There was an interesting story in the May 7 NY Times about how the sluggish economy and the rising cost of living is easing the nursing shortage. To summarize the main points, many actively working nurses are picking up extra shifts, nurses who have been out of the workforce are looking to return, and older nurses are delaying retirement - all to boost their income during tough financial times. I’m already hearing about new graduates who have to look longer and harder to find jobs out of school in some areas because of diminished vacancy rates.

The article goes on to say that this trend may be temporary and could revert as soon as the economy takes an upturn. I’m not so sure about that. The cost of living will inevitably continue to rise. Everyone is living longer and therefore needs to put more away in a retirement account. And even those of us who are approaching retirement age don’t necessarily want to live on a restricted income. We want to travel, enjoy the finer things in life, help our children and grandchildren and have enough put away for a rainy day - or for extended “bad weather.”

One of the great things about nursing is that it is a recession-proof career. How great that we are able to pick up extra shifts, delay retirement, and re-enter the profession when and if we need and want to?  

You can read the article here

The March 24 issue of U.S. News & World Report magazine lists Registered Nurse as one of 31 of the best careers for the future. This list was compiled based on job satisfaction, training difficulty, prestige, job market outlook, and pay. Others on the list include dentist, pharmacist, occupational therapist, editor, ghost writer, and investment banker. Each of the 31 professionals was given a ‘grade’ for job market outlook ranging from ‘A’ to ‘C.’ RN was given an ‘A.’ You can read the article at http://www.usnews.com/features/business/best-careers/best-careers-2008.html 

The online article also refers to an article from last December which spotlighted the 12 “Ahead-of-the-Curve Careers.” In the healthcare category they specifically mention health coach, healthcare informatics specialist, and patient advocate - all great non-traditional opportunities for nurses.

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With continuous cut-backs in education budgets, many school nurse positions are being eliminated, putting our nation’s children at serious risk. Part of the problem is the considerable misunderstanding of what school nurses do and the value they bring to the community, the educational system, and the healthcare system. There is considerable evidence to support the fact that fewer school nurses has resulted in deaths,  serious complications, and a decreased quality of life amongst the children they serve. See a comprehensive article from a 2005 edition of US News and World Report http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-12-13-school-nurses_x.htm. Be sure to also click on the links on the right side of the article page.

Advocate for safe nursing staffing in your local schools whether you have school-age children or not. You’re advocating for your profession at the same time and creating awareness of the vital role nurses play in the school system including emergency management and preparedness, care and case management of children with chronic illness, health education for the students, faculty, parents, and community at large, and more. Learn more about what school nurses do at www.nasn.org and http://www.aft.org/healthcare/schoolnurses/. If you think school nursing is a cakewalk or a “dead-end job” as one nurse recently referred to it as, you are sorely misinformed. 

I was recently named one of “50 Best Women in Business” by NJBIZ magazine. As such I was invited to attend a networking reception for all honorees. Everyone was very friendly and most of us were making an effort to meet and speak with as many of the awardees as possible.

When people heard I was an RN they were very interested to hear more about what I do and about the nursing profession in general or to tell me about someone in their family who is a nurse. Some asked about the “shortage” assuming it existed because no one wanted to be a nurse anymore (see my previous post “Who wants to be a nurse?”). I, of course, set them straight. 

Others asked me if I still work in nursing. I always love when someone asks me that so I can give them my spiel. Here’s what I say, “I am very much working in nursing as a speaker and writer. While many people think of nurses working only at the bedside in hospitals, we actually work in many different places doing many different things. I am still a healer, a teacher, and a nurturer in everything I do.” They take a minute to digest that and I add, “Health, wellness, and healing take place on many different levels. I have a very expanded view of who a nurse is and what a nurse does.”  It gives them food for thought. It even gives some nurses food for thought.  

Be ready to speak passionately and authoritatively about your profession when out in public even when just socializing with friends or neighbors. You have an opportunity to set the record straight and educate and inform people about the full scope of what nurses do. Arm yourself with facts about the profession such as those found on AACNs Nursing Fact Sheet. Here’s an article you may find helpful Talk About What You Do

Denver’s Nursing Star magazine recently based their Question of the Week on an article I wrote titled Do Nurses REALLY Eat Their Young? They asked readers if they had ever had an unpleasant experience but didn’t ask if they’d ever had a pleasant experience. Sometimes we just love to focus our energy on negative things. Ultimately you see what you choose to focus on. How would you respond to their question?

