I just became licensed for vocational nursing. There are lots of jobs but most say "no new grads" or "must have one year of experience" in the requirements of the job. One agency that I applied to responded to me via e-mail saying that I should contact them after I obtain a year of experience.

How then am I supposed to get a year of experience if facilities don't hire new grads. This is confusing. These people were once "new grads" themselves. What gives???

It sucks, but this sort of hiring expectation is common across many fields of work, including 2 previous ones I worked in that had no relation to healthcare. You just need to get your foot in the door.. an opportunity will open up. Also, just because they say "one year exp required" does not mean you should avoid sending them your resume. 1 yr may not be hugely important if other aspects of your resume are enticing.

I'm in the same boat as you.

Where I live there is only one hospital in the area, the rest are 1 1/2 hours away.

I try to check carefully on the websites of any hospitals that i do check into and see if they have a preceptorship program for new grads. I have also called several Nurse Recruiters to ask if they hire New Grads. So far I have heard that one hospital has a program that starts in August. The person I talked to recommended that I try to get in the hospital under any position that I can because it will be easier to get into the New Grad program if I am already in the facility.

I truly do not want to work as a Tech- no offense to the Techs, I was one for years- but since I am a licensed RN (in two states), I will do what I need to.

Good luck with your job search,

Hoot

Thanks guys, I'll keep a positive outlook and continue my efforts.

also, just because they say "one year exp required" does not mean you should avoid sending them your resume. 1 yr may not be hugely important if other aspects of your resume are enticing.

this is not true of nursing. other fields, maybe... but it is not true of nursing. nursing recruiters are not going to look at resumes or applicants that do not posses the requirements. if the posting says 1 year required, then you must have 1 year of work experience! i worked in a horrible area for almost two years due to being a new nurse. now i will be able to move soon because i am getting interviews with employers who, two years ago, refused to talk to me because i had no work experience.

op: nurses are moving out of areas that want nothing to do with new grads because nurse recruiters are able to be picky. check places that seem to be hiring new grads for a job. then move back when you have enough work experience. good luck.

this is not true of nursing.

i don't think this is a hard and fast rule. if the position wants a year of experience and you have none and apply anyway, you will likely get filtered out on the hr level- however, if you have an inside connection, have networked, met the nurse manager, know someone on the floor, maybe a clinical instructor who liked you knows someone....you can sometimes get past hr.

to the op: if you wander over to the new grad nurse forum, you'll see that a lot of folks have the same frustrations you do. hopefully it reassures you to know that you're not alone and also inspires you with some of the creative ways other new grads have been job hunting.

OP; send the resume anyway, even without the one year exp . I was applying for hospice positions, which required one year of experience (which I do not have) and did get an interview. She liked my resume and called me in to discuss hospice and how to go about becoming a hospice nurse. I did not get the job, but I left with two contacts and a heads up about two RN positions that were unposted within the hospital. I may not have received a job offer from her, but I know who to contact once I do have experience. In addition, I have a direct route to two CNM's and a recommendation for the positions. Send the resume, at worst you are out time and a stamp.

i don't think this is a hard and fast rule. if the position wants a year of experience and you have none and apply anyway, you will likely get filtered out on the hr level- however, if you have an inside connection, have networked, met the nurse manager, know someone on the floor, maybe a clinical instructor who liked you knows someone....you can sometimes get past hr.

true! plus, if the hiring manager wants to spend $60,000-100,000+ to train you rather then hire multiple experienced nurses for much less, then you have a shot as well. however, at this time many managers do not want to spend the money that it takes to hire and train a new nurse. this is especially true of employers who have been burned in the past by new nurses who quit within weeks or a few months of hire.

experienced nurses not only require little training, but they also do not require a lot of attention and tend to have a lower turn-over rate compared with new nurses. employers are in the driver's seat at this time and are picky for many reasons. if the op wants to continue to send out resumes in a bad market, that won't hurt him/her. however, i would look at a plan b (such as moving away) if the market is truly closed to new grads.

