job fair

I went, but every single hospital recruiter there said the same thing - no new grad positions at the present moment. Some would take resumes, but others would not, and tell you to apply online. I asked one recruiter when the hospital (Mt Sinai) would take new grads and she just said, we don't know, and asked if I was aware of the economy, blah blah (duh, who doesn't), and that it may take months or a year or more, she wasn't sure. A couple other booths that said they had a 'big pile' of resumes to sort through, and don't expect to be called unless my qualifications meet what they are looking for (which meant at least 2 yrs acute care/med surg experience). I kept waiting in line and hearing recruiters speak to a group of new grads, all saying the same thing about how there were no positions for new grads now. It was quite depressing.

Hi MiaNJ, when you spoke with Mount Sinai's recruiter, did they mention anything about a residency program? I was not able to make it to their booth due to their long lines, but from what I heard from a friend, she told me that they would be having a residency program in february.

I didn't hear that from the recruiter, but possibly. I did hear from the NYU recruiter that they have a nurse residency program in Feb. But I don't qualify since I graduated over 6 months ago. Also, the recruiter said it's highly competitive, and they have limited slots since they can't accommodate every new grad. They require a 3.5 GPA+, and letters of recommendation from previous professors/clinical instructors. I guess alot of people can have that, but they still have limited openings. It doesn't hurt to try though, if you qualify.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know that you can't apply to the program once you've graduated over 6 months ago. I guess I don't qualify as well.