Is the hiring prospect really that bad out there for nurses right now?

Nurses New Nurse

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I often hear about how there aren't any jobs out there for new grads unless you want to go in the boondocks or pick a job you've never wanted to do and people who are unemployed for over a year. At the same time I live in a major city that pays nurses really well with a supposed tight market and the majority of my classmates from last year landed jobs at major hospitals and whatnot within 6 months. You go to recruiting fairs that say they are only hiring 15 new grads each year for the entire hospital system and then you read articles saying that nursing is the fasting growing field.

I heard horror stories about nursing assistant jobs, too but I found a nice NA job within a month.

What's the truth? Is it just how you apply, internships, and who you know, etc that lead to new grads getting jobs over others? Or is the market really bad for everyone?

My guess is it is really competitive but if you market yourself well you can land a job?

It really depends on where you live. In some areas, the market is tighter than others.

I guess it is just different for each area. In Dallas Tx, where I graduated, we have tons of huge hospitals but everywhere me and my classmates went, they wanted nurses with at least a year experience. New grads are hired in internships of which they do 2-4 times per year and maybe 20 for each internship. Now that may seem great however Dallas is cranking out the RN graduates like no ones business. So you are only one in 600 applying for the position. At one internship interview, I asked how many applied and it was 500 and they interviewed75 and only hiring 20- I didnt get it. So, I guess it is relative to the number of RN graduates in the area. I do think we need RN's but they want experienced RN's not neccessarily new grads. Now after we have experience I think it will be easy to land positions. That is my opinion from what info. I have gathered!

Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

You can work at a hospital for years, graduate top of your class, pass NCLEX first time......and still find yourself without an RN position. Do all of those things help your chances? Absolutely! People don't like to say "I landed my job mostly out of luck" because that sounds like you don't deserve it. Personally, I *know* I was very lucky to get my job and I had that perfect set up to get a "guaranteed" position on my unit. There were BSN grads with the same credentials that were passed over for positions. I also live in a metro area with a ton of nursing programs.

This is an interesting report by the Arizona Board of Nursing. Check it out.

http://www.azbn.gov/Documents/education/Employment%20Newly%20Licensed%20RN.09.09.11.pdf

it's a mixture of everything. yes, the job market is tough for everyone.

location is key, i know of some cities that are an hour out of my driving range that would pick me up instantly for a new grad position. but relocating and driving 2 hours to a hospital just isnt worth it.

networking is vital. i'm so mad at myself that i didnt take time during my clinicals to talk to the nursing staff more. advice for people still in school...be very nice on your unit during clinicals. work your butt off, talk to the nurses, nurse manager..everyone. if it's late in your clinical rotations, see if you can leave a resume. get their contact information. that way, when the time comes, all you have to do is contact the nurse manager. a lot easier to get an interview that way than to wait for a position to open and battle it out against hundreds of other applicants.

that falls along the lines of externships also. sadly, as a junior/senior, i didnt even look for externship programs. now that i graduated an am actively looking for a job, i see all the extern programs available for juniors/seniors that are still enrolled in a nursing program. that would've helped a ton. usually the requirements are that you have to at least be a junior and completed a round of clinicals and nursing fundamentals.

experience as a pca or nurse aide helps too. just apply for those jobs well before graduating. nobody wants to hire you if they know you're going to graduate soon and quit after finding an RN job.

luck plays a part. a good portion of it is applying to the right place at the right time.

combining all of these together, are the key things to successfully finding a job fast. i pretty much did none of them. hence the struggling i am currently enduring.

Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.

During the years I was in school (I graduated on December 16) - the market was bad here. I live in a large city. We have two very large hospitals in the area. Neither hired new grads for about a year while we were in school.

It seems things are turning around now though, I would say about 50% of my class walked into jobs before they passed their boards, even.

Good luck!

Specializes in med/surg tele, postpartum, mother baby.

I lived in the SF bay area, worked for 15 years at a large hospital as a phlebotomist, and couldn't get a job there. So, after 15 months post graduation I moved to the boondocks in Texas and started working in a large hospital on a med surg unit. I suppose it just depends on the large city you live in, but I know CA (anywhere) is very hard to get a job as a new grad, even with a BSN. A lot of my class is still not working, mostly due to inability to relocate :(

yeah i would have to agree that the earlier you are proactive about Job Search while you are in you nursing program the better your chances of landing a job once you get out, i have volunteered in major hospitals within my area, worked as a nurse for the past 3 years and still looking to land a hospital job-med/surg perferably, and i have been applying actively for the past year and have not landed even an interview, im keeping my options open to relocating for experience because these days thats what recruiters look for, i would say keep your options open in starting your nursing journey...and best of luck to you.

Hi janice_c67

im thinking i will have to relocate to gain experience in acute care setting even if it means moving to the boondocks...lol :), where in Texas do you work and did you apply for the job while you were in CA? i heard from a friend who lives in Houston,TX that most hospitals dont even look at your application if you are applying out of state? so i was thinking of getting my license registered in TX before applying for jobs there, any advice is greatly appreciated.

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