Maybe I should quit before I start...

Nurses General Nursing

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Ugh, I've just been getting extremely discouraged lately. I hear all the new grads who can't find a job and old nurses who put off retirement due to the economy. I really don't want to spend $30,000/yr of my parents money(Well, 18k with my scholarships) to not have a job when I get out.

I'm just in the slumps about it, so I had been thinking that maybe I should get out before I get in. I'm a freshman this fall so the canvas is blank and the path can lead anywhere. I never planned at stopping at RN, I was looking into CRNA or an NP of some sort.

I always knew I was going to go into healthcare, and my blessing and curse is that I love it all. I toyed around with pre-med, pre-dentist, pre-chiro, pre-pharm and the list goes on. I chose nursing because I figured since I loved everything I could explore multiple areas rather than specializing and I lost a friend and the PICU nurses were amazing, but thats a whole different story.

I'm smart and motivated, I know if I pursued any major I could do well. Maybe not top of my class, but I would do well.

I was told to go with my nursing major, complete other science classes in my electives, and then if needed apply to a med, dentist, pharm, ect school.

If you had a wide array of interests and could have gone to a different medical profession would you have? I just want a decent chance at getting a job. I'm extremely discouraged, maybe it will pass and stick with nursing, but what would you recommend?

Sorry for the vent/woe is me/advice seeker attitude

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It seems to me that the job market has picked up some. I was looking around the state today and saw jobs being posted. Same time last year, there were absolutely no jobs posted at all. It's pretty hard to start one career, and then just pick up and return again to school to start another. I would decide now what you want to do, rather than getting into nursing and then going back to school later.

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whoever told you finding a job is hard is crazy! i could go to any state, any city and get a job today...now, it may not be the one u want to start out with, but sometimes you gotta jump around until you figure out what specialty you like best. there are so many different specialties you can go into. if you love medical, i would stay in nursing. plus you can always move up and become a nurse practitioner! it is frustrating being in school, especially when you are still taking all the crap core classes. but just hang in there! i was bored with school, so i switched over and got my lpn. takes one year and u can start working. u skip english and math and all that junk and go straight to what u need to know. i was an lpn for about a year, then went back to school to get my rn. i was a cardiac nurse, now im a PICU nurse. theres endless possibilities! its a hard job, but i think its worth it! stick with it!

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Specializes in CVICU.

It's more difficult to find a job than it was 3 years ago, but I have also noticed that it seems like hiring is picking up a little bit. Don't give up!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Patient Safety.
whoever told you finding a job is hard is crazy! i could go to any state, any city and get a job today...now, it may not be the one u want to start out with, but sometimes you gotta jump around until you figure out what specialty you like best. there are so many different specialties you can go into. if you love medical, i would stay in nursing. plus you can always move up and become a nurse practitioner! it is frustrating being in school, especially when you are still taking all the crap core classes. but just hang in there! i was bored with school, so i switched over and got my lpn. takes one year and u can start working. u skip english and math and all that junk and go straight to what u need to know. i was an lpn for about a year, then went back to school to get my rn. i was a cardiac nurse, now im a PICU nurse. theres endless possibilities! its a hard job, but i think its worth it! stick with it!

It has been extremely difficult for new RN grads to find jobs in most parts of the country. I don't know where you live or what your experience is - for nurses with experience it's not typically been as difficult.

That having been said - if the OP really wants to do nursing, then do nursing. By the time you graduate, things will have eased up at least a little bit. Additionally, there are a lot of hospitals being built right now in different parts of the country. In about 2-4 years, there will be more jobs available than there are now. I've heard that Houston is one example of this.

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That having been said - if the OP really wants to do nursing, then do nursing. By the time you graduate, things will have eased up at least a little bit. Additionally, there are a lot of hospitals being built right now in different parts of the country. In about 2-4 years, there will be more jobs available than there are now. I've heard that Houston is one example of this.

The problem is, I want to do it all! It's frustrating really. I've job shadowed nearly all of them and I was interested in each one. I figured nursing was a good path because I have so many options in where I go, and by that time I figure out what I love, if I get it narrowed down, I can "specialize" in NP/CRNA school.

that

Luckily, I am a CNA so I will have a foot in the door atleast and have connections made for when the job hunt starts.

I'm just extremely confused and I feel so disorganized. I'm the type of person who has every detail figured out and planned so this is frustrating to me.

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Specializes in ER OR LTC Code Blue Trauma Dog.

The difficulty for most grads is convincing the employer how they wont become a liability for them. (read that as "experience.")

That is a concern for most employers that needs to be specifically addressed when you are a new grad.

Read into that a bit more, and what exactly "experience" might mean to that employer exactly and you just might find a better way to sell yourself to them.

The jobs are there, your degree is in hand, but this is going to be all about your delivery and approach.

A $30,000/yr nursing degree is not intended as the final conclusion, it's only the beginning of an opportunity.

