No jobs for new grad nurses!

[trin22]

As we all know, there are too many unemployed new grad nurses who can't find jobs. From all the research that I conducted, I gather that:

1) Nurses that should have retired are continuing to work.

2) Nurses who work part time are now working full time.

3) Nurses who left the field have returned.

4) The turnover is extremely low.

5) Hospitals are not hiring new grads because training is too costly.

6) Hospitals are hiring experienced foreign nurses.

7) Hospitals are only hiring experienced nurses and only filling positions for people that leave. Some positions remain open for a long period.

8) Hospitals are laying off experienced nurses.

9) Other funding constraints have caused hiring freezes.

10) A lot of people lost their insurance coverage, so they are not getting the procedures and surgeries that they would have.

11) Too many people went to nursing school in hopes of getting a stable job during the recession. Sometimes there are hundreds of applications for one position.

The bottom line is that there are too many nurses and not enough jobs. The media and nursing schools would like us to believe that there is a crisis of a nursing shortage and that anyone that completes a nursing program would be able to obtain a job easily. The sad part is that a shortage doesn't mean that jobs will be available. This is only temporary, but a lot of experts believe that the economy will get a lot worse before it becomes better.

My question is this, do we still continue to pursue a nursing degree being fully aware that the odds are against us? Do we take that risk knowing that it would be a major challenge to find work in this competitive environment? Nursing school involves a lot of money, time, sacrifice, and energy. What should we do? I'm having second thoughts of whether or not I should apply to nursing school. It could take years for this to turn around.

[RedCarnation]

I'm going to school to be a nurse myself. I was just glad to hear good news of jobs from somebody I know, which gives me the courage to keep on moving forward on my nursing carreer. She began working last Monday -- just lucky I guess.

Goodness gracious!!!

I posted her good news to let other nurse students like myself know that there ARE jobs out there. My posting was not meant to offend or put anyone looking for a job down!

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Thats called luck or your gf has an inside connection with a unit manager. Don't be so smug in thinking the other new nurses are not putting their best foot forward in their quest for a job. I hope your gf has that job offer and bonus in writing and pray really hard that its not the all popular "at will" contract she just signed.There are literally hundreds of hospitals in Florida that have promised jobs to new nurses only to renenge two weeks prior to the start date or use the at will contract to ditch them with 0 warning.

How is that smug? And what did she say about other nurses not putting their best foot forward? Either the post you quoted was edited, or you are reading way in to it.

[LadyAscheRN]

I am one of those unemployed RNs. We got the foreclosure notice for our home today (the agent from Chase showed up with the local sheriff - I'm sure all the neighbor's tongues are wagging), so continuing to hear the local ads on the radio about the "nursing shortage" have been particularly hard to take.

I graduated from an ADN program in May, with 3 glowing letters of recommendation from my clinical proctors. I have 3 previous years of experience as an LPN. This is actually a second career for me; originally, I was a webdesigner, but all my jobs kept being outsourced to India and the Phillipines, so I went back to school for nursing in 2006, thinking that I could turn my passion for caring into a living. It appears I was wrong.

For the first 4 months after graduation, I applied to every medical facility I could find in 75mile radius from my home. I applied online, in person, made cold calls. To date, I've had 3 interviews, and no offers.

When we expended the last penny of our savings 2 months ago, I started applying all over the US, to any hospital and acute facility that appeared even vaguely interested in "new grads". As it stands now, I have been out of school over 5 months and my skills are leaving me. I am told I am overqualified to be an LPN (believe me, I've applied for those and CNA jobs too, just to make ends meet!), but underqualified for RN positions. The 'career councelor' from my school tells me it would be better to be unemployed than to take a job outside the field, but that is the point I am reduced to.

When I cashed in my retirement 2 years ago to go back to school, I never DREAMED that I would be in the position I am today, packing my house, having no idea where I will be next month, all because there simply does not seem to be jobs for new RNs. I am desperate to work. I feel like a failure, both as a nurse and a person.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

The 'career councelor' from my school tells me it would be better to be unemployed than to take a job outside the field, but that is the point I am reduced to.

