-How long did it take you to find a job as a new grad?

Nurses Job Hunt

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Specializes in ER,Surgical ICU,Neuro ICU, OR.

The employment shortage for new grad nurses is a big scare on most threads on here. In most cases though I see that the longest time it took someone to find a job as a new grad was about 1 year. Please share your experiences on how long did it take you to find a job as a new grad, in which state and how did you land your job. Feel free to include other details.

Grad. in May 2010. Passed boards in FL in July. Got a job at a LTCF later in July. Just left LTC due to horrible, atrocious conditions and lack of sufficient orientation. I also currently have multiple job offers at hospitals at this time. It definitely took seeeeeeeveral rejections to get to this point. I have applied for at least 50 positions. What helped in getting the job offers? Redo your resume and highlight the most important points. Also, if there's a hospital you really want to work for, form a good relationship with the recruiter. Sure helped me.

I was just going to ask a similar question.Thanks for asking because I too would like to know:-)

Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.

2 months for per diem, nine months for full time and around 300 applications...commuted from Boston to NH. Finally found a local job after 8 months which led to my current job in a Boston-based pediatric hospital.

Specializes in LTC.

6 months

I'm in minnesota

6 MONTHS... Well got a job at DUKE :) I live in NC

Specializes in NICU.

7 months. I'm in Connecticut.

Specializes in Telemetry.

when do you graduate, or did you graduate?

there are a lot of ways to make yourself more desirable when you graduate that they don't tell you about in school.

#1- have an in. If you know someone, or have ANY job at a hospital, you have a strong "in." At my hospital system (5 hospitals total) I saw yesterday there were 347 openings and 47,000+ applicants. Ironically I heard my nursing supervisor say to an RN "who is that friend you told me about that wants to work nights? tell her to give me a call so i can schedule her for an interview."

It's so important to make connections, if you are in school working as a nurses aid, a tech, or a transporter, anything. As long as you are a familiar face and name, the company will want to retain you as an RN.

Also, students in my program have residencies senior year. Those who impressed enough during that time were offered jobs- that was their "in." Any way that it takes to get your name and face into the hospital.

I volunteered one summer, got an externship the next, got a tech job for now my senior year, and they said they'll take me as an RN. Even a volunteer job is an in.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I graduated in May 2008. It took me 10 months to find my first job, and I had to move 250 miles to get it.

when do you graduate, or did you graduate?

there are a lot of ways to make yourself more desirable when you graduate that they don't tell you about in school.

#1- have an in. If you know someone, or have ANY job at a hospital, you have a strong "in." At my hospital system (5 hospitals total) I saw yesterday there were 347 openings and 47,000+ applicants. Ironically I heard my nursing supervisor say to an RN "who is that friend you told me about that wants to work nights? tell her to give me a call so i can schedule her for an interview."

It's so important to make connections, if you are in school working as a nurses aid, a tech, or a transporter, anything. As long as you are a familiar face and name, the company will want to retain you as an RN.

Also, students in my program have residencies senior year. Those who impressed enough during that time were offered jobs- that was their "in." Any way that it takes to get your name and face into the hospital.

I volunteered one summer, got an externship the next, got a tech job for now my senior year, and they said they'll take me as an RN. Even a volunteer job is an in.

When I graduated, even people who had an "in" had trouble finding jobs. At the hospital where I volunteered, a lot of CNAs were nursing students. If they passed the NCLEX and a position wasn't available in-house, they lost their CNA job. I tried to turn my volunteer position into a CNA or RN job, but they didn't hire me.

Specializes in Telemetry.

omg that's insane! was it a big hospital or a community hospital? I'm so surprised- everyone I know who got a hospital job had worked in that hospital before. Others got jobs in nursing homes and clinics etc.

Congrats on the job though, where did you move for it?

Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.
omg that's insane! was it a big hospital or a community hospital? I'm so surprised- everyone I know who got a hospital job had worked in that hospital before. Others got jobs in nursing homes and clinics etc.

Congrats on the job though, where did you move for it?

Hatperson and I are from the same area. It doesn't matter what hospital you applied to, no one was hiring. Boston is saturated with new grads and almost every hospital in the state was on a hiring freeze. It's still really bad here.

Specializes in ER,Surgical ICU,Neuro ICU, OR.

Guys thanks for the replies. Let us stick to the post though and rather than asking questions to each-other please share your experiences on the job hunting and finding experience, thanks!

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