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.
What in the heck was I thinking when I went back to school this past August? I started my pre-reqs for Nursing but now I am terrified of going any further. I graduated from the University of New Orleans in 2003 w/ a Business degree. After not feeling happy with that, I decided last year to go into Nursing. So in September 2009, I took my TEAS exam to be able to apply to Nursing program....I failed. I should have known that was a sign.
After much thought I decided to go into the LPN program and then transition into the RN program (have to take that darn TEAS exam again).
After reading so many RN's not finding jobs, I am scared death about going for an LPN degree. If they won't hire RN's, what are the chances of me finding a job as an LPN?!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its true what a poster said, the nursing schools tell you all this bull poopy about being able to find a job as a nurse, because there will always be sick people and diseases don't take vacations. I went to nursing program fair a couple of months ago at my college and person had nothing but "promising" things to say about a nursing career. Heck, the LPN info brouchure says, "Just 16 months is all you need to enjoy a rewarding career in Nursing". They should add in "if you are one of the lucky ones to find a job"
I currently volunteer at our Childrens Hospital and I absolutely love it. I had been wanting to do it for the longest and my career advisor told me that it would be a great opportunity to network and get "one foot in the door". Should I start applying for nursing job 2 years before graduating? Maybe I get lucky.
RN Hopefull, if you truly want to be a nurse then go for it. Just like any career it's going to have its ups and downs because like other professions it's tied to the economy and right now every field is suffering. Don't let a downward swing stop you if this is a career you really want to pursue. It may take time and it will take a lot of hard work on your part but that is true of any great, rewarding profession.
We're in the middle of one of the worst economic melt-downs decades. I graduated from an ADN program in 2008, right when the economy took a nose-dive but before health care was affected. But even then it took me 4 months to find a job, and it was not even close to what I wanted to do. I had the bill collectors calling me, I was frustrated, I cried a lot.
Rant about the job market if you need to, it's a stressful situation to be in. But know that if you keep plugging away; looking in the ads, sending your resume out, talking to students from your program who graduated and found jobs, volunteering, finding a position in a related field until you are hired as an RN, these things will get you a position. It will most likely take a while, every new grad in every field is feeling the economic squeeze. Hang in there.
Given the economy and how difficult it is to get into a position at a hospital, I'm not at all surprised people are ranting. Let them rant. Let them meet people in their position and know they're not the only ones going through it.
Good luck to all the nurses looking for jobs right now.
Again I will say that I apologize for sounding rude, harsh or insensitive in my posts. I hope the new grads. out there are able to find jobs and I'm sorry if I sounded insensitive. I think my frustration is not so much with the new grads. and nursing students but with professors and schools who send out the message that we have a "nursing shortage" and finding a nursing job once you graduate will be easy or that "hospitals are just waiting to snatch you up" (that's a direct quote from one of my professors) because it gives students and new grads. a false sense of security. I just want the new nurses who are now being accepted into programs to have an idea of what they are in for when they graduate so they won't have to face some of the same problems that new grads. now have to face.
To the new grads. and nursing students who I may have offended with my first post. I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to sound condescending, rude or harsh I was just trying to help and I think I went about it in the wrong way.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Really? I don't believe I've heard of such a thing. Do you know the reason why? I've questioned, and still do, whether a BSN was really much of an advantage in direct patient care, bedside nursing, but I've never thought it was an inherent disadvantage, and really, it seems like critical care might be one area where having a little more science and math (My BSN peers took a full semester, each, of anatomy and physiology, and, I believe, a true chemistry course and a college math course. I took one semester of A&P and got credit for high school chemistry and algebra.)
*** As BSN it's self is of no advantage for a new grad in the ICU. I have oriented a lot of new grads and some are great and some are not. Their degree is no predictor. I have noticed that those with life experience, experience making important decisions and dealing with stressful situations have a leg up regardless of degree.
The reason new grad BSNs are not being hired into the critical care residency is because too many of them run off to CRNA school before they finish their contract.
I'm sorry so many new grads feel deceived. I really feel for you. When I graduated nursing school, I was offered a position at the first hospital I applied to. But, don't feel completely bamboozled. The downturn in nurse hiring is a result of the downturn in the larger economy. As the economy improves, so will hiring. In other words, this is cyclical. Try to hold on until the hiring situation improves -- and it will. Remember, the economic collapse has done little to impact the future nursing shortage. I know it is little solace and most of you can't wait until 2016 to get a job. So, in the meantime, take any job you can to get by. The experience you gain in any nursing position will make you more marketable when the economy improves. By the way, avoid leaving the profession at all costs! A bad nursing job will serve you better than a job unrelated to nursing. Also, believe it or not, there are still places out there where the job market is a little less competitive. Relocating is hard (and not possible for everyone), but if you can consider moving, think about going where the jobs are. The hardships you are facing now are unfair and unexpected, but take heart. Nursing has given me everything I could have asked of it; it will for you too. Good luck! :)
Another thing, I have a 4.00, graduated from a reputable BSN program, and did a competitive ICU internship and still felt challenged to find a job. Some of my friends are ACLS, PALs, etc certified and still havent found jobs. Sometimes initiative isnt enough.
