How to solve the shortage of new grad jobs?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Longtime posters here have begun commenting that there are now a lot of posts from new grads who can't find jobs--posts you never would have seen a few years ago. I know in some areas it's still very easy to find new grad jobs, but in the areas where it's difficult, it's a big problem.

If hospitals and other facilities aren't hiring new grads, the nursing shortage will probably be even worse than predicted in those areas in ten years, as those grads give up on nursing or move to other areas.

What can or should be done to improve these conditions? Government incentives to hospitals? Does anyone even care?

I suspect we will begin hearing more about this dilemma soon as grad RN's start hitting the job market and run into trouble getting into acute care positions....which is going to be happening soon.

Trace_element, can you expand on this? At this point I'm interested in ICU as a long-range goal. Do you mean acute care jobs as a new grad, or do you mean lack of positions for nurses at any level?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree, I think this issue will become more "real" to the general public as c/o 2008's new grads begin their job search in the coming weeks and months and are met with the"new grads need not apply" attitude. Last year when I graduated my in-laws were gushing over the tons job opportunities I must be getting; in reality, there were only a few! But at least I had A FEW... I fear for the next few graduating classes the job hunt will be as competitive as nursing school apps in saturated areas. Hopefully, this will open the eyes of hospitals and nurse managers that given the chance, new grads are the ones who will eventually eliminate (somewhat) the shortage, they just need to be given the chance!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in telemetry, psych, LTC.
To get this tread back on track. Heres an idea.

The local government should stop giving money to colleges to turn out more and more nursing students. If you look at the interantional forum you can see first hand what happens when nursing schools multiple.

Everyone IN nursing knows that even in ares of nursing shortage that there is no new grad shortage. Hospitals are looking for experienced nurses.

The local governments should give the money to health care facilities to offset the expense of training new grads. In times of budget crunches one of the easiest items to reduce is the money spent for orientation. Hire less new grads and your budget goes way down.

The problem is that with the decline in diploma schools new grads leave school needing extensive orientation and someone has to pay the price of getting them the experience needed in order to make them desirable.

UKstudent hits the nail on the head!!!:up:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
new grads are the ones who will eventually eliminate (somewhat) the shortage, they just need to be given the chance!

I'd agree with this statement. Also, regarding the cost of training, that's an issue for employers in any industry. When I hire contractors, I always look first to those who are trained and most competent. If they're unavailable, I go to the next lower level of experience, and so on, until I reach the inexperienced. Then I choose the person I think can learn most quickly and thoroughly. Once that person is trained, the benefit is mutual—that person has a source of income, and I have another trained person in my pool of contractors.

Fact is, I can't do the job with incompetent people or no people. If I need to, I train them and hope that I get my money's worth out of them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
To get this tread back on track. Heres an idea.

The local government should stop giving money to colleges to turn out more and more nursing students. If you look at the interantional forum you can see first hand what happens when nursing schools multiple.

It's called the free market. If there's an excess supply, who cares. Almost every other major allows everyone to get in. For example, a physicist takes a Ph.D (5-8 years for postgrad years) to get a job. Yet at UCSD, only 1 out of the class of 32 will get a job. Although I think the government could fund a little more in the field.

Everyone IN nursing knows that even in ares of nursing shortage that there is no new grad shortage. Hospitals are looking for experienced nurses.

That's because many don't have good insurance and then don't go to the doctor. I would go to the dentist but can't. My mom would have her sinuses checked but can't. The problem is also alleviated by the fact that they pay nurses for 2 jobs instead of one.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Fact is, I can't do the job with incompetent people or no people. If I need to, I train them and hope that I get my money's worth out of them.

And by investing in new grads now, MANY hospitals will save themselves a whole lot of headache later by having competent EXPERIENCED nurses in the years to come as the shortage only grows.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in SICU.
I'd agree with this statement. Also, regarding the cost of training, that's an issue for employers in any industry. When I hire contractors, I always look first to those who are trained and most competent. If they're unavailable, I go to the next lower level of experience, and so on, until I reach the inexperienced. Then I choose the person I think can learn most quickly and thoroughly. Once that person is trained, the benefit is mutual--that person has a source of income, and I have another trained person in my pool of contractors.

Fact is, I can't do the job with incompetent people or no people. If I need to, I train them and hope that I get my money's worth out of them.

Exactly. YOU wouldn't hire a new grad if you didn't have to.

Hospitals have turned into business and seem to look at the short term profitability only. Long term, if hospitals developed a trusting relationship with their nurses, then hiring new grads will pay off as other nurses retire.

