A Subtle Concept for Nursing Students, Nursing Majors and New Grad Nurses

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  1. Do You Think This Post Offered Good Advice?

    • 11
      Yes, its down to earth good advice.
    • 9
      The advice was ok but the delivery needs work.
    • 2
      No, this is stuff new grads. already know
    • 7
      No, the post is condesending and harsh.

29 members have participated

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I've been talking to other nursing students and nursing majors in my school and on this website and I'm hearing a lot of complaints about the job market and here is my issue.

What I don't understand (this may not apply to you) but nursing majors seem to have this thing in their heads that if they just take the NCLEX and then pass then they should have tons jobs just waiting for them when they graduate or that they should be hired on the spot simply because you did what you were supposed to do to get a piece of paper that said your a nurse now. As nursing majors we need to start thinking a little more like the business majors out there. You ask a graduating business major how the job market would look for them if they hadn't don't some sort of internship before they graduate and you will find that it looks pretty bleak. So why do we as nursing majors think that we don't have to do anything extra before we graduate to help ensure that we have jobs when we need them? I mean sure, you will find business majors who graduated without doing an internship and those are the people who are going to have the hardest time finding jobs but the business majors who have gone out and done an internship in addition to their normal classwork are the ones who are going to have the easiest time in the job market. Nursing majors and future nurses, before you graduate find an internship or someway you can get hands on experience because as the job market gets more competitive its going to get harder to find a job and without that bit of experience to help set you apart then you are going to be struggling for a job. No clinicals do not count as an internship or doing that "extra" you need to set you apart. Just look at the positions that have 10 new grad nurses fighting for one spot, each new grad may have a GPA that are within .05 - .1 of the next applicant. So how does the hiring manager decide which nurse to hire? I can tell you that your GPA and personality may not be enough to get you a job, because most of the other applicants will have a high GPA like you and be just as eager to work as you are. So you need to have some sort of experience to help you stand out. If you can't find a formal internship then you should look into becoming a CNA or a SNA (Student Nurse Associate or something similar) to help you get some hands on experience, this work might not be glamorous or anything but you will be around nurses and learn more about what they do just by being in that setting.

:dzed::oornt:

!Chris :specs:

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

The climate for nursing has changed dramatically over the past three years that I have been working. When I was in school it basically was understood that you walked out the door and got a job. I applied for TWO jobs when I got out of school. A year later I moved to Georgia and got a call back 1.5 MINUTES after posting my online resume. Flew down two weeks later and was hired that day. I was a waitress prior to graduation and had no extern/internship experience.

With a rapid change in the economy the health industry has been turned upside down literally in the blink of an eye. Schools that used to tout confidence in placing nurses will now see thier numbers declining quickly. Unfortunately for most students they are still being told they will have a job the moment they walk out. Hell half of my graduating class had jobs before they even flipped their tassel!

It will take time for the numbers to begin to reflect back to the nursing schools. Until then students need to take more time getting a feel for the market themselves and not relying on professors to paint the picture for them.

I understand your frustration as the boards have recently been flooded with frustrated RN's trying to get a grasp on the market. Unfortunately for them they have been fed a line for the past two to four years and are now in debt and sorely disappointed.

Maybe we need a new forum for unemployed nurses?

Until then I take most posts with a grain of salt and offer advice when I feel the poster is actually receptive.

Tait

PS. I do agree with you though that now is the time to start getting additional experience, however that doesn't hell the multitude of new grads floating in the market right now.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

students are victims of mixed messages too. Journalists say we have a shortage but healthcare providers are suffering from recession too and cannot hire as many as they would like. It is a tough market. Nurses may have to move to another city or state to get employment.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
The climate for nursing has changed dramatically over the past three years that I have been working. When I was in school it basically was understood that you walked out the door and got a job. I applied for TWO jobs when I got out of school. A year later I moved to Georgia and got a call back 1.5 MINUTES after posting my online resume. Flew down two weeks later and was hired that day. I was a waitress prior to graduation and had no extern/internship experience.

With a rapid change in the economy the health industry has been turned upside down literally in the blink of an eye. Schools that used to tout confidence in placing nurses will now see thier numbers declining quickly. Unfortunately for most students they are still being told they will have a job the moment they walk out. Hell half of my graduating class had jobs before they even flipped their tassel!

It will take time for the numbers to begin to reflect back to the nursing schools. Until then students need to take more time getting a feel for the market themselves and not relying on professors to paint the picture for them.

I understand your frustration as the boards have recently been flooded with frustrated RN's trying to get a grasp on the market. Unfortunately for them they have been fed a line for the past two to four years and are now in debt and sorely disappointed.

Maybe we need a new forum for unemployed nurses?

Until then I take most posts with a grain of salt and offer advice when I feel the poster is actually receptive.

Tait

PS. I do agree with you though that now is the time to start getting additional experience, however that doesn't hell the multitude of new grads floating in the market right now.

Exactly! That's the thing that people aren't realizing! Nursing is a constantly changing field which means that we need to keep learning and studying and trying to grow because the field is going to change and evolve with or without us. I'm in nursing school now and I always ask my professors "What is the job market like once we graduate?" and "How are we going to find jobs with so many new graduates competing us for so few positions?" and most professors give me glossed over answers like "Well don't worry about that now. They will always need new nurses!" or "You will have a BSN and that's going to make you better than the ADN and Diploma graduates" and it makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs as my classmates (the one's with no experience working in the heathcare field usually) grin from ear to ear and nod along as they are being spoon-fed this BS about "They will always need nurses. Don't worry about finding a job now!" or that somehow a BSN will be the magic that guarantees a job (which I know it won't necessarily.) Its just a little annoying that's all.

!Chris :specs:

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Specializes in NICU.

Sigh....I'm sorry, I know you mean well, but as a new grad, I must say I'm getting pretty sick of being told 'you should have known better' by people who did it the 'right' way. Working wasn't an option for me, period, the end. And it had nothing to do with me expecting to be 'handed a job'. The problem for new grads is that the job market WASN'T this way when we started, so we approached our education differently. Hopefully those just beginning nursing school will pay attention to the economy, but this really doesn't help those of us that have graduated.

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Specializes in Psych NP.

Here's a new grad perspective for you: when I first started the nursing program 2 years ago the economy was just barely on the brink of downturn and that B.S., as you call it, that our teachers were feeding us wasn't just B.S., it was reality. Living in Arizona new grads could graduate, walk out and have a job with a sign-on bonus, tuition repayment and in their desired specialty area. Then things started to turn south within a few months and hirings started to slow down. The smart students knew that internships were there best bets, unfortunately many local hospitals shut down or reduced their internship programs to save money so positions were very limited and competition was fierce. Now even those who had internships and those who have worked in healthcare positions prior to graduating have a difficult time finding a job.

I do agree with you that for a teacher to now tell their students that "everything is going to be ok" and "don't worry, your degree is good as gold" is to give false reassurance and not doing anyone any favors. Yes, things will turn around and get better one day but a lesson must be taken away from this that it's good to always be prepared for things to change because they almost certainly do.

I know I learned my lesson.

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Specializes in Professional Development Specialist.
Sigh....I'm sorry, I know you mean well, but as a new grad, I must say I'm getting pretty sick of being told 'you should have known better' by people who did it the 'right' way. Working wasn't an option for me, period, the end. And it had nothing to do with me expecting to be 'handed a job'. The problem for new grads is that the job market WASN'T this way when we started, so we approached our education differently. Hopefully those just beginning nursing school will pay attention to the economy, but this really doesn't help those of us that have graduated.

I couldn't agree more. I've posted for advice and suggestions on finding a job here and have gotten this same response. Not a "here's something to try" but "you should have done xyz." Well I'm sorry I didn't do it right, but when I started nursing school there WERE plenty of jobs for new grads. In May there were enough jobs for new grads. Now there are none. It's my own fault, I get it. This is great advice for students but isn't very helpful or relevant to the unemployed. It seems like it's easy to pass judgement when you aren't in my shoes.

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I think it might be time to forget getting a nursing job, at least for the present, and get very creative and pick something else to do - for now.

