Nobody told me that after graduation...

Nurses General Nursing

Published

...It would be THIS difficult to find a nursing position.

My story..

I decided to pursue nursing about 5 years ago when I felt a great tug on my heart that this is the field where I belong. I'm pretty sure its what I was born to do...I feel it in my bones.

So I did something "courageous" or stupid rather - I quit my fairly good job with the city to attend nursing school.

Ok backing up a bit. At the time I was shopping around for schools, there were great debates about ASN vs BSN and top (name brand) schools vs regular not-so-name-brand schools. So in my pride and my ignorance, I decided that I wanted to go to a reputable institution. One whose name is recognized throughout the country, thinking that this would give me some kind of advantage. WRONG.

So upon acceptance, they recommended that the students should not work during the program. I worked during my first semester because I needed to eat and pay my rent...had no choice. I struggled. So during my second semester and beyond, I didn't work which mean't taking out extra loan money in order to survive.

I graduated! Hallelujah! But nobody told me that:

- the fact that I did not have an externship during school was going to tremendously hurt me and make me undesirable to employers

- male nurses were favored over female nurses (the male students in my class had jobs BEFORE they graduated. I know some of them through school, and I must say that I will not feel comfortable letting them take care of my family members. So the fact that they get hired faster simply because they are male, something is wrong with that picture)

- I would have $100k in student debt - for a Bachelor's degree that means nothing if you have NO EXPERIENCE.

- I would possibly have to move to another state - leaving my life behind - in order to get experience

- The name brand school means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING and does more harm $$$ than good.

- There is abolutely NO nursing shortage in my city. If there is, its not that serious or detrimental since the competition for nursing positions are pretty fierce.

- I would be paying $1038.00 per month for 10 years in student debt (unless I find a job that's willing to pay for a portion of it)

To add insult to injury, I failed the NCLEX for the first time (after doing fairly well in school) due to the stress of being unemployed and having every other door shut in my face. I'm now preparing to take classes to take it a second time...it can't get any worse than this.

I don't mean to sound whiny or bitter, but I should have taken the "cheap" route and go for my ASN then work on my BSN while working. However, they're cutting back on the ASN programs in my city (Philadelphia) for several reasons, but this is causing nursing education to be a lot more expensive (that was sort of a side note). I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'm unemployed and it is such a dark place to be in. I'm either over qualified or under qualified for jobs. I'm looking for Tech positions while studying for the NCLEX but I'm even having a hard time with that because of "no experience." Its absolutely ridiculous.

Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Yes I've already considered moving to another state as hard as that will be for me...I'm prepared to make that sacrifice. But boy oh boy...a huge part of me regret the last 4 years of my life when it comes to my choices with my education...so whoever's out there reading this, learn from my mistakes.

Sorry to hear this, but yes this is the reality.

I know some of [male students] through school, and I must say that I will not feel comfortable letting them take care of my family members. So the fact that they get hired faster simply because they are male, something is wrong with that picture

I sense a tad of prejudice here.

There are always nursing home jobs. I do understand your frustration. I also understand you might want a job that pays more than a nursing home, but sometimes you need alternatives. I once heard a girl say she will not work in a nursing home. I do not understand what people find wrong with them.

There is hope hun. I do believe you will find something.

Specializes in Neuroscience/Brain and Stroke.

Nursing homes pay more where I'm at, like 5 bucks an hour more. I hope you find something, good luck!

I would suggest joining a branch of the military, if you can get in.

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

I wrote a huge reply to this, but realized it would fall to deaf ears. So cliff notes version:

Change your attitude.

I would suggest joining a branch of the military, if you can get in.

I agree with this. It will give you experience and pay most, if not all, your student loan debt.

I'm a recent nursing grad myself, and from my experience, the majority of employers like to have BSN prepared nurses. I may not have much experience myself, but I sincerely believe that pursuing a BSN is the better choice. There is much more opportunity for growth and pay once you get that first job.

Like you, I also chose to go for a BSN at a well-respected school that is considered one of the top nursing schools in the country (and the best one in my state). I was hoping that graduating from such as school would give me some sort of advantage. However, the job market is tough, even for nurses. I agree that there is a lot of competition out there, and most employers want experience. While graduating from one of the "best schools" has not yet proven to be as much of an advantage as I had expected, it's possible to find SOMETHING out there.

As difficult as it is, my suggestion would be to expand your horizons and move to a place with better opportunities. During my job hunt, I have found that some states provide more job opportunites than others. This isn't too bad of a deal, considering I'd like to move out of Chicago anyway. If it wasn't for my better half, I would have taken the other suggestion posted here and joined the military upon graduation.

I'm sorry to hear about your struggle. I've been there. Not with nursing but with my first degree. I wasted many years and tens of thousands of dollars getting a degree that I would never use. I applied for jobs literally all over my entire state as well as in other states and was never even close to being hired. After 3 years, I gave up and went back to nursing school. I was starting to panic all over again but I just got my first job offer today.

Have you applied at a variety of places? I applied at literally every hospital within a 2 hour radius of my house in every direction. Hang in there!

I'm a male new grad looking for a job and I don't see any advantages... Maybe I need to put that I am a "male" on my resume :)

Anyway, I agree with most of the above. My school didn't have senior practicum and I think that is hurting a lot when it comes to job hunting. I think only reason why nursing schools advice students to focus on studying and not work is so that they can pump out more nurses in a shorter period of time. Quicker turn around means more student and more tuition money for them. Ideally, the school should take twice or more time to finish and meanwhile require students to work as a CNA, PCT, or NT before they graduate.

This is so sad because you left a good job with the city, which means you probably had a great benefit... However, you did the right thing by skipping Asoociate degree and going straight to Bachelor's degree. Trust me, RN license is not what they are looking for. They are looking for BSN when it comes to hiring. I think that's because they know they have to pay for tuition reimbursment if they hire ADN who will pursue BSN later. The reason for magnet status is for them to not pay out tuition money instead of looking for a good quality nurse.

I have to say, we had 4 guys in our class and every single one of them had a job lined up before graduation, before passing boards, all that. And one of them was probably the worst student in the class.

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