Yes, you might say I have experience with opening this door in the past. :)

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Be realistic. Is there any 2 or 4 year degree that 100% guarantees you a decent job in this economy? No. Your chances are better with nursing than with most degrees. If you really want to be a nurse, be a nurse. The job market isn't that awful, certainly still better than most.

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Be realistic. Is there any 2 or 4 year degree that 100% guarantees you a decent job in this economy? No. Your chances are better with nursing than with most degrees. If you really want to be a nurse, be a nurse. The job market isn't that awful, certainly still better than most.

Thanks, I'm thinking maybe the new grads are being mildly over dramatic and its contagious and I've caught the over dramatic bug?

I think I'll have a decent resume once I'm out of school. If I get the CNA job I want I'd have been a CNA for 4 years in the ED upon graduation. I also will be involved in Best Buddies (big sister program for developmentally disabled children), Biology Club, the schools nursing organization, and also student ambassadors, maybe student senate?

If you can't tell I like to be busy. I'm just freaking out, and I know I am worrying more than I need to be. I know the economy can change a TON in 4 years.

I'm not sure where I heard this, but someone said that standing out isn't too hard. As long as you show you are involved and have some medical experience (even volunteering) that you will look better than 75% of new grads. Not sure how true that is, but I think if it is I'll look pretty good.

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Specializes in ER OR LTC Code Blue Trauma Dog.

But the question is "looking good" from who's perspective exactly?

The employer has a need like any other employer does.

Have you researched that particular need and specifically addressed that with the prospective employer?

Remember "experience" is not always about "experience" at all. It goes deeper than that with employers. That's really just a canned generic response intended to weed out the worst candidates who doesn't understand what the employer actually wants.

No employer is going to roll out the red carpet because of a piece of paper in hand. Keep in mind you already have all the practical experience you are going to need to adequately perform the job and that's exactly what the degree is intended to do. The degree itself is a written testament to that fact if you think about it.

So what could possibly be the problem then you might ask... right? How about "marketing?" Think this through using your critical thinking abilities.

Do your research, make a lasting, well delivered impression and good luck.

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
Ugh, I've just been getting extremely discouraged lately. I hear all the new grads who can't find a job and old nurses who put off retirement due to the economy. I really don't want to spend $30,000/yr of my parents money(Well, 18k with my scholarships) to not have a job when I get out.

I'm just in the slumps about it, so I had been thinking that maybe I should get out before I get in. I'm a freshman this fall so the canvas is blank and the path can lead anywhere. I never planned at stopping at RN, I was looking into CRNA or an NP of some sort.

I always knew I was going to go into healthcare, and my blessing and curse is that I love it all. I toyed around with pre-med, pre-dentist, pre-chiro, pre-pharm and the list goes on. I chose nursing because I figured since I loved everything I could explore multiple areas rather than specializing and I lost a friend and the PICU nurses were amazing, but thats a whole different story.

I'm smart and motivated, I know if I pursued any major I could do well. Maybe not top of my class, but I would do well.

I was told to go with my nursing major, complete other science classes in my electives, and then if needed apply to a med, dentist, pharm, ect school.

If you had a wide array of interests and could have gone to a different medical profession would you have? I just want a decent chance at getting a job. I'm extremely discouraged, maybe it will pass and stick with nursing, but what would you recommend?

Sorry for the vent/woe is me/advice seeker attitude

Hey, I think you are entitled to a good vent. It is scary to see what has been happening with the economy, to be told that there's a need for nurses and then to graduate only to not find a job. When I graduated from my BSN program in the early '80s, there was a similar glut of nurses at the time and many of my entry-level classmates had difficulty finding jobs. But they eventually were hired, maybe not for their desired specialty or desired hours, but all who wanted work did get jobs in nursing.

You seem very level-headed and are wise to look at a variety of career paths. Maybe nursing is the right one for you---maybe not. It is okay to change your mind in response to changing interests, your lifestyle, or the changing outlook for employment.

I do understand why you feel discouraged and I hope things will work out for you, whatever path you choose. Don't know if it helps you but there are others, even experienced nurses, who feel rather discouraged at times, too.

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whoever told you finding a job is hard is crazy! i could go to any state, any city and get a job today...now, it may not be the one u want to start out with, but sometimes you gotta jump around until you figure out what specialty you like best. there are so many different specialties you can go into. if you love medical, i would stay in nursing. plus you can always move up and become a nurse practitioner! it is frustrating being in school, especially when you are still taking all the crap core classes. but just hang in there! i was bored with school, so i switched over and got my lpn. takes one year and u can start working. u skip english and math and all that junk and go straight to what u need to know. i was an lpn for about a year, then went back to school to get my rn. i was a cardiac nurse, now im a PICU nurse. theres endless possibilities! its a hard job, but i think its worth it! stick with it!

Than I must be crazy than,because I have been unemployed for one year!!

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