Could you please add the state you are in? I always here about the RN shortage. I thought it would be interesting to see for ourselves.

Needed another option on there that says "No, I am going to school to become a RN"

With that said I know here in Florida there is a lot of openings for RN's. If I remember correctly after reading some material earlier this week there was something like over 500 projected RN openings per year until 2018 in the Palm Beach County area. Part of the reason why the local community college accepts 234 students per year into their ADN program. But certainly there is a shortage here.

I am an RN from Pennsylvania.  There seems to be a nursing shortage in my area but it also seems because of the economy hiring is  slow.  I work on a Telemetry floor ~~ Med Surg and we seem to be short on staff often.  There is not a week that goes by that the schedule is completed with adequate staffing.  After the schedule is posted there is always a list of shifts that need to be covered and you can pick up extra and there are also at times bonuses offered to stay and work.  We have hired over the past 2-3 months over 6-7 new grads or RN's and we have lost probably that many RN's to other  jobs ~~ mostly home health.  But I am hanging in there because I still feel like I can make a difference and despite it all I love this floor.

I am an active RN working in NEW YORK. I also hold a NEW JERSEY license but don't work there.

 Hi I'm an RN live and work ikn upstate south carolina, presently work as assistant head nurse at the county detention center, would love to hear from other nurses in this field as it is not a usual job. Worked citical care for 5 years  and psych for one year plus others specialities. Original received my licensure in the UK in 1993. Sat my NCLEX and ave been active in the states since 1997. Trying to get my BSN as my UK certification , 4 years is only equivalent to an ADN......spoke to sevaral online schools, one actually asked me if my RN was an lpn in the states... was a little upset by that.

 You all do not need to post details unless you want to, just hoping to get a feel for how many active or not active nurses are out there!

I live in Florida. I'm fortunate enough to be an active critical care RN. However, there seems to be a nursing shortage since there are a ton of job ads for nurses. The problem is that facilities only want to hire nurses with at least 1-2 years of experience, which makes it near impossible for new grads to get hired. I know nurses that graduated almost 1 year ago and still do not have jobs... and they are not being picky. Most are willing to relocate, work in rehabs, etc. The problem is that there are so many experienced nurses looking for work that hospitals see this staggering pile of resumes/applications of nurses with experience, that they don't want to spend the money on training new grads.

I work for a school district in ca, they recently eliminated licensed nursing staff because of school budget cuts and I am having a difficult time finding employment in a unit. They all want recent experience in the past 3 years. I have 10 years experience in nicu. I have never worked with adults.  I so regret not keeping a per diem position with a registry.  I needed to work around my kids school hours and the school district worked great. I didn't realize it was career suicide to leave bedside care for awhile. I can't believe all those years of experience are now worthless.  I am taking some classes in nicu at a university hospital, and have a current NRP.  I am even volunteering as a baby rocker. Hopefully these things will help.

 There seem to be many nurses that are not active. The market does seem to be over run with new grads right now. Hope things pick up for the RN's in the world!

I work full time as a nurse educator that travels. Plus I am building my own business a nurse health coach!

Well, there doesn't seem to be a lot of jobs out there, especially for experienced RNs. I moved to WI 4 yrs ago for a job offer, now am back in MN 4 yrs later. Nurses tend to eat their young AND old (er) alike now. I can do just about anything, but why hire me when you can get a new grad for half the wages and benefit costs?? t's all about money, not how good you are as a practioner, or a person, or how many great references you have, etc, etc , etc. I have seen so many "nurses" out there that do not deserve to cross the threshold of a nursing home and be safe, let alone step into a Level 1 Trauma Center!! And NO, hiring new grads is NOT the answer as someone alluded to earlier. Who would you want at YOUR bedside in a crisis? If there are SO many jobs in your area, that says more about your healthcare system then the status nursing job availability. Just sayin....

Yes, I teach life saviing skills, Teresa (Florida)