[nursinghumor]

October 8, 2004, Connecticut: Nursing shortage being tackled at high school level:"Wallingford -- The state's nurses are in short supply and statistics show that Connecticut will be short thousands of nurses in the next 20 years but high schools in the state are now trying to fill the growing void of vacant positions. In about 15 years, millions of seniors will be on medicare. The federal government expects Connecticut will be almost 22,000 nurses short to meet future medical needs. The push is on for young people to enter health care professions."
http://www.wfsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=2402996

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

[ns lpn]

I often wonder if we will actually run into a surplus in heath care and jobs will be hard to find. I know in Nova Scotia it's not hard to find work as an LPN but it's hard to get positions due to the increased number of grads every year I suspect the future here for LPN grads looks very bleak as far as finding full time work positions. Most of our RN's move away and though some say its for better pay and benifits the majority leave because there are very few positions available that are full time. It seems to be the way of the world no one wants to hire a full time staff when they can fill it with a few people they don't have to pay benifits to and often they will subsitute and LPN in place of an RN where years ago they would have bulked at the idea saying it would be unsafe...sometimes it still is unsafe but the mighty dollar seems to be more important then the people involved. I hope with all the push on creating more heath workers in highschools they start focusing on creating better work places to put them in.

[nursinghumor]

As long as nurses are willing to take the part-time positions, the hospitals will continue to offer them.

If no one took the part-time positions, they'd have no choice but to offer full-time with benefits.

With hospitals I agree, the bottom line is saving money anyway they can. My wife was telling me the other day that several Baylor Program (work two twelves on weekends, get paid for 36 with full benefits) positions that people left were not being filled. The nurse manager instead wanted to change them to 2-3 part-time positions which did not pay benefits.

Far as a surplus, maybe if you've got a ton of nursing schools in an area, but otherwise warm bodies with licenses should be able to find plenty of work RN, LPN, CNA, etc. for a long time to come.

Facilities won't focus on improving working conditions unless we push for it. Otherwise, they'll try to get away with as little improvements as possible.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

[Aaron C.]

[ QUOTE ]
the bottom line is saving money anyway they can

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not so sure that is totally accurate. If you look at administrators salaries, I'm quite sure they haven't gone down any

[nursinghumor]

Aaron,

Compared to blue-collar staff, hospital CEOS, managers and administrator's salaries are not subject to cost cutting on a regular basis.

It is to the hospital's advantage to pay them well, and offer them bonuses when they do cut costs substantially. This is especially true regarding employee labor costs which are usually the largest line item in a hospital's budget.

You don't see administrators forming unions to fight for higher pay and better benefits, they have them already.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

[LeahNTexas]

I have talked to many nurses, and they say the problem with the shortage will continue to increase because of the high patient/low nurse ratio. Like Andrew Lopez said, I think it is right to say that if we stopped taking part time work, they would have no choice but to offer full time work with benefits.

Leah L. Logan

If you would like to join my newsletter for Texas nurses, please write to Leahlogan1995@yahoo.com Leave you name number, and mailing address. Thanks

[BeachyCEN]

I agree. What seems to make it worse is working in areas that there are only so many nurses, geographically. I think in more remote areas without competition it makes it worse. They spend more on travelers and contract nurses (no offense to them, I don't mind them) than on retention and we end up with rapid and increased turnover. We are currently understaffed hospital wide, but especially in the ER. It is a tough situation, which makes a shift even more stressful.

[nursinghumor]

It does burn me up that in most hospitals in my area (Philadelphia, Cherry Hill, NJ) that all these sign-on bonuses and "perks" are being offered for nurses (new graduates included) to come on staff, but little is offered to nurses that have been there for years and are expected to train these newcomers.

So what do they get for working short, picking up overtime so the hospital could keep its units open, sacrificing personal time and holidays for their employers? Nada. . .

Doesn't seem fair at all when they're offering bonuses and paying premium wages to agency staff (I'm an agency nurse) and travelers.

Tends to make the staff nurse feel pretty damn unappreciated.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

[nursesds]

Maybe more hospitals should consider adding in a Nurse Retention bonus. Something to keep Nurses after they finally get them. It would help with keeping an employee once they finally do come on board, and also help keep nurses in the general nursing population. It seems to me that this would help eliminate some of the burn out and hard feelings toward treatment of the new nurses.

[justatraveler]

Originally Posted by nursesds

Maybe more hospitals should consider adding in a Nurse Retention bonus. Something to keep Nurses after they finally get them. It would help with keeping an employee once they finally do come on board, and also help keep nurses in the general nursing population. It seems to me that this would help eliminate some of the burn out and hard feelings toward treatment of the new nurses.

I worked in hospital with a 4:1 ratio on a busy M/S floor. TPN, blood, ortho, pleur-vacs, fingersticks. We had aides. Sometimes you got one all to yourself. When I hear about the ratios other have I cringe.

I still left. Have been gone now since 2000. And no amount of money could get me back there.

There is one over-riding reason. I was sssssssssssooooooo tired of the other nurses complaining constantly about every thing. It just wore me down. The other thing I see as a problem is all the ancillary nurses. Why do they need a nurse for the left great toe and a nurse for the right great toe. Why does a well staffed 20 patient unit need 3 secretaries on days. Why does a well staffed unit need a charge nurse two team leaders an assistant supervisior and a supervisior. Why does a well staffed 20 bed unit need 4 case managers.

That's were all the money goes. To nurses who aren't neccesarily doing patient care. Do you know the name of your Education Nurse and when was the last time she had an education session.

Too much fluff and overkill away from the bedside. Not to mention the higher ups.

I'm getting down now. Thank God I don't have to work in hospitals.
:frustrated: :frustrated: :frustrated: