Are new grads finding jobs

tfleuter, BSN, RN · May 21, 2009

Depends entirely on the area you live in. I have seen many posts from new grads in certain parts of the country stating they have been searching for 3-6+ months and have not yet found anything. On the other hand, others have said their area is still actively looking for new nurses. I have not heard of grads having difficulty finding positions in my state, but I don't think there are as many opportunities as there might have been a few years ago.

pinkiepie_RN · May 21, 2009

I was offered a job yesterday, the day before my graduation. It seems most of my classmates have been getting breaks recently, with both interviews and job offers. I started applying for job in early January/February. I have my BSN now and will start July 13th, hopefully sitting for boards at the end of June/early July.

LiveZen · May 26, 2009

The Midwest is tough right now, about 10% of my class of 100 has jobs so far, we graduate with BSN's June 13th. If people were willing to move/commute about an hour north or south of our city, the jobs are there! Peds and OB are the toughest to get because lots of people want them, but if you make connections at the hospital you want to work at (volunteer, work as a PCA, summer externship) it makes a huge difference. I've done all 3 at my childrens hospital and got the exact job I wanted. It's possible, but you gotta put yourself out there early and make the connections.

MissRn09 · May 26, 2009

I live in Louisiana and it's kind of rough here. The hospital I worked at just cut hours for clinical and clerical/administrative positions..basically, the WHOLE hospital. 40 hour work weeks are now 32 and I can only recall 3-4 people being hired out of my class of 80+...The other hospitals in the area hired 3-4 people a piece also, so what does that math add up to? People in my class who just knew Houston, TX was gonna be the place to go have found NOTHING!! The medical center isn't hiring at all! I looked to a city 133 miles away and out of 5 places I applied, I received a call from only ONE! Lucky for me I interviewed and was offered a job

:-)

bryant · May 26, 2009

I live in Kentucky, about 50 miles north of Nashville Tennessee. I just graduated with a class of 34. Most of us have found jobs, but there are maybe 20% that have not. Some of the hospitals in Nashville that "normally" hire 50+ new grads have cut that in half. Some of the hospitals are only hiring 3-5 new grads! I had 2 job offers and had to choose between the two. I was one of the lucky ones.

lab211 · May 27, 2009

I live in the Tidewater area of Virginia. I just graduated this May 2009 with a B.S. in Nursing. I took an externship during summer 2008. My experience in finding a new graduate nursing position is taking advantage of nursing related employment like externships and patient care tech positions during your junior and senior years. You can only increase your chances by networking and having already established yourself in a health care facility. My externship experience evolved into a nursing assistant (patient care tech) then into a new graduate nursing job offer. From what nurse recruiters have told me, there are a substantial amount of new graduate applicants for the very limited new graduate. I am not trying to discourage other new graduates, however, with persistance and flexiblity I trust you would find a position. Being flexible could include being able to relocate or even holding on to your present job until you find something in your location. Some of my classmates are doing just that. Best wishes in your job searches!

New 2 iceeYouRN · May 28, 2009

I live in Ca and I've heard of people who have moved from the bay to join our So Cal program and then are staying because there are NO jobs for new grads back home. Also I've seen people who are top of the class WITH externing experiencing applying to >60 hospitals in the past few months with NO replies...

All I can hope is that he economy is better by the time I graduate...

I've never been happier to have 2 more years left of school...