Nursing Shortage

I live in New Jersey and the shortage is being felt strongly here. How is it where you live? Any suggestions on why and what we as nurses can do about it?
Our shortages are mainly due to working conditions and poor retirement compensation packages.
My suggestions include getting politically active and trying to force legislation regarding set maximum ratios. For those of us who have been doing this for a while, we know that since healthcare has become a business, our working conditions have declined in the name of saving the bottom line.
I also think we should have a support system in place in the hospitals for staff who are feeling the stress of our jobs.
What do you think?

Is that you -jt?

CONGRESSMAN
FRANK D. LUCAS
Sixth Congressional District, Oklahoma


This release is also available on the OPA bulletin Board and at
www.house.gov/lucas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jim
Luetkemeyer
June 4, 2002
(202)225-5599

LUCAS SEEKS SOLUTIONS TO NURSE SHORTAGE
Oklahoma Shortage is Among Worst in Nation


Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Sixth District Congressman Frank Lucas is
cosponsoring a bill that creates new initiatives and redirects funding to
combat a growing national shortage of nurses, which is particularly severe
in Oklahoma.

"We're desperately hurting for more nurses - both in our rural and urban
areas," Lucas said. "I've heard from clinics and hospitals across the Sixth
District about their dire need for more nurses, and these new statistics
only reiterate the severity of the problem."

Lucas said a 2000 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, recently
released by a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, shows
that Oklahoma has an average of only 635 nurses per 100,000 citizens, which
is the sixth-lowest ratio in the nation. Oklahoma needs more than 5,000
additional nurses just to meet the national average.

The greatest factors contributing to the shortage are an anticipated surge
in nursing needs as baby-boomers grow older, and a lack of young
professionals entering the healthcare field.

In Oklahoma, the number of new registered nurses has declined by 25 percent
within the past three years.

"Keeping rural hospitals open is vital to keeping our small towns on the
map," Lucas said. "And one of the most important parts of keeping rural
hospitals open is luring well-trained professionals to work there."

Rural areas in Oklahoma are especially needing more nurses, where the number
of nurses to serve the population is particularly low.

Lucas is cosponsoring a bill, H.R. 1436, authored by Rep. Lois Capps, that
will provide new initiatives to increase enrollment in nursing training
programs and create a National Nurse Service Corps Scholarship program. The
bill would also direct Medicare funding, the largest public source of
financing for nursing facilities, to rural health clinics. Lucas is urging
his colleagues in Congress to support the bill as well.

Lucas has also assisted rural hospitals this year by urging support for a
bill that addresses the lower Medicare payments rural hospitals receive
compared to their urban counterparts.

Lucas is a member of the Rural Health Care Coalition in Congress, a group of
members of Congress focused on the health issues and concerns facing rural
areas.

In Iowa here we are also experiencing a shortage. I think a lot of it is due to the increase in patient load and the critical nature of the patients on the General floors these days. The nurses are just tired of not being able to give the type of care these patients deserve and worried about the legal aspect of what should happen if one of their 8 to 10 patients has a problem they will be liable for.
In the past the hospital has always covered themselves instead of admitting it may have been caused by poor coverage. They change our manning tables so that on paper we are no longer short staffed, how about that to the answer to the nursing shortage, and insist on everyone picking up maditory extra shifts instead of hiring additional help. Working 16 hours shifts increases the chance of making an error and eventually the nurse just burns out and quits.
I am almost to that point myself after 23 years of nursing. I am actively voicing my concerns about safety issues at work and feel like I am hitting my head on the wall. I am tired of being told I have to improve my attitude about being worried about the ways cuts are endangering the safety of my patients. I have never had a bad review and worked management for years in the past, so I thought I was making constructive points and suggestions, not being a trouble maker. Being alone on the floor with 3 trauma patients plus 4 very sick medical patients is just unsafe.
So anyway, enough of my frustrations. If there are any real solutions out there, short of quitting, I am open to suggestions. The bottom line is you can't take short cuts where human lives are at stake.

I hear you and validate everything you are saying. I support your efforts to make yourself heard. You will not catch me talking about "whining" like some people.

You think there is a shortage? It is just a scam by the HMOs and insurance companies! Wait 18 months, you won't be able to find a job!

Check into the H1-A visa program that grants work visa's to foreign nurses. Have you missed all of the recent Congressional hearings?

The H1-B program has brought over 2 million tech workers into the country over the last decade. Now here is 17% umemployment in the technology sector and the INS is still bringing in 200,000 per year.

Nurses are next with the 'H1-A' visa. -- expect millions of 'H1-A' nurses.

