There is
usually a demand for qualified nurses, especially in hospitals. There are more doctors now than ever before,
and for every doctor, there is at least one nurse, and sometimes more. Private practice medical groups employ multiple
nurses, with a mixture of LPNs and RNs. Consider all of the medical practice groups, including specialty
practices. That is s lot of nurses, and there needs to be. It takes many nurses
to keep a medical practice operating.
Nursing
Turnover Reasons
On average,
17.5 percent of nurses leave their job within the first year. Many hospitals try to determine the reason
for this, and offer exit interviews to have a shorter time nurse explain their
reason for leaving.
- The
number one reason new nurses leave their jobs within the first year is, they
took the job to gain some experience. Hospitals are much more likely to hire nurses that have recently
graduated. Most hospitals offer
extensive mentor or training programs for new nurses, so they can receive on
the job training even after school. Hospitals also need more nurses, and nurses that have just completed
school are generally looking for Immediate employment. So why don't the nurses stay? Most have no idea what it's going to be like
to be a full-time nurse, so that first job with 12 hour shifts can be a shock
in itself. In addition, when first
graduating, you may not be sure where you want to work, so a hospital will
often be the obvious choice until permanent decisions are made.
- Another
reason, any nurses leave their job in the first year is their schedule. Hospitals operate 24/7, and not everyone
appreciates the midnight shift. While
some prefer this shift, most switch to a day shift if given the
opportunity.
- Nurses
often network, and with social media networking is easier than ever. Nurses that are aware of job openings share
the information, and while perhaps they are not searching for another job, the
information from another nurse, may sound appealing.
- Last,
nurses are always in demand, so there is not as much concern in this profession
about long term job history. For every
job a nurse leaves, it's pretty certain there is an open position, waiting for
them to go to.
The regular changing of jobs with
nurses can create short term shortages.
Technology
& Nursing
The
advances in technology have improved nursing jobs, and made many things more
efficient. The procedure now to match
patient arm bands to medication orders have made a drastic drop in medication
errors, and made the jobs of nurses easier The changing of patient records to electronic has been a huge asset in
the medical field, and for nurses as well. No longer do they have to look for a file, it is literally in their
hands at all, times. With this change,
however, there has been some resistance from nurses that are not fond of
change. One hospital indicated 10% of
their nursing staff resigned after the start of electronic records. Ironically, they may have found other jobs
not yet using electronic records, but in the long run all records will be
digital. Again, this can create a
temporary shortage.
For nurses
that are employed by a hospital, there is a very good chance nights, weekends,
and holidays are a regular part of your schedule. Taking a job in a private practice may
eliminate the unwanted hours and replace them with banker's hours. Many nurses also face major burnout when
they work long hours in a hospital. They
may simply desire a more normal schedule with regular daytime hours.
The fact
is, most people change jobs 7 times during their adult working careers and
nursing is no exception. Because jobs
are so readily, available for nurses, it makes the lure of changing jobs even
appealing. At certain times,it could create a shortage,
if multiple people resign at one time, it could mean the hospital has to call
in travel nurses.
There is
nothing wrong with changing jobs, just don't overdo it. A resume filled with multiple jobs could make
a perspective employer think twice. Think before changing jobs, is it a better position, more money? When deciding to change jobs, always give
adequate notice to your employer, it's always good to leave under the best
circumstances.
Essentially,
there could be a shortage of nurses, but the hope is that
more people will select nursing as a career, and that will help meet the
demand.
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