My husband went to Ohio last week to visit family and came home with a story about a nurse that I could hardly believe.
He and our son-in-law were sitting in a pizza parlor near Youngstown, which is in the northeast corner of the state, about an hour southeast of Cleveland. It’s an economically depressed area and has been in a slide ever since the steel mills began closing—about the mid-70s, as I recall.
As my husband and son-in-law were deciding between pepperoni or mushroom, a young woman came over to take their order. The three got to chatting and my husband learned that the waitress had recently graduated from the BSN program at Youngstown State University. So what was she doing working in a pizza parlor?
She said that she couldn’t find a full-time job in nursing that offered benefits and so was working two part-time nursing jobs as well as this part-time job at the pizza restaurant. Her goal was to save enough money to “get out.” She wasn’t sure where she’d land, but California was on her short list.
Of course, I had a million questions—none of which my husband asked—and some comments.
The first question would have been: I can’t believe there are no full-time jobs for nurses in the Youngstown area. Is there no shortage in Ohio?
I’ve read so much about the aging nursing workforce, the aging population that will need more nurses, and the lack of nursing instructors, which means a limited ability to turn out more nurses. All in all, it’s the perfect storm for a huge shortage of nurses—one that exists now, but predicted to get much worse.
The next question of this nursing grad would’ve been something about health insurance—like how can an employer who hires nurses NOT offer health insurance? (Yet more evidence of our inadequate and awful health care insurance problem.)
Were I there, I also would’ve told this graduate to go West, young woman, and bring your friends. California, as well as other Western states, is begging for nurses. The demand is high and the pay is good. Some places offer signing bonuses and other extras if you recruit a friend.
So what is the employment situation where you live?
Are nurses in short supply or is it difficult to get a job?
Is it difficult to get a job with benefits?
Tell us what you think.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Nursing shortage? What nursing shortage?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
14 comments:
My hospital (in Meemphis, Tn)recently closed 2 units and laid off 35 or so. They are cutting back to save money. The new computer system ran off several admitting MDs and admissions are down. ER visits are up and the patients stack up in the ER. Our nurse to patient ratios are safe but I dont see them doing alot of hiring. I think there are jobs in my area it's just a matter of what clinical area you want to work in. It's hard to get your first choice right now and new grads may be having a more difficult time.
I find that hard to believe that she couldn't find a place to work. Shes obviously not looking hard enough, or she is being too picky. Try relocating!
She didn't say she couldn't find a job, she couldn't find a full time position with benefits and was working two part time positions as a nurse and working at the pizza parlor. I admire her goal to relocate and her willingness to do whatever it took to get the money to relocate.
I worked for an insurance company that was performing reviews for a pilot program for Texas Medicaid. The program for the Texas Medicaid provided so many benefits for the patient, Texas ICM, and we were told to approve them all. All the while , the insurance our company provided for us ,the nurses who reviewed these Medicaid cases was awful, had so many restrictions , did not pay but a small amount of the medication I take and for some it paid for none ...My personal doctor will not take many of that companies insurances and when I interviewed for another insurance company, I did not take it , for my doctors will not take it either, --I can believe what the new grad said and from what I have seen, even if they offer benefits, check to see if it is even worth it and the cost you will have to pay out of pocket , deductibles and if your doctors even take it. Been there ....
Many employers in this area are also hiring nurses part-time only with out any benefits. I have been searching for employment and have not come across a full-time perm. position with benefits. The employer I currently work for is hiring nurses also, part time with out any benefits. (New Jersey)
I'm shocked! In our area (St. Louis), hospital nurses at least are a much sought after group. Could it be she is looking only for a 9-5 Monday through Friday job or has other restrictions she didn't mention? Openings in our area hospitals are for full- time, part-time, flexible shedules, insurance if you need it, a higher salary if you don't, etc. Most hospitals have retention and recruitment enticements and the openings are in almost every specialty one could imagine. If she wants her pick of hospital nursing positions, send her our way!