In a couple of years, you will not be able to find a job, imported
nurses will be working for half of what you are currently making.... and they will be happy to have that!



links on the techie issue
http://www.zazona.com/ShameH1B
http://www.nomoreh1b.com
http://12.252.154.110/protest/links.asp
http://www.it-usa.org/

"BINGO" on lack of new professionals entering the nursing field. Why? About 10 yrs ago I read an article outlining salary growth from year 1 through year 10 comparing nursing, accountants and attorneys. They all started at relatively the same salary but by year 3, the accountants and attorneys salaries had doubled. We don't even want to talk about the 10 year mark!!!! And yes, benefits are an issue as well. With those kinds of figures it isn't surprising which avenue of career choices people are making. As caregivers we often sacrifice ourselves for the sake of our patients. I personally am extremely happy as a nurse ~ but that is because this is what I love and what I want to do. As a single mother there is an awful lot lacking in my ability to support my family with my income etc. Would unity in the form of a union help? I don't know ~ there seems to be a surplus of nurse who are not unionized that employers can utilize during times of disputes.

You hit the nail on the head. We HAD a nursing shortage until the corporation discovered Puerto Rico was an american provence. AHA...Florida just figured out all you have to do is buy those folks a plane ticket. No paperwork involved at all. We just got 15 nurses from P.R. Most don't speak any english. But really....whos needs to communicate with a patient anyway. I think it was a brilliant move. Okay...so there might be a small language barrier....now get this.....these are critical care nurses for ICU and open heart recovery.

You are right. There wont be ahsortage before too long. Our older population is hard of hearing to begin with. They should do really well when the entire staff speaks functional english with a thick accent. I predict wonderful outcomes.

Only problem with nursing is that it's always time to go back to school or get screwed. See ya when i get out of CRNA school.

Just a note to address the shortage issue. I attended college in the 70's receiving loans because of the nursing shortage. After graduation, and a few yrs later, Nurses from the Phllipines were brought into our hospital because of that nursing shortage. Please do not take offense but those who came had a hard time passing boards because of language. Also, foreign nurses had priority in hiring over those who actually applied for nursing jobs during that time. And the employer did not give raises during that time. The nurses that were brought in were given housing by the hospital as well. I think that we have a shortage but I also think it will open the door again for some problems that were encountered at that time. With a shortage, they should encourage more people to enter the nursing field in my opinion. We had other countries besides the Phillipines.

I totally agree that "they" need to encourage more people into nursing, but who would "they" be? As long as nurses beat each other up and are alive to tell someone how beat up they are, NO one will want to go into nursing usless they have the same attitude as the bullies. I think that management (Nursing that is) is the major problem. We lack leaders and have too many "managers". I know over the 26yrs. I have nursed that a great majority of my managers were in it for themselves and would not take up for staff if it meant their going against administration. The other problem is non-nursing management. Nursing Leaders need to step out and speak up. I worked with master's prepared MBA graduate RN and she was absolutely wonderful. Where did she end up? Run off because of fragile egos. I know there may be loads of nurses who disagree but have you seen the posts about all the nurses who have delighted in leaving the profession?

I agree with you about the problems with leaders. Nurses who want to be leaders usually don't make good leaders. Their motives are wrong. The Nurses who would make great leaders don't want the job. When we get a manager who is very good at the job. Managment does not like them. There seems to be a true lack of common sense. I want to be a part of the solution and often find myself cheering and ecouraging the good hard working nurses so they will stay. I have started keeping records. And have found a ground floor beginning of a union I plan to be active in and have found many of the nurses I admire most are already involoved. I find this uplifting for me. I don't feel so alone with the problems.

I only posted to mention that the hospital that I worked for when the nursing shortage came about in the 70's were trying to get people into nursing, the hosp. admin. found that foreign nurses could be brought in. And the hospital brought them in. I just wanted to mention that there seems to be a cycle in the nursing shortage and I found that interesting. What I meant by "they" was that possibly recruiters could try harder to show a better face to nursing. Our state board doesn't promote nursing on all fronts as good as they could, in my opinion only. I myself have no anwers for the nursing shortage, only questions. What else can be done will be left to those still in the profession or coming into the profession. I am one who has left the profession recently. I spent around 35 yrs in the medical profession and about 30 yrs as an RN. I have worked in almost every position including management. I have an ADN and BSN. I am probably 7 yrs from retirement. But opted out now. But this is about the nursing shortage and not about me, except that I am one who left nursing for numerous reasons, new career, death of my spouse, & illness.

I agree Betty, I think things will change, it's a cycle...

Betty, did you get the private message I sent you? If not, you should have a flashing box on the navigation bar at the top of your screen.

--Aaron

Sorry if I sounded like I was finger pointing your way which was certainly not my intent. I just used your post to expound on what I believe is a real problem. Like a "root" cause. We tend to want to cut off the limb to treat the finger. Again, it is never my intent to put anyone's ideas down. Thank-you for letting me know.

It's like being president. I don't want to have a president who wants to be president. Someone famous made a quote about that but I can't remember who or how it goes.

Usually those kind of people have alterior motives or bad intentions.

No problem in answer to your post. There remain internal problems which may never be fixed. My daughter is a nurse as well. All businesses can have internal problems, though. The nursing shortage seems to run in cycles.

