas there are plenty of nurses willing to work but not at the local hospitals. But the fact is, if you've got hundreds of open positions and no one is filling them then in essence you have a "shortage" of nurses. The reason doesn't matter if the positions remain unfilled, the ones who are affected the most, the patients, are the ones suffering. We can argue all day about the lack of pay and respect. It's been an arguement for the 28yrs I've been a nurse and will continue to be until society changes but I'm not holding my breath. I will never understand how a society can support the salaries of sports/celebrity figures, giving MILLIONs of dollars to these professions while not supporting appropriate salaries for professions that truly have the capability of impacting millions of people's lives.
Why do we as a society, not demand higher salaries for law enforcement, firefighter, healthcare workers and teachers? Does anyone give thought that people in these professions have the future of our nation in their hands? Apparently we'd rather see the salaries of professional athletes continue to skyrocket while we allow our teachers to struggle making sure their students have the necessary supplies that their parents can't or won't provide for them. We would rather see hospitals import nurses from around the world rather than pay appropriate salaries to those living blocks from the facility. And we'd rather spend millions of dollars on designer clothes, electronic games/gadgets and trying to impress our neighbors with all our "stuff" rather than ensuring adequate salaries for the people who pledge to protect our "stuff". It's all about what makes "me" happy now without thought that someday we're going to need something other than big houses, fancy cars and 50 pairs of designer tennis shoes.
I still stand by my previous comments regarding the increasing age of nurses and the future of nursing positions. You can visit the website below for statistical info. And while thousands of nurses are banging down doors to work at certain positions, those are few and far between. Personally, I had the chance at a correctional position but chose a job paying half as much. Sometimes money isn't the only factor in choosing a job. Proximity to home, benefits, schedule flexibility along with salary play a part in choosing a job. I got caught up in that "I gotta have more money" mentality and it cost me a lot; a lot of time with my family that I will never get back. If others want those kind of jobs, I do not judge them for it. They have to decide what they want and need. It just took me a while to learn I needed a job with less physical, emotional and mental stress that would allow me to work a "normal" schedule even if it meant less money.
That is one of the great things about nursing, there are hundreds of options. Not all are going to be right for each nurse. Not everyone is cut out to work the med surg floor, or the NICU, or an HIV clinic or fly in a helicopter as a flight nurse. You may have to try a few different things before finding what you are really wired for. And yes, if money is what you're looking for you can find it in nursing. And if you're looking for a job where you can feel you've made a difference in someone's life that day you can find that too. Just remember that position may not deliver that feeling every day and it may not come with the big money, it may come with something else: a patient's smile, a family's kind word, a doctor telling you that you're a good nurse or a night where you fall into bed exhausted but grateful that you were there to make a difference. I don't know, maybe I'm just an old dinosaur, but that was why I went into nursing the salary was just a perk. I sort of forgot that for a while, but I'm relearning that about myself now. That's why I'm taking a Faith Community Nursing class. A whole new area of nursing I hadn't heard about much less considered.
I still stand by my previous comments regarding the increasing age of nurses and the future of nursing positions.
I see your point. The demographics with the baby boomers are obviously a major factor but I also think it's a complicated issue. We've got 500,000 RN's in this country who choose not to work.
Some of them are retired. Others are staying at home raising their kids. And ... others choose not to work in the profession anymore because the pay isn't all that great and the patient loads are too high.
I decided to go to nursing school because I live in California and I knew California is a great state for nurses. But if I lived in some other state where I'd have to juggle who knows how many patients for little pay ... well ... I probably wouldn't have invested the time.
Wow, great effort and detail in the responses here ! Big kudos to all!!
What do you nurse's think of this, please:
Is nursing mostly an "introverted" job or "extraverted".
Examples of introverted occupations: accountant, computer programmer, astrophysicist
Examples of extraverted occupations: retail salesperson, CEO, waitress, teacher
Being a nurse or a doctor seems to me to require an odd mixture of introvert and extravert.
If you are too introverted, you won't be able to communicate or empathize with the patients as well, but those are critical skills in medicine.
If you are too extraverted, you will be like those ubiquitous mediocre RN's who never pick up much knowledge of medicine or physiology on the job and seem mainly to want to gab, adjust blankets, bring people their meds, and go on smoke breaks (eeeewwww, a nurse who smokes? That is just gross!).
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