I don't get why they say this. You're still a new grad, and you don't have to advertise that you are working as a waitress or whatever in order to make ends meet while looking for relevant employment. And the reality is we do have to make those ends meet.

[Streamline2010]

There are USA government programs of some sort that pay half of a person's wages if that person is retraining. In the last factory that I worked in, they had older workers retraining to be quality inspectors, specifically, doing magnetic particle inspection, a form of nondestructive testing that looks for cracks in metal parts.

The people retraining did a required amount of classroom hours, then they had to complete a required number of essentially apprentice hours on the job, and they were paid while doing the classroom, and paid while doing the hands-on portion of the training. As I recall, the employer paid half of the salary and whatever government program paid the other half, and the employer got a tax break or got paid to (re)train these workers.

Now, if there is a government program for that why can't there be one to get the freshout nurses started in the actual workplace?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Nursing has been a women's profession for a many, many years. I really believe the reason it doesn't get the respect that it deserves is that it's seen as an extension of all that gratis work that goes with motherhood. Find your tire irons and go make some noise, lol.

[commonsense]

I'm hearing this over and over again and it makes me more and more nervous. I'm scheduled to graduate in December of 2011 and can't afford to sit around and wait for a job for 5-6 months. I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to forgo my summer vacation for 2011 to europe to get a tech job at a hospital and get my foot in the door. I'm hoping that will help me make an impression and some connections.

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

Just trying to help.

Where are these unemployed RNs? I've been trying to save a few bucks by NOT going through temp/staffing agencies for nurses but can't seem to find any! Been looking for 2 weeks online and asking around the Berwyn, PA area. If you know of any colleagues that want an office environment and a jump start *(at least they'll get the corporate experience!) to corporate world of pharma, biotech, cro - then please do us both a favor and email me. Or give them my contact. I've tried craigslist but there aren't enough postings that even pickup the phone or answer emails! [email protected]

Does anyone know if this is legit? I'd love to apply but I don't want to give out personal info based on a posting on allnurses.

[nursebenson]

I am one of those unemployed RNs. We got the foreclosure notice for our home today (the agent from Chase showed up with the local sheriff - I'm sure all the neighbor's tongues are wagging), so continuing to hear the local ads on the radio about the "nursing shortage" have been particularly hard to take.

I graduated from an ADN program in May, with 3 glowing letters of recommendation from my clinical proctors. I have 3 previous years of experience as an LPN. This is actually a second career for me; originally, I was a webdesigner, but all my jobs kept being outsourced to India and the Phillipines, so I went back to school for nursing in 2006, thinking that I could turn my passion for caring into a living. It appears I was wrong.

For the first 4 months after graduation, I applied to every medical facility I could find in 75mile radius from my home. I applied online, in person, made cold calls. To date, I've had 3 interviews, and no offers.

When we expended the last penny of our savings 2 months ago, I started applying all over the US, to any hospital and acute facility that appeared even vaguely interested in "new grads". As it stands now, I have been out of school over 5 months and my skills are leaving me. I am told I am overqualified to be an LPN (believe me, I've applied for those and CNA jobs too, just to make ends meet!), but underqualified for RN positions. The 'career councelor' from my school tells me it would be better to be unemployed than to take a job outside the field, but that is the point I am reduced to.

When I cashed in my retirement 2 years ago to go back to school, I never DREAMED that I would be in the position I am today, packing my house, having no idea where I will be next month, all because there simply does not seem to be jobs for new RNs. I am desperate to work. I feel like a failure, both as a nurse and a person.

I have been unemployed since January 2009 (did have a per diem job Feb-June 2009, worked 12 shifts; did have another per diem job June-Sept 2009 worked 10 shifts; returned to school to finish BSN while job hunting the entire year Sept 2009-Sept 2010 with NO LUCK). I feel your pain. I hear you about feeling like crap about work and personal life, just realize IT'S NOT YOU!!! Hang in there, work "in-between" jobs like Starbucks, Borders, etc... and keep your RN license current by not letting it expire. You're not alone!

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Does anyone know if this is legit? I'd love to apply but I don't want to give out personal info based on a posting on allnurses.

IDK. The Philadelphia market is really tight, so I have a hard time believing that there's anywhere nearby hurting for nurses.