Struggles with finding a nursing job....

[ohyeah]

A nursing degree today is a total waste. You will not get hired due to a lack of new grad programs, oversaturation of new grad RNs and an influx of forgein RNs. You will end up unemployed and in debt without any skills that you can use in any other market. Look it up. google "RN New Grads unemployed". NOBODY WILL HIRE NEW GRADS. The scant new grad opportunities that exist see HUNDREDS if applicants for 10-20 positions. Do not waste your money..........do something else----------the RN ship has sailed----it is over.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Yeah, we will see how you feel after the hell of nursing school and nclex only to be told that you need 1-2 years of acute care experience to be hired.

You sound very frustrated. Before I started nursing school I watched job postings like a hawk to get a sense of what the market was like in my area- not pretty (and friends and family sorta rolled their eyes at me when I'd talk about it, thinking I was fishing for an ego boost when I expressed my concerns), but I decided to take the plunge anyway. I'm in an accelerated program (graduate in 6 weeks!) and even in a year the job market has changed dramatically in my area. Still competitive, but I am seeing a lot more openings.

It makes me sad to look at the progression of tone in your posting history. Your last semester in school seems to have been a breaking point for you. It sounds like maybe you do need to take a break from nursing. I don't know what your financial situation is like, but maybe trying to get back in to the electrician business, or even something like retail or food service, might be a better focus for you now. Are there family or friends you can visit out of town for a week or so? Clear your head, give yourself some space from nursing school, and try again when you're feeling less angry about the experience.

My state department of health just sent my school recruitment information for position that are available and welcoming to new nurses. Some are more administrative, some are in the prison system, none of which would be ideal (for me) but I'm keeping them in the back of my head while I look for jobs. Also, have you looked in to immunization clinics? I just applied with Mollen Immunization clinics to have a possible per diem job post graduation, and their website says that new grads are encouraged to apply.

Hopefully this will turn out like the NCLEX for you: you posted similar things about not thinking you'd pass the NCLEX and then passed in 76 questions. All the best.

[mangopeach]

I've had a lot of setbacks in my life but I was never ever this hopeless and negative.

[jlbic]

I have to disagree with your post. The reality is, the ECONOMY sucks. There will continue to be a large demand for nursing for a looong time....especially since the baby boomers are close to retirement. I have to say that nursing a few years ago compared to today was very different. Better nurse to patient ratios, better benefits, better pay. But we are in tough economic times, and I feel for those new grads that are having to go through this difficult time.

The hospitals would rather hire RNs with experience so that they do not have to spend the money to train a new grad RN. But eventually this will change. A degree in nursing provides an EXTREMELY wide variety of job opportunities in our communities. There's a lot more than just acute care hospital jobs out there for RNs. Hang in there and bust your

*** searching for opportunities.

[premedwoahs]

Something you may have learned during your pre-reqs for nursing "correlation does not imply causation." - Just becuase you can not get a job does not mean EVERYONE can not get a job.

[GTbravo]

OP I feel bad for your situation I really do. Its got to be hard for you to come here and speak so negatively about your choice in nursing. I'm not going to talk about you being bitter or anything like that. I just want to say I hope somehow things improve for you.

[escapebigd]

Wow I feel really sorry for you. You're obviously not happy, and it is most likely reflecting in the interviews your getting, which is probably leading to you not getting a job. Did you do well in school, did you volunteer at the local hospitals, did you network with your classmates, and get the HR persons numbers?

Wait a minute, I just read an earlier post of yours, did you just pass your NCLEX on July 2nd? That is not a long time at all. It's not as if you've been out of school for a year, or have been an RN for that long. Have some PATIENCE!

[nurseeggy]

The economy is terrible for most professions, but people will continue to get sick, have babies, etc. It's a wonderful profession and there is a lot to do within it, once you get your foot in the door.

I suggested dropping the chip off of your shoulder for the next interview.

[rn/writer, RN]

Hey folks, keep in mind that many foreign-trained nurses were already here and working before the economy tanked. A foreign-trained nurse may be a new hire for a current job, but that's because she has already worked here for several years (or more) and now has some experience under her belt. We aren't going to deport people who came here legally and in good faith just because the job market tightened up.

As for foreign-trained nurses being brought over now, that has become extremely difficult, and it isn't likely to change any time soon.

Take a look at the International Forum if you want to size up the current situation.

[healthstar, BSN, RN]

Wow!! So So So pessimistic...and so sad. No one is going to come and knock on your door to " offer you a nursing job"...you have to search and sometimes you can't find your dream job 1 or 2 blocks away..you have to drive far or even leave the state. It's not like the other careers are any better....most people are struggling to find a job. Yes, it is hard to find a job right now but don't find the easy way out and quit nursing. Keep tryinggggg. I am not a nurse, but I have read so many threads by new RN graduates that say they can't find a job.reading about it scared me, but I am not going to quit school or give up. Is there a degree, school, career that guarantees you a job after gruaduating...if yes, let me know.

[I_love_yoga]

to the OP i found something of interest....http://hostedjobs.openhire.com/epostings/submit.cfm?fuseaction=app.jobinfo&jobid=218683&company_id=15981&version=1&source=ONLINE&jobOwner=975785&aid=1

only thing is that it's out of your state. i state nursing school soon & the way i look at it is i dont care what state i end up in i'll go where the jobs are. best of luck

[nursel56]

How would you know if skills fade, how much they fade, and how hard it is to get back up to speed if you are away for a while? You've never worked as a nurse. Yeah the 1st amendment is the right to freedom of speech, but you do a disservice to others here when you assert as fact what you have no personal knowledge of. As someone who left nursing for years and came back, I know what it's like to live what you are just speculating about.

Why did the lack of jobs for new grads come as such a shock to you? Any student is free to research the current job market in their area for the type of job they hope to get someday. A student who regularly visits allnurses would have picked up on that trend long before it showed up in popular media (who still doesn't quite get it).

wow....this just made me feel down and more unsure with nursing now.

i already know that there's so many nursing students..so many people taking up this major.

but from where i am now, i don't think i can still back up.

i've waited for so long to get into this program...

taken so many pre-reqs, now i'm starting this august 30.

i guess i'll just see what happens in the future, i'm sure there's always something good instored for everyone.. :)

so future nurses, don't give up and stay positive.

u might not get hired, but i'm sure there are other jobs out there that u can do even when ur a nursing graduate.

It's true that the silver platter, the sign-on bonusses, etc are a thing of the past for the foreseeable future, don't despair. You are lucky to be starting nursing school. Statistics can not tell you what your chances as an individual are. When competition is high, use it to try a little bit harder to shine. Employers are always looking for excellence, and you have a heads-up now that may help you when you graduate. There are a lot of students who think the red carpet will be rolled out the day after they graduate, just because they are graduates. Read over some of the posts before this one about ways to maximize your experience in school and make you an attractive candidate.

There are lots of "seasoned" nurses here on allnurses who love to help students, and they enjoy being online "mentors". You will hear over and over that "nurses eat their young" (ick) but if a student wants to learn and approaches in a polite manner there are plenty of experienced people who want to help you. We were all once where you are now. Try to lift the gloom. . . and good luck to you.

[LaceyRN]

I guess my nurse manager who hired 6 new grads currently orienting on my floor didn't get your memo.