Sign of the economy...grossly overqualified for the position...

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by klone, MSN, RN
  7,366 Views   23 Comments

  1. We're interviewing for a tech position in our small department, and I've been amazed at the education of the applicants we've received. For this lab tech position (which pays about $12/hour), the applicants have Master's degrees in Microbiology, MBAs, one even had a JD! Holy heck! Is this truly how bad our economy is, that someone with a JD can't even find a job, that they're actually applying for a $12/hour lab tech position? Man, that sucks.
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  2. 23 Comments

    Comment
  3. by NurseCard
    May 11, '12
    Again, doesn't surprise me at all.
  4. by not.done.yet
    May 11, '12
    Yup. My husband has gone from 6 figures to...well. Let's just say it is a very different world right now.
  5. by nursetabitha
    May 11, '12
    Yep, no surprise there! This economy is tough.
  6. by hiddencatRN
    May 11, '12
    Yep. And you're dammed if you do, damned if you don't. New grads are struggling because they lack experience, and those with a ton of experience and advanced careers struggle because they're overqualified.
  7. by klone
    May 11, '12
    Well, we're definitely going to hire one of those grossly overqualified applicants, because alas, that was our applicant pool. It just surprised me. Of course, we'll undoubtedly be going through the same exercise again in another 9 months, once one of these overqualified people gets some experience and a better-paying job.

    FTR, these were all fresh college grads.
  8. by netglow
    May 11, '12
    Good you didn't ask for a 3.5/4.0 GPA, and require they bring transcripts to prove it for that... how not funny/strange our threads really are a sign of the times. You guys being honest and sad for the general state of things, and these other guys from my post seem to want to take advantage...

    http://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/made-me-mad-708894.html
  9. by klone
    May 11, '12
    I know, I saw that thread, how ridiculous. Our tech position really requires a lot more responsibility than what the pay scale is, I think they should pay at least $5/hour more than what they do. It's really a crime, IMO. Our current tech is amazing (she's leaving to go to PA school). They do at least 80% of what the nurses do, yet get paid less than half of what we do. It's disgusting.
  10. by prinsessa
    May 11, '12
    I took a job making $8.25/hr after graduating nursing school because I couldn't find a job. After paying for transportation, somedays I would only make $20.
  11. by nursetabitha
    May 11, '12
    It's nice to see a thread that appreciates CNA's. We seem to be in the minority on this forum. I am blessed to have a CNA job making $11.25/hr while going to nursing school.
  12. by klone
    May 11, '12
    While I do appreciate CNAs, this isn't for a CNA position. This is for a healthcare tech, more like a lab tech (this is in research nursing), and actually requires a 4-year degree (preferably something in the biology sciences). Which makes it all the more sad that it only pays $12/hour. Most of the people who work in this role simply use it for a stepping stone to get lab experience before applying to med school.
  13. by SHGR
    May 11, '12
    Knowing/hoping that the position is a stepping stone to something better will make it tolerable for the lucky winner.
  14. by Altra
    May 11, '12
    Quote from klone
    While I do appreciate CNAs, this isn't for a CNA position. This is for a healthcare tech, more like a lab tech (this is in research nursing), and actually requires a 4-year degree (preferably something in the biology sciences). Which makes it all the more sad that it only pays $12/hour. Most of the people who work in this role simply use it for a stepping stone to get lab experience before applying to med school.
    Then it sounds like the applicant pool you described isn't necessarily "overqualified" ... but a fairly typical "pre-med" pool of applicants.

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