Another thing, I have a 4.00, graduated from a reputable BSN program, and did a competitive ICU internship and still felt challenged to find a job. Some of my friends are ACLS, PALs, etc certified and still havent found jobs. Sometimes initiative isnt enough.
agreed. i don't think you can exactly feel our pain unless you're in our shoes.
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
You should blame media for screaming "nursing shortage"
agreed. i don't think you can exactly feel our pain unless you're in our shoes.
As you can probably tell from my post, I do think I understand what you're going through. It is the same thing that everyone without a job is experiencing in this economy. Look on the bright side, you have a shiny new college degree -- your chances of finding a job are much better with it than without it.
Also, our ability to acknowledge the pain of another without being in their shoes is called empathy; it is one of the principles supporting our profession. Not criticizing, just saying.
Really? I don't believe I've heard of such a thing. Do you know the reason why? I've questioned, and still do, whether a BSN was really much of an advantage in direct patient care, bedside nursing, but I've never thought it was an inherent disadvantage, and really, it seems like critical care might be one area where having a little more science and math (My BSN peers took a full semester, each, of anatomy and physiology, and, I believe, a true chemistry course and a college math course. I took one semester of A&P and got credit for high school chemistry and algebra.)
*** As BSN it's self is of no advantage for a new grad in the ICU. I have oriented a lot of new grads and some are great and some are not. Their degree is no predictor. I have noticed that those with life experience, experience making important decisions and dealing with stressful situations have a leg up regardless of degree.
The reason new grad BSNs are not being hired into the critical care residency is because too many of them run off to CRNA school before they finish their contract.
Hadn't thought of that. Good point. Doesn't seem quite fair, in a way, but it would get pretty old, being used as a stepping stone. And I suppose a new BSN could always put in some time in, say, med/surg, then transfer to the ICU, which really ain't a bad idea, anyway. (I'm a newish nurse, but an oldish person, so I usually tend to think there's a good reason "old school" got to be old school.)
At my facility, it's a rule that ICU nurses can only be floated to other ICUs or stepdown. Asking them to take 6 regular-acuity patients is too much of a culture shock. I've noticed, myself, that after a couple of weekends of stepdown, it's a bit of an adjustment to go back to a "floor" assignment. So, recently, our facility openned a dedicated stepdown unit for most services (neuro and cardio retained their stepdowns, but everyone else moved to the new unit). A lot of their staff are now nurses hired into stepdown as GNs, and they are eligible to be floated to regular acuity ("floor") patients. It's gonna be a bear, I think, when they find themselves with 6 not-so-sick people. But probably a relief, too. I've floated a few times to the stepdown unit, and I've noticed that it looks quite a bit like an ICU. A lot of those patients would not have been stepdown-status, a couple of years ago.
What in the heck was I thinking when I went back to school this past August? I started my pre-reqs for Nursing but now I am terrified of going any further. I graduated from the University of New Orleans in 2003 w/ a Business degree. After not feeling happy with that, I decided last year to go into Nursing. So in September 2009, I took my TEAS exam to be able to apply to Nursing program....I failed. I should have known that was a sign.
After much thought I decided to go into the LPN program and then transition into the RN program (have to take that darn TEAS exam again).
After reading so many RN's not finding jobs, I am scared death about going for an LPN degree. If they won't hire RN's, what are the chances of me finding a job as an LPN?!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its true what a poster said, the nursing schools tell you all this bull poopy about being able to find a job as a nurse, because there will always be sick people and diseases don't take vacations. I went to nursing program fair a couple of months ago at my college and person had nothing but "promising" things to say about a nursing career. Heck, the LPN info brouchure says, "Just 16 months is all you need to enjoy a rewarding career in Nursing". They should add in "if you are one of the lucky ones to find a job"
I currently volunteer at our Childrens Hospital and I absolutely love it. I had been wanting to do it for the longest and my career advisor told me that it would be a great opportunity to network and get "one foot in the door". Should I start applying for nursing job 2 years before graduating? Maybe I get lucky.
I was working as an orderly when I started nursing school, so it was more about career advancement than career change. I was able to apply for my job before starting my last semester, and my interview began with, "Well, of course you've got the job..." (I was still nervous!) That was before the recession. But if you can find a part-time, unlicensed position, that's a good foot in the door, and a way to get your feet wet. Those UAP jobs are getting scarcer, too, so volunteering is another option. If they know you and like you before they see your resume, that's a definite plus.
Economy or no, there is a looming nursing shortage. In the not-too-distant future, many of my generation will be transitioning from nurses to patients (and if you think we eat our young, now, just wait!!!) So, in the long run, there's reason to be afraid--er, I mean, optimistic. But, yeah, the short term kinda sucks. A couple of years ago, I was getting two or three recruiting letters a month. Now I get one every two or three months. So, there are jobs, but you have to hunt for them, much like normal people always did. Anyway, good luck, hang in there, and where's my pain pill? (Just practicing.)
FarawaySoClose, BSN, DNP, RN
76 Posts
RN Hopefull, if you truly want to be a nurse then go for it. Just like any career it's going to have its ups and downs because like other professions it's tied to the economy and right now every field is suffering. Don't let a downward swing stop you if this is a career you really want to pursue. It may take time and it will take a lot of hard work on your part but that is true of any great, rewarding profession.