Question of the Week -
Do nurses really “eat their young ?”
Donna Cardillo, RN, MA, recently wrote an article regarding experienced nurses not treating new nurses kindly. On her website, Cardillo claims she occasionally hears about unpleasant experiences with experienced nurses, she mostly hear about how caring, nurturing, and supportive more experienced colleagues are.
Do believe “nurses eat their young?” As a new nurse, have you ever had an unpleasant experience with a more experienced nursing professional? Do you think the majority of nurses guide and care for new professionals in the field?
Denver’s Nursing Star would like to know your thoughts. Please email your response, along with your name, nursing credentials, city, and contact information to news@denversnursingstar.com or fax it to 720-283-2198.

My blog has been quiet for the last few months as I put the finishing touches on my 2nd book The ULTIMATE Career Guide for Nurses. The guide will be in print in a few months and is being published by the Gannett Healthcare Group, the company that publishes Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek magazines. Now I’m getting ready to write my 3rd book - a motivational book for the masses - not just for nurses. This is a long time dream of mine. And to think that I once believed I had no ability to write.

It’s amazing how self-limiting our own thoughts can be. It’s also amazing the things we discover about ourselves when we’re willing to step outside of our comfort zones like getting up in front of a group and speaking or submitting an article for publication or enrolling in classes. The world is such an exciting place when you get yourself out there and try new things, meet new people. Yes, it can be scary at first but it’s also exhilarating.

What have you dreamed of doing but are afraid to try? Would you be willing to let go of the outcome and just try for the experience of doing it? I guarantee you will grow from the experience and might just discover something that you’re good at or that you enjoy doing in the process.    

I was recently interviewed for a cable television program where I was supposed to be discussing my business and the nursing profession in general. Out of the blue the host asks me, “Why doesn’t anyone want to be a nurse?” The question threw me but as I composed myself, I realized that he must be assuming that because there is a well publicized nursing shortage, it must be for lack of people entering the profession. “On the contrary” I replied, “almost everyone wants to be a nurse today. Most schools of nursing have a 2-3 year waiting list to get in. Over 30, 000 qualified candidates were turned away last year.” The host was startled to hear this. I went on to tell him that more and more men are entering the profession and that many people are coming to nursing as 2nd and 3rd careers - many coming from the world of business, information technology (computers), and many other professions. Why then, he wanted to know, couldn’t the schools accommodate them. Because of a shortage of qualified instructors, classroom and clinical space, I advised him. Fortunately, all of these things are being addressed at the state and federal level but not fast enough.

Of course then we have to address the challenge of retention of new and experienced nurses - a subject for another post. 

I’m writing from Kansas City, MO while getting ready to deliver the keynote address at the National Student Nurses Association MidYear Career Planning Conference. The hotel is filled with over 1000 student nurses from all over the country. They are of varying ages and backgrounds. Some are right out of high school and others have had one or more previous careers. Each of them is filled with a mixture of fear, excitement, and anticipation. They are the future of nursing. I am so proud of them and so grateful to them for having the courage and the determination to walk the path of the healer.
To those of you who will encounter new graduate nurses in the workplace, through your professional associations, and even in your community in the near future, extend yourself to them. Welcome them into the profession with open arms. Help them, support them and encourage them. Thank them for choosing nursing and let them know that you’re there for them. Please read the article How to Welcome New Grads into the Fold.   
 

Public polls frequently rank nurses as tops in credibility for all professions. Most nurses are proud of this fact and love to hear this. But the Center for Nursing Advocacy is not jumping for joy. Their assertion is that credibility does not equate respect. Read what their position is on this at http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/faq/most_trusted.html What do you think?  

I’m sitting in a hotel room in Las Vegas having just finished presenting 2 full day seminars back to back. I am always physically and mentally exhausted afterwards and often question why I do these seminars since it takes so much out of me. But then, I experience the outpouring of warmth, love and gratitude from the attendees at the end of the day and it reminds me why I keep on doing what I do. I am energized by the passionate and compassionate spirit of nurses. Ya just gotta love ‘em – and I do!