REALITY BITES!! The Truth After Nursing School.

lesliee · Aug 2, 2000

Hi,

This is right up my alley. I graduated nursing school in May and passed my boards 3 weeks ago. All throughout school, the students kept hearing about the "nursing shortage" and that we would be in demand when we graduated. I didn't find that to be true. As a new grad, I was turned down at several places for not having enough experience. I was even turned down from a new-grad position because I didn't have enough experience carrying a full patient load. Finally I found a place that was willing to give me a chance, at decent hours of the day (PM shift). So, reality is that new grads are not in demand as my class was led to believe.

ShannonB25 · Aug 2, 2000

Lesliee,

I will be moving to the Sacramento area in a year (I graduate from my nursing program next May). I have always been told that there is a nursing shortage in the country and that California is currently under the most severe shortage. Is it just that the market got swamped with new grad applicants at the time that you applied or what? I'm sure that local hospitals only have so many new grad positions that they can fill at a time, I wonder if that has anything to do with it. This really concerns me because I have been checking into the UC, Sutter, and Kaiser hospitals already and, perhaps naively, have been assuming that it won't be difficult to get a job once I move out there. If you wouldn't mind emailing me with more information or replying here again in regards to which hospitals you applied at and how soon after graduation you applied. (Are there several schools near where you live that graduate nursing students?) ANY information would be helpful. Thanks!

Shannon

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