I am about to graduate...when should I be applying for RN jobs?

Nurses New Nurse

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I am about to graduate from a BSN program in MD. :) When can I start applying for jobs? Do i have to wait until after I graduate, after I pass NCLEX, or can i start now. I am in my last semester of nursing school, I graduate in early January. Also the jobs that I have looked at all want RNs with atleast one year of experience....what am I suposed to do about that??

THANKS EVERYONE,

Stressed about not finding a job!!

I would start now. You might not have any luck until after you graduate, but a solid handful of my classmates are graduating with jobs lined up. With the current market....why not give yourself more time to look and network?

0402

355 Posts

Figure out where you're looking to apply and then see when their next cycle of new grads start and when they will be posting the jobs. If you are near DC (I'm in NoVA- and I just moved here- so I'm not totally familiar with the MD side, but I'm near DC, so I know those hospitals a little better), then I would probably start applying next month (Oct/ Nov) when the applications come out for the residencies that start in February, but you'll definitely need to see when each hospital does its new grad cycles.

HeartsOpenWide, RN

1 Article; 2,889 Posts

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

You should have already started. Get on it.

llg, PhD, RN

13,469 Posts

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I agree that you should be starting now. You should be contacting employers that interest you and asking them about their hiring processes and their prefered schedule of application for new grads. Let them know you are interested enough to find out about how and when THEY want you to apply. It might be different for each possible employer.

Your first contact can (and probably should) be for information -- and not just a blind filing of an application on a website.

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