However, in this new business of health care hospitals feel no loyalty to nurses and subsequently nurses feel little to no loyalty to the hospital that trains them. Job hopping is now almost a requirement in nursing in order to get ahead.

This just perpetuates the difficulty of new grads to get hired.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in telemetry, psych, LTC.
Trace_element, can you expand on this? At this point I'm interested in ICU as a long-range goal. Do you mean acute care jobs as a new grad, or do you mean lack of positions for nurses at any level?

I have been looking for jobs in the Denver area. I have been a nurse 3 years but have worked LTC and psych b/c that was what I could find at the time in my community where there is an oversaturated market of people with my same level of experience. I am looking in the Denver area b/c it would be a waste of time to try to get a job where I currently live...without experience that is.

Well just look f at the denver hospital job boards.....they are very adament that you need 1 year of recent acute care experience.

I suspect the reason for this is that there are also alot of new grads in the Denver area, so they can afford to be picky and they just don't have trouble getting new grads. Thre are alot of nsg schools in Denver. I even emailed the nursing recruiters and they told me to apply to the new grad programs. Upon further research it is very competitive to get into these programs. And ICU is and even more competitive job to get b/c everyone wants to work there. And ER and L&D.

Sorry if that is rambling but to answer your question - it is just hard (and getting harder) to get your 'foot in the door' as a nursing grad - especially in some areas. After you get a couple years acute care experience that is when you are marketable.

So it is becoming an issue that graduating more new RN's than the hospitals can hire is counterproductive.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac x3 years, PACU x1 year.
Try the VA. I know that they have excellent BSN preceptor new grad programs. The average age of an RN in the US is 48. As a mew grad I have had 2 very attractive offers. Now its just winnowing my choices down.

Best of luck!

OT...

Love The Doctor. Love him. As my bumper says, "My other Tardis is a police box"

Patty

/end OT

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Hospitals have turned into business and seem to look at the short term profitability only. Long term, if hospitals developed a trusting relationship with their nurses, then hiring new grads will pay off as other nurses retire.

I agree with the focus on profit; that's understood in business, which is what hospitals are. On the flipside, I have to think that hiring new grads would help in the short term, too. Once they're trained, new grads can help alleviate the overtime nurses are putting in, thus reducing burnout among their staff. Less burnout might mean experienced nurses stay longer at their jobs, which means less hiring headaches for the hospital. I think it's prudent to have a mix of experienced and new nurses. Tossing long-range plans for short-term profit can't be wise. Just look at the dot.com bust for evidence of that.

Again, I'm no MBA, and I know I sure can't solve labor-related issues on this huge of a scale. Just wanted to perhaps add another viewpoint.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I don't see how there's a shortage of new grad jobs. They're all over the place. Maybe if you're talking about a 30 mile radius, but there's tons of jobs that are much tougher landing a job after graduation like getting an actuary, science technician, or power plant operator job. Not the hardness aspect of it but the amount of jobs available for entry level. There's only 10000 actuaries verses 3 million nurses. Don't see how it's a problem.

Well it's a problem where I am located, in north NJ. I've applied to every single hospital within a 30mile+ radius, and had only 1 call back, and didn't get the job. I also know several other former classmates who are having difficulty getting jobs, or who had to find jobs in south NJ (commute about 1 hr+ each way) or in Long Island, Queens, which is also a longer commute from where we are.

I am currently awaiting a call back from a NYC location (crossing my fingers). But i haven't been able to find any job in my area, and I know that I'm not the only one.

It's very competitive in some areas, and there are many new grads all applying for maybe a handful of new grad positions open in hospitals. I also know many hospitals hire new grads in waves, and they don't always have the availability for training new grads all year.

While I see many nursing job openings in my area, they all require experience or if they will take new grads, many are very selective and prefer those grads who have previous nursing experience of some kind, even thru an externship. I wish I had known that during school, but we didn't have a chance to do an externship due to the workload of our program.

But it is difficult and competitive to get new grad nurse jobs in some areas of the US.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in neuro/ortho med surge 4.

I live in NH and am a new grad. I have applied to all local hospitals and called HR to let them know I was interested. I have worked as an LNA at one of the hospitals but have not even had an interview there. It is frustrating. I am thinking of applying to a long term care facility but I don' tknow if that will make me any more attractive to the hospitals. I hope in a couple of months I will be able to get a job in a hospital as right now the market is saturated with new grads.

It is very frustrating after all of the stress of nursing school.

H.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment