For one (at least where I am) increase the wages, we are the lowest paid in my province and there is a real shortage here...

The wage issue is a top reason. Going through all of that work to earn your license, then get absolutely murdered in a department too small for the census, no meals, no breaks, no peeing...and then to find out that the IT guy who comes to fix your printer or the x-ray tech that takes pictures all day make more than you. Where is the liablility? With the nurses. Where are the wages? Somewhere else.

Yes, wages are a huge factor.. I have friends who left my city and went elsewhere, where they got paid more. SOme stayed in Canada and some went to the USA where they got tripple what we make now... Also there are problems due to having to work overtime b/c of the shortage, nurses are quitting as they feel that they are being forced to work overtime (more than 12 hrs) when in fact they are NOT supposed to according the our nursing order.

You bring up a great point - Suemalrn: Burnout is HUGE among nurses. One of the biggest contributing factors to the shortage is the amount of nurses who are leaving the profession. How do we stop this burnout phenomenon?

My thought on this, after reading the article PwC study, is this: When a nurse reaches burnout stage they should be given incentive to teach nursing. The main point I got out of that article is that the shortage of nurses is due mainly to many students not getting accepted into schools due to a lack of faculty. Create more faculty, accept more nursing students, decrease the shortage of nurses as well as solving the burnout of nurses. Maybe an incentive program similar to the Troops to Teachers program in the military that encourages retiring service members to become teachers.

personally, i think nursing should be about your passion for the health and well being of others. i know that i can at least make some money while persuing a passion of mine. but, i do think that there should be some incentives to becoming a nurse, because the general public has a very stereotypical standpoint on what they think nurses do. it's actually kind of insulting.

Money, Money, Money

It is sad this is all most of us in this profession think about now! I truly agree we all need money to make our world go around but, it is sad that everything we do is centered around what we make financially. I have met people who really should not even be nurses, have poor bedside manner, and just could care less about patient care in lieu of making the money that nurses make. You have to have a passion and a love for what you do and most of the burn-out syndrome we face with nursing field is due to the lack of passion alot of nurses now have in the field. Yes, the demand of care for most patients has become tremendous because we are taking care of multiple problems with each patient ranging from those that contribute the their hospitalization to those that have nothing to do with them being in the hospital. The care of the patient should be a team effort with each interdisciplinary section doing their part but, unfortunately most things seem to fall on the nurse because they are the initial care providers dealing daily with the patient.
Just like teachers, police officers, postal workers and other important contributors to the work force we are not observed monetarily like others and I agree this is when other incentives need to be initiated by not only the hospitals, clinics, and schools that provide nurses with employement but also our government that help to regulate alot of what is done in the medical field. (i.e.-longevity bonuses, vacations, cruises, paid schooling to the next degree level, etc...)
The future shortage of nursing personnel has not been a top secret to anyone. I just hope when it all hits reality we are ready as a society to deal productively with the situation. No one should be blamed except for those that sat back and did nothing about the situation. We need to think up a productive plan of action that will not only increase the amount of nurses in the field but promote quality in the nursing field and reduce burn-out amongst those that are working at the bedside.

LN - I am with you on the J&J campaign. I cringe every time I see one of those commercials. I think we could do a lot better in conveying exactly why nursing is such a great profession, 'cause lord knows it's not the pay and it's not the working conditions. For me, nursing is about the profound sense that I have made a difference in someone's life. It's hard to get that feeling in other professions. I wish we could do a better job of conveying that.

Teila, You hit the nail on the head. It always comes down to economics, pure and simple.

And that is a very interesting idea about opening up CRNA schools to vets and dentists. Have you found an interest among these two groups to pursue this career path?

I agree with Susan, and most younger people will choose less money for a more challenging and engaging work environment. I do think that once someone has dependents all of that must change.

Here's the thing about surveys of the "fortune 500" companies/firms. Look at the demographics and who is likely being surveyed. The demographics of large successful firms aren't NOT by and large made up of adults with horrible credit, no car or a car that barely runs, having a family yet having room-mates as well to help pay the rent... I could go on.

