Anybody having a hard time finding a job?

It will go in waves. Just make sure that nursing is what you want.

I have been a nurse for 24 years now and remember how much I hated my first year as an actual nurse. Very intense and a lot of on the job training. Over the years, I have worked in various positions, some I loved, some I wouldn't have wished on an enemy. That's nursing

I believe, as a PP pointed out, that it will go in waves. Right now, hospitals are nervous about the economy and the potential for government-run healthcare and how it might affect their bottom line. But there is a reality, and this is it: there are a huge number of people in the baby boomer generation who are now in their early and mid-sixties and relatively healthy. However, when these people advance into their late sixties, early seventies, and beyond...watch out! Nurses will be in such high demand it won't even be funny. And the sedentary, fast food lifestyles of many Americans will help to feed that need for nurses.

Hang in there. It's tough right now, but these things cycle. When I graduated from nursing school in 1990 I could pick from every hospital in the city AND get a nice sign-on bonus, even as a new grad with no experience. Fast forward to now, I happen to have an interview in a very large teaching hospital in Ohio which only has nine open RN positions listed on its website, even though it has hundreds of beds. Without my experience in hospital nursing, I wouldn't have even gotten this interview, and who knows if they'll hire me. You know what they say--the only constant is change.

I think those of you graduating in a year or two will find it easier to gain employment than those of us graduating right now. There are a few older nurses on my unit that are hovering near retirement, one is supporting the household because her husband lost his job, one is waiting for her retirement fund to recover, while a third is still putting her kids through college.

I recently went to a seminar on lateral violence and it seems a big % is directed toward the newest hires. It is really sad that happens, but at least there is awareness of the problem and a movement towards changing it.

I'm a recent grad (6/09), had a job waiting when I graduated, and am loving it (even though there's still lots to learn!). People like to complain, so the ones with the good stories may just not be posting much... My four best friends from NS are also working at the same hospital, and they all like it so far too!

Good luck!

SNKat,

Which hospital are you working at?