Incredibly nervous about finding a job in St. Louis after graduation. Advice?

[Katja508]

Hi there!

I'm a bit of a planner and I've been planning for the upcoming 6 months for about 4 years now. Now that the time is here, I'm freaking out a bit.

I'll be graduating my ADN program in May, moving to St. Louis from Chicago, and taking the NCLEX shortly after. My biggest worry is where I'm going to work. I know the job market is ROUGH right now. But I feel like I need to have a job secured before moving but all of the jobs for which I've applied so far have rejected me almost immediately. I mean, I get it, I haven't even graduated yet, let alone a licensed nurse!

I started applying for anything and everything in the last couple of weeks but I feel like I have a lot going against me:

-ADN and not BSN (though I have plans to start BSN in August '14)

-New grad who has not even graduated (ha!)

-No hospital experience (have been applying for nursing assistant jobs with no luck)

-Live out-of-state

-Have no connections in the hospital system

I guess I need advice at this point. What should I do? I don't mind starting with home health or LTC but I'm not even sure they'll give me a job at this point. I'm feeling pretty badly about myself and I feel like this has all been for naught. Obviously, I'm jumping the gun since I haven't graduated but getting a job in St. Louis is the catalyst for all of my other goals (buying a house, having a baby, etc.). I just can't imagine floundering for months or years trying to find a job.

Thanks for listening if you've gotten this far :)

-KB

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

The market is rough nationally and abroad. On average, it takes new grads 6 months to a year to find a job, even with connections. Keep applying, but have a back up plan, and after you're settled, consider joining the local chapter of your nursing organization to network. Also look at LTCs because some of them are decent and will hire new grads.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Yep, pretty much what the PP said. All you can do is control the things you can - your resume, applying, watching for internships, being open to ANY kind of nursing, not just hospital, being flexible about shift, etc. But moving to a new city immediately after graduation isn't the best plan for success and you are going to face a lot of challenges. If you can avoid moving and get a job in Chicago, where you theoretically have made connections through school, I can't encourage you strongly enough to do that and get a couple of years experience. The market is tough for new grads in the major cities of the US. It is going to take time to find a job and then when you do you likely won't get your first pick of specialty, venue, patient population, pay rate, time off allowance, etc. This is something you can't "plan" out to a T. You will have to control what you can, roll with the punches and be ready to hit the ground running when an opportunity does arise, even if it isn't your first choice and even if it doesn't match up with the rest of your "plan".