.. my point is simply you have to look deeper into any survey than just numbers. Where is that data coming from, who was surveyed and under what conditions? What is their education background? * A worker with a MBA from Stanford and a 28 year old with a doctorate degree in computer science will leave their $112,000 job with HP, to make say $97,000 with Yahoo or Google in a heartbeat if they work better hours, don't have to commute, have a lot of job autonomy, and artistic freedom when it comes to various projects.

But that isn't mainstream America! :)

Offer your typical nurse 9-5 in an outpatient clinic, no holidays or weekends, no lifting, no cleaning up and 4 weeks vacation during the 1st year and 6 weeks thereafter...and pay him/her $20 per hour, and nurses from all over will jump at that job! Nice conditions and a wee bit of a pay cut right?

Lets make it interesting...

Offer that same nurse the exactly pay that a seasoned Orthopedic Surgeon receives per annum to go back to his/her old job at the hospital, and *most* nurses will run you over with their car trying to race back to their old "horrible-long hours-high patient to nurse ratio- over worked" job.

*Most* younger people are actually bypassing traditional jobs and going directly for the money. Look at our med schools and law schools today. Say you're going into Family Law, or Public Attorney, and other students will look at you like you're insane. Why? Crummy pay.

What about young physicians? Generally speaking, people coming out of med school won't touch General Practice, even if their life depended on it. Why? Who wants to slave through med school to get out and "only" make $150 per annum, when one can augment breasts or do Orthopedics, Gynocology or Anesthesia for over $350,000 per year.

Have you noticed how the top schools are fiercely cut throat? Take your pick, Engineering, Medicince, Law, Business.. young people are doing anything in their power to get into a top school... so they can get out and work 60-70 hour work weeks in efforts to get that big fat paycheck, and early retirement.

Countries like China, Japan, and Korea are watching their younger generation focus on Western education opportunities (University Level only, as anything less in the U.S. is generally horrible), only to see the younger generation ignore old customs due to their focus on "making it".

Take a look at how many students are lining up to work part-time at UPS..... trust me, they're not walking all over each other to get a job their because of nice working conditions :)

You'll find that those adults with the most OPTIONS in life, are most likely to choose a job on other factors than money alone. The rest of America, is looking for that big weekly paycheck.

Susan

You bring a comment to the table that I have always found very, very interesting. The issue about whether or not a person "likes" their job.

Susan writes: "..Sure, you can draw someone in initially with $$, but how long will they really stay? And if they do, are they really caring about their job, and would you want someone like that taking care of you?"

Well to answer your question very honestly Susan, I truly wouldn't care if a person liked their job or not, as long as they were doing their job to the best of their ability and to (or above) standard. Many, many Americans can't stand their job, but they remain professional, competent and highly skilled while on the job. I think its a natural tendency for us to equate whether or not someone likes their job, to how they'll perform on the job.
I'd much rather have some grouchy acting old bat who hates the job, BUT who takes care of me in a professional manner, vs. a smiling, bubbly nurse who absolutely loves nursing, but is having trouble daily, keeping up with her duties.

Most of the people I was in the military with would've quit in a heartbeak if they had better options.... but regardless of how they felt about their respective jobs, they took their jobs seriously and took it to the max on a daily basis with unfettered dedication.

You're right though, . something really to think about. I like taking a really nice position over a high paying crummy position... but most people (including myself) has his/her price.. :)

Cordially..

Teila, just to clarify my post, Fortune Magazine puts out a survey of the best 100 companies to work for (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/full_list/) where the majority of people working for these companies/businesses are not people who have "the most options in life" as you so casually mention, and still find that they are happier at their jobs for other reasons besides pay.

I find it interesting that you would consult veterinarians about the NCLEX & CRNA. Are you planning on becoming a veterinarian? I'm not sure I understand from your posts what your intentions or desires actually are. Doesn't your bio say that you are considering nursing? Your posts seem to have a very negative tone, and you don't seem to excited about the nursing profession. Are you sure this is a field you wish to go into?

By the way, as a military member myself, I too know some people who are not happy in their positions (as I know & work with some civilian nurses who are unhappy as well). I would never want them to, or ever let them take care of me or my family, or even let them come near any of the patients that I am taking care of. Nurses should provide comfort and care, not stress and attitude...that really is the heart of nursing.

Howdy Susan.. I think you might have misread my post. I wasn't 'consulting' veterinarians in regard to advance nursing practice, but rather we talked at length about the politics behind medicine/nursing quite regularly since we worked in the same office (After flying, I worked in Food Inspection, which in the Army, is a part of Veterinary Services).

You are correct, my bio says 'considering nursing'. Although I didn't really discuss my interests in past posts, my interests are definitely directed towards advanced practice, coupled with a J.D.. and I'm very excited about them both. The reason I put 'considering nursing' is because my end goal is Anesthesia (I also fancy specialized advance practice). There are two ways to get into Anesthesia, either as a nurse (CRNA), or as a college graduate with lots of science/math courses, and graduating from an AA (Anesthesia Assistant) program. I'm considering both, and am actively doing what I can to later be competitive for either school. I relish the technical aspect and depth of such.

Please don't mistake my raw and direct style of writing with apathy or 'attitude'. :) Some people express their excitement by bubbling over, others simply get more intense, and increase their drive towards their goals.. most probably fall somewhere in between? I just chalk it up to people being different, and those differences are one of many factors that keep life interesting don't you agree?

I'll occasionally type a smiley face, to let the reader know that I'm not speaking with a sharp tongue. I suppose writing sharp commentary in conjunction with photography, has ruined me (chuckle).

Thanks for giving me a heads up..I'll work on it :)

Respectfully..

JonZ !

I think you've brought up a great point! I've noticed more than just a few, who are hell bent on heading directly for non-hospital nursing careers, but at the same I'm impressed at the number of students that only wanted to do traditional "bedside nursing". Cost & Time is a definite factor in how many nurses opt for advanced degrees.

With a lot of advance degree programs costing $30k or more.. and demanding roughly 2 years of the student's time, for many its not a financial (or practical) possibility. Most CRNA programs that I've perused, require at least 2 yrs of full time study (schools do not recommend working during that time); that equates to a nurse not working for 2 yrs (or more) in addition to forking out tens of thousands of dollars for school. For many (especially those with family/kids), that can be a very hard pill to swallow. I think that keeps many would-be students of advance practice, at bay.

My guess is that the younger generation graduating from HS today will be less drawn to traditional bedside nursing compared to those graduating in the 80's or earlier (not unlike today's med students). Specialty fields seem to be filled with scorching hot opportunity... and pay. I'd say that nursing (like medicine) will become highly stratified over the next 10 years or so... with many nurses-to-be locking their sights on outpatient clinics.

To me, the bedside nurse is like a grade school teacher.. immensely important in a way thats distinctly different than other areas in their respective field (my humble opinion). The level of patience and thoughtfullness is paramount and (in my eyes), especially important in bedside nursing. The CRNA or FNP probably aren't the nurses who are most likely to be seen reading letters fom family to patients, wiping behinds, having a patient scream "you're only a nurse, I want to see the doctor!!!!", or fetching a teddy bear for.., or reading Harry Potter to a dying child..

On the flip side, I've heard (in class and in forums) an interesting amount of prejudice from students and nurses against those with sights only on advanced practice. A student who wants to go through nursing school, only to become a NP and work in a clinic from 8-5, might as well wear scarlet letters that read "not a REAL nurse"
(chuckle). Not unlike how many attornies look down at those specializing in high dollar quick tort cases (ambulance chaser) or those who specialize in only high dollar divorces. .... its all infantile prejudice & often jealousy within the respecive field, they passed the bar (or NCLEX) like everyone else and are still serving the public right? ;)

Its very honorable to do what you love to do.. for some, its working bedside, for others its running their own 9-5 clinic as a practitioner. Both serve the public's interest.

I predict a noticeable shift towards specialized nursing, especially by students who have high GPAs *and* the financial means and time, to easily complete the extra years of school. The next 10 yrs may be interesting..

Interesting topic & food-for-thought JonZ!