I hope it was H.L. Mencken, but probably someone else, who said, "Those who aspire to power are precisely those who should not have it."

Jim

Yeah, Jim, that's the quote I was referring to. I knew it was something like that but I also knew I wasn't even close! Thanks for putting that up.

I love that quote. I think about that every time I see a political ad on tv.

Jim I thought I had a clever thought of my own, alas it was before my time. LOL

There will always be a shortage of nurses.....................its historical

FreaK wrote:There will always be a shortage of nurses.....................its historical

I agree, but why is it historical? Let me share some of my observations and opinions I have formed over the past 25 years as a nurse. I bet there are other nurses out there that have been around as long or longer than I have that can relate to what I am talking about. Bet many that have not been around as long can relate too.

It is the patients and we the nurses that suffer in this so called nursing shortage. Yes, there needs to be a greater number of nurses, but more importantly the employers and the governing State Boards of Nursing in each state are much to blame...yet they are the first to yell "Nursing Shortage" when they are the major contributors to the problem.

For those of you old enough to remember back in the early 1980's a wonderful thing happened that was a move in the right direction to help solve many of the problems that inhibited nurses from freely traveling the United States and quickly getting a nursing license, as each state use to have their own State Board Exams and criteria of what they considered a passing score. There was a brain storm of an idea to consolidate and implement a national testing system for the state board examinations. Every state offered the test on the same day nation wide several times a year and it was the same test...also known as the NCLEX. Once implemented there for a while you could just walk into a State Board of Nursing office and show them your license in one state and they would for a small fee give you a nursing license in there state right there on the spot, as they knew the nurse had competently passed the NCLEX exam. This was WONDERFUL! Of course this was short lived. What started out as a wonderful idea has since been abominated by each state wanting to "individualize" things and set themselves apart from other states somehow thinking this makes them "better" or set them apart as a leader for the future. Politics have once again abominated the system to where we see it today, once again right back were we started in the early 1980’s before the NCLEX, now taking often times months to get a permanent license in a state of which the nurse is applying.

Now what are they doing...Many states have started to see the errors of their ways in the ruins of their once good system they abominated and want to restart what I feel is the cycle all over again. This time implementing the Nurse Licensure Compact with the NCSBN. This basically is to accomplish the goal of states coming together in agreement to issue one license, similar to that of a drivers license and the nurse could then practice nursing in any of the states that are a member of the NLC. EXCUSE ME!!!! You did this once back in the early 80's with all 50 States and you screwed it all up! So what is going to be different this time???

Moving on...I live in Southern Indiana and we have ads galore in the newspapers, on hospital or employer websites on the internet etc. All of which "appear" to be begging for help. One hospital had a large front page interview with hospital officials in which they were begging for help and told of the numerous positions they needed to fill in their newly expanded hospital and health care network. Yet, I have gone and made application on line 3 times, have went in person to the HR department and inquired and filled out application once and I have emailed twice the HR Department recruiter. I have never gotten an interview, not a reply to my emails, no phone calls or letters...NOTHING! I have spoken with many other nurses I know who have shared with me similar or the same experience. I have also inquired and sent applications to other area hospitals and have basically gotten the same response...nothing. Currently I work for a nursing home as a Weekend Supervisor. I have a coworker who recently passed her state boards and was told by one of the surrounding hospitals to make sure and come put in her application when she passes her test...she has been treated similar. Not a call, not a letter, not an interview...NOTHING. So you, the employers scream “nursing shortage” and uses this excuse to calm the troops already working for you under extreme staffing shortage and adverse conditions including ridiculous and unsafe patient care loads…yet you have nurses lined up that are begging for employment with you and you won’t even give them a phone call or interview? It’s a game! The same game I have seen for the past 25 years as a registered nurse.

So, why is there a nursing shortage where you work or in the state you live in? I have concluded over the years it is not just a numbers game as to how many nurses are graduating...but it is also a political game with both employers and by the State Boards of Nursing. Just something for you to look at and think about. I have been observing this for over 25 years...I think I finally have caught on to a couple of significant reasons we have such a “nursing shortage” all the time…and its not just the number of nurses in the work force.

Thanks

unionnurse wrote:I live in New Jersey and the shortage is being felt strongly here. How is it where you live? Any suggestions on why and what we as nurses can do about it?
Our shortages are mainly due to working conditions and poor retirement compensation packages.
My suggestions include getting politically active and trying to force legislation regarding set maximum ratios. For those of us who have been doing this for a while, we know that since healthcare has become a business, our working conditions have declined in the name of saving the bottom line.
I also think we should have a support system in place in the hospitals for staff who are feeling the stress of our jobs.
What do you think?

I actually think even though I work for the state, we are still quite underpaid. For RN's here, I think they are happy with the pay they are recieving.

Your Jobs Wouldnt Be So Stressing If You Had Better Professors!
Isn't that right?