Only hiring new grads that are "cream of the crop"?

Yikes! I must say, I have been starting to work toward my Nursing degree as a second degree/second career, not because of the fact that it's supposed to be a "recession proof" job or even for the money, but because I have had some life experiences as well as career experiences that have led me to know that this will be a career that I can be excited about and dedicated to. I am intelligent and competent and I know that I could be a great nurse. However, I am a mother and a wife, and I have previous student loan debt from my first Bachelors. We have a house, my husband is Type 1 diabetic (= huge medical costs), etc. I am not able to go into more debt and take valuable time away from my family to pursue something just for a passion- I have to work to make money, not just as a personal interest. If I didn't need a job I would just volunteer, without going back to school! I understand that the economy is impacting every industry, but some of these ideas seem absurd- working for free, going back to school immediately. Why send nurses who are NOT the "cream of the crop" and couldn't get hired into higher nursing education? Shouldn't the "cream of the crop" be the people pursuing higher education? In addition, it doesn't seem that it's a good idea to jump right into a BSN or MSN with no on-the-job experience? None of the real problems are being addressed here, i.e. hospital budgets leading to understaffing, etc. Wow. I am going to continue to work on my pre-reqs, anticipating a Fall 2011 start date for my program, but I have to say this does nothing but make me nervous about my choice, which is sad. Seems to me it's this kind of thinking that will lead to a true nursing shortage!

You sound like one of my nursing professors.

A local hospital is now shoving new grads into the nursing extern program which used to be for senior students. They now have RNs, fully licensed, working on floors, supposedly and basically as techs for $12.00 an hour.

He told his class NOT to accept those working conditions. lol

uh....how do i become a resp.therapist...
i've devoted 8+ years working partime with prereqs and raising a family....now im about to graduate with an associate/nursing diploma and after reading this thread....am totally paranoid about having to pay off years of student loans/not being able to find work...
would love some advise..
thanks!

"C's get degrees!" my fellow 18 year old nursing school classmate exclaimed after boasting that he played touch football all weekend instead of studying for our exam that day.

"...but they might not get jobs," I said - on the inside.

I've been thinking about this topic a lot but keeping it to myself. I study very hard, I prepare as well as I can, and I do everything I can to excel in every aspect nursing school. I work about as hard trying to assist my classmates to excel whenever I can and am known as a valuable asset in my study groups.

One of the reasons for this is just because that's how I roll these days, but another reason is because I really do want to be part of "the cream of the crop" when this ride is over. I want to put myself in the best position no matter what direction I go. I want to maintain a 4.0 GPA for now and the rest of my nursing academic career.

This is my second degree and I definitely took the "C's get degrees" approach my first time. I graduated into an economic downturn (1990) and it took almost two years to find a job in my field. I held that job for 13 years, advanced my career and did well, but I could have just as well done without that jobless period.

When I decided to change careers, I ended up having my previous transcript excluded and retaking Pysch 101 and Comp 101 because my Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering GPA of 2.6 would have kept me out of my program.

Keep in mind that I am not criticizing people just for getting C's. You need a 77% for a C in my program, which is challenging and a good score. I have classmates, some parents, others who have to work a lot, and others with language or learning challenges who absolutely work their tails off for passing grades. My hat is off to them and their hard work will be noticed and rewarded.

But the others - the slackers like my football playing classmate - I have no mercy for them.

dc

I can top that...

Some folks that I graduated with - fully licensed RNs, ACLS, etc - are working as unpaid interns on the 2300-0700 med-surg shift. Nope, not being paid. In fact, they are paying registration fees at the local nursing school so that they can be "student interns" while doing their thing.

New grads paying to work the night shift.

What a lovely career choice we've made.

how????

There are no jobs? Come on, let's dispense with the hyperbole and drama. There may not be your ideal job available, but that doesn't mean there is a complete dearth of jobs for new grads. It might just mean that instead of getting into an ICU internship or working on a med-surg floor at a hospital, you might have to work at an LTC or Assisted Living for a year or so until something comes through. Or you might have to work at a hospital that has a worse reputation just to get that experience under your belt.

Or you may simply have to move. I know in Nursing 2009 magazine there is at least one ad per month of a hospital looking for new grads, often offering signing bonuses. Plus, when the economy stabilizes, things might work out.

If I wanted to be a respiratory therapist, I would have. If being a RT is as far as you want to go, great. But once you break through the crappy transitional period of student RN to experienced RN, you have a lot of options.

And RT's don't have the chance to increase their earning potential to the level of travel RN / Practitioner / CRNA as far as I know. We're in the right profession, alright, it just takes patience and persistence.

This is also yet another reason why nursing school advisors tell you to get a job as a CNA while applying for and going to nursing school. Getting in good with RN's and administration as a CNA is a great way to advance. I know that my home health agency seems very positive about me transitioning into an LPN and later RN position with them.

This is generally a 2 yr program that is even more intensive and in some schools has more science prereqs than nursing. Check your local colleges/universities to see what the curriculum is. Unfortunately, you will begin the whole school thing over again....

"I graduated from the No. 1 ranked ranked school in the nation. Don't be fooled by the rankings--they are based on research dollars. Nursing schools use the rankings as a marketing ploy because they want your money.
And the nursing recruiters I'm talking to are in 3 states in big cities and small towns. It's the same story:
There
Are
No
Jobs.
Save yourself and be a respiratory therapist."

Why in the world would you go back and do 2 more grueling years to get into a profession that pays about the same as an RN? Just stick it out. There might not be jobs today, this week, or even this month. But there will be one somewhere eventually, and once you've got it, you're in. You'll start racking up that experience, and then your options increase.