You might do private duty. Find your own patients and do private duty. You can charge less than an agency because you won't have to have office space, office staff, etc. Just you making yourself known to everyone you know and making it known that you are available to care for their elderly, confused, frail parent or grandparent, in their home or yours or in their long-term care facility. Or for their ill child. you get the idea. Don't take on anything you're uncomfortable with, sucn as a vent.

But you can bathe, feed, change dressings, give meds, do cath care, etc. You will be following doctor's orders. Get this all blessed by an attorney if you will feel more at ease.

Open an adult day care at your church or synagogue or mosque or other house of worship or through your community contacts where you live. It's something. You will do some meds, maybe some treatments, some charting. You will use body mechanics and organizational skills.

Switch fields all together and come back to Nursing later, when there are more jobs again. If you have to take a refresher course, so be it. I know it's not what you want, but if reality is against you right now, then do what you have to do. Be resourceful and don't give up. The tide will turn.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

The larger message is two-fold:

Healthcare is a business. No matter what the current economic climate, to view nursing as somehow being outside the larger picture of the world of commerce "because nurses will always be needed" is naive.

Current and future nursing students may want to consider a slightly different view of their post-secondary education. It is just that - undergraduate education. Majors/areas of concentration should always be chosen by considering both personal interests/aptitudes and an understanding of employment prospects ... but with the caveat that life never holds guarantees.

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Specializes in critical care, PACU.

Although well intentioned, I found the OP's post condescending and insensitive...and I do have a job lined up.

First off, please remember that alot of recent new grads started nursing school/pre reqs when nursing was still a field where you could get a job if you had a pulse. I remember that I only really became threatened and anxious a few semesters ago.

And secondly, I did do an internship, and I was hired out of 300 competing nursing students and many hospitals are cutting internships d/t financial woes so it's really unfair to stipulate that if you didnt do an internship you must have been lazy or figured you didnt have to.

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Ouch!!! New grads are hurting and this is where they/we come for advice not to be told that they are just basically whiners.

They were giving jobs out like candy when I first started nursing school, once you graduate you had a job. So I was looking forward to that. Well, guess what it didn't happen. So yes I was very disappointed....not so much for a pay check (although we could use one) but to become the nurse that I dreamed of being.

I just recently got hired yesterday and it took me 2 1/2 months. Praise God. Jobs are out there but it is very competitive.

My personal advice for my fellow new graduates is to:

1. Practice Interviewing skills ( boy did I ever need this)

2. Have a nice resume showing your strengths (in a nice folder if possible)

3. Keep applying; flood your cities with resumes (get your name out there)

4. Pray, Pray, Pray

5. Any nursing job would make at least some good experience

6. I have an agency that I was going to pay to find me a nursing job as a temp nurse, If they liked you they would hire you. (This was going to be if all else fails.)

7. Show plenty of confidence (dont think in your head that you are not going to get it because it will show) (Again believe me I know this first hand)

8. Search for interview questions on the internet and practice them (especially how to answer the "what are your strengths and weaknesses")

9. Keep reading about the major issues so you will not lose it: such as MI, hypoglycemia, stroke, etc....) (They give scenarios a plenty)

10. Brush up on your dosage calculations. (Some places give you math)

11. Dress like a professional (you all know this already)

12. Network, Network, Network (keep in touch with nursing friends and instructors if you can) (Even my personal doctors office was looking for possible jobs for me...lol)

13. One nurse in my husband's medical office said that she hired a nurse who went in their building door to door handing out her resume. ( Great Idea) (Again that was me networking at my husbands doctors office....lol)

14. If you can, be willing to travel to the smaller cities

15. Find out the reason you were not hired after an interview and work hard on correcting some of those issues.

16. Thank God for any interview whether good or bad (it's hard but try it)because it only makes you more prepared for the next interview. (Consider it practice)

17. Did I mention Pray

18. Did I mention Ooooze Confidence and leadership abilities

This was all of what I had gone through... before I finally got a position at the place that I've always wanted to be. It was hard and sometimes very disheartening. However with much prayer and work put forth toward my interviewing skills I finally did it.....trust me if I can do it so can you.

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OP: I don't think subtle means what you think it does. I think you mean well, though.

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