as crazy as it may sound, i know of a few nurses that remained in a dead job market two years ago and are now considered to be old grads because they have never worked as nurses. whereas former classmates moved away, earned experience, and have sense returned employed.

true! plus, if the hiring manager wants to spend $60,000-100,000+ to train you rather then hire multiple experienced nurses for much less, then you have a shot as well. however, at this time many managers do not want to spend the money that it takes to hire and train a new nurse. this is especially true of employers who have been burned in the past by new nurses who quit within weeks or a few months of hire.

experienced nurses not only require little training, but they also do not require a lot of attention and tend to have a lower turn-over rate compared with new nurses. employers are in the driver's seat at this time and are picky for many reasons. if the op wants to continue to send out resumes in a bad market, that won't hurt him/her. however, i would look at a plan b (such as moving away) if the market is truly closed to new grads.

as crazy as it may sound, i know of a few nurses that remained in a dead job market two years ago and are now considered to be old grads because they have never worked as nurses. whereas former classmates moved away, earned experience, and have sense returned employed.

this is true. my degree is in teaching and after nearly a year with no job prospects, i decided to go back for my bsn. the only people who graduated in my class that do have jobs are the people who moved out of state. that wasn't an option for me. i couldn't/didn't/don't want to move. the nursing market in my area is way better than the teaching market. many nurses move here from other states to work. i really don't think i'll have any trouble getting a nursing job, but if that happens (again) i will definitely move. i don't have the time/energy/money for a 3rd degree. anyhow, i've been unemployed as a teacher for over a year now, and i don't think i'd even have a shot if i were to try to get a job at this point (not that i plan to). i know there are things i've already forgotten after only 1 year out of practice. i won't let that happen with nursing bc i plan to make this my career.

I have been looking for 6 months now and nothing. I am so sad. Of my graduating class of 40, 7 people are working. Of that 7, 3 of them got jobs because they were Techs at their facility and it still took a while.

The next 4 had parents or family members who were in healthcare and got them an interview becaue they know the recruiter. Two of them admitted it was not a real interview just so it would look right.

Its who you know.

To be honest. I've been sitting for a year with no job.

Now sometime I do get concerned that I may never get hired because I'm a old grad.....But I realize that if/when the general economy turns upward and older or dissatisfied nurses can finally leave the workforce.....this should open up spot for graduates of all dates (old or new).

I've read a couple of treads on allnurses and it seems some of the RNs that have been in this game for a longtime have said that they have seen this lack of hiring before, and believe eventually the pendulum will swing the other way and the employees will be in the driver seat and you see all those perks of joining bonuses, paid training, etc. return.

Basically it's a waiting game from what I can see.

So I wait and keep applying.

Experienced nurses not only require little training, but they also do not require a lot of attention and tend to have a lower turn-over rate compared with new nurses. Employers are in the driver's seat at this time and are picky for many reasons.

That is true about experienced nurses- but what I have seen occasionally is managers being interested in new grads because they come without habits and baggage and are more mold-able to the unit's culture. We're an expensive gamble, it's true, but there are those out there willing to bet on a new grad. In my area, that big issue is that new grad jobs are vastly outnumbered by the number of new grads.

this is not true of nursing. other fields, maybe... but it is not true of nursing. nursing recruiters are not going to look at resumes or applicants that do not posses the requirements. if the posting says 1 year required, then you must have 1 year of work experience! i worked in a horrible area for almost two years due to being a new nurse. now i will be able to move soon because i am getting interviews with employers who, two years ago, refused to talk to me because i had no work experience.

op: nurses are moving out of areas that want nothing to do with new grads because nurse recruiters are able to be picky. check places that seem to be hiring new grads for a job. then move back when you have enough work experience. good luck.

not necessarily the case. i graduated in december 2010. a classmate of mine applied for a job that said "2 years experience minimum" and she got the job. she had a lot of other qualifications, had started acls, etc. and she starts orientation in mid-feb.

i do believe they didn't set out planning to hire a new grad, but she was bold & it paid off. the hr recruiter told her that she liked her enthusiasm so i say go for it.. but don't put all your eggs in one basket, so to speak, and apply anywhere and everywhere you possibly can.