Hospitals are creating the illusion of a shortage of nurses as an excuse to hire a lot of foreign nurses to replace American nurses who are demanding fair working conditions and safe patient ratios. At one hospital in Dallas area, 95% of the nurses are foreign, and pay there is very low and ratios are heavy. Their benefits are very poor also. Is this the future of nursing?
I have to agree with what was written on July 31st....If you work for a hospital, beware of the pseudo insurance you are offered. At some facilities they actually offer insurance that doesn't even cover medications and want you to "share the cost of insurance" (DISGUSTING)
If you can afford the drastic drop in pay from hospital to private MD office, the benefits are AMAZING from what I have heard! (but really, who can afford this??)
I left my cushy job at a MD office about 6 months ago and started looking for a job. I had offers, some part-time and no benefits, some full-time with benefits. I have experience and a BSN, so that makes a difference. I waited until I found the job that would pay the best and fit my goals. New grads really need the experience to have recruiters begging them to come to work. BUT, some places don't offer that great of benefits, either.
I've worked my share of part-time jobs, and I'm glad I chose to work for the VA. The pay is great and the benefits...*:o) Maybe this lady just wants to have the freedom to move on, instead of making a commitment to one employer.
hospital insurance is now the shabbiest of most employers ...used to be staff would work for just the insurance for their family ...i think all medical care had gone downhill and the way nurses sre treated in the present is shameful at best ...i work for a famous hospital of the stars and staff treated like crap ...and you wonder why everyone is going union
In my area the hospitals are cutting back on benefits and increasing the cost the healthcare worker must payout each paycheck. They have also started to decrease the starting salary for new nursing graduates. They say it is to offset the increasing cost of orientation nurses need in order to perform adequately at the bedside. One administrator is blaming the nursing schools for educating the nursing students poorly. She says they lack in many of the basic nursing skills. She thinks nursing schools need to increase the clinical nursing skills instead of trying to do everything on a simulator. Human beings react differently than an anatomically correct mannequin.
I completely disagree with the comment that the nurse couldn't be looking hard enough. Many hospitals (any business, actually) find that it's cheaper to hire two part time employees over one full-time, precisely for the health insurance and other issues.
I'm in Montreal - we don't have the health insurance issues you have in the US, but it's still cheaper for the hospitals here to do the two part-timers over one full timer.
And, yes, there is a shortage here too and it will only get worse as nurses begin to retire in larger numbers.
I live in Massachusetts, where health insurance is mandatory.By law employers have to offer it- whether you work 10 hours a week, or 40 hours a week. It's what the employer actually "contributes", is where the catch is. The last hospital I worked for offered insurance- but hardly contributed anything--or shall I say very little. i.e. On a 500.00 a month premium, they contributed 95.00 a month- the other 405.00 came out of my paycheck. Give me a break. The company that I work for now, pretty much pays for the whole plan. It's 475.00 a month, and we get 18.00 taken out of our check every 2 weeks.And it's a much better plan too. I guess we're pretty lucky. But I do see it everywhere.. the insurance plans are getting crappier all the time, and offering less and less and going up on rates.
I think nurses should automatically be entitled to free health insurance.. after all, we spend 2/3 of our waking hours caring for others, and most of us don't even get paid that well for what we do. It's the least they could do...just a thought.
I am sure that there are some areas that are more or less saturated with nurses. I suspect these are rural areas where small hospitals exist.
There are several factors working against this nurse that you mention, none of which has anything to do with their job hunting abilities.
Most hospitals are cutting back because of reimbursement changes. Many businesses are only hiring part time so they don't have to pay the high costs associated with healthcare benefits. So I am sure some hospitals are following suit. Offer a couple of part time jobs with no benefits is cheaper for them than a full time with.
With respect to a nursing shortage I have always disagreed with this. There are loads of nurses out there. They just don't work as nurses anymore because they are tired of all the poor working conditions - that was the nice way of saying it.
If the nurse you mention could relocate they would likely have better opportunities but that is not always that easy. If they can they should look into travel nursing.
Post a Comment