ADN/Magnet Hospitals/Ability to Find Work in the Metroplex

mathwizard · Dec 20, 2010

not good for any new grads!

allnurses Guide · Dec 23, 2010

Yes, you have reason to worry. New grads are in ample supply in the DFW area and the ones who actually live here and have connections are even having trouble finding positions right now. Most of the local hospitals will only hire new grads via their internships, which are highly competitive. It may not be impossible for you to find work, but it will be a challenge. There are quite a few schools producing new grad nurses every few months year round. I don't say this to discourage you but rather to give you a realistic idea of what the local job market is like. A lot of people are moving here thinking somehow DFW avoided the great recession. Not true. Unemployment is at about 10% in the local area. Competition for all jobs, not just nursing, is fierce.

Best of luck to you. It is a good place to live when things are not this tight.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2010

I'm a newer ADN-educated RN with more than four years of experience as an LVN/LPN, and I still have not landed a new grad internship. I am presently working at a nursing home part-time, and I also have PRN status at a local rehab hospital.

Three different DFW-area hospitals have interviewed me since I've gotten my RN license (UT Southwestern, John Peter Smith, and Weatherford Regional). I was not selected for the job at the first two. Weatherford Regional hired me, but I declined the job offer because they were only willing to give me one week of floor training even though I have never worked in an acute care hospital before.

CheckThePoo · Jan 2, 2011

Many area hospitals are avoiding ADN nurses. I personally heard from a nurse hiring manager from a THR hospital that they are already being discouraged to hire ADN - but it's not a set-in-stone policy just yet.

Others I've talked to have said they won't even consider hiring a new grad unless they've worked in a hospital setting as a tech already. So even if they will take ADN, you may have to jump through a few more hoops any ways.

It's very tough competition in the Metroplex area. Local externship positions had hundreds of applicants, and only 6 positions available.

Good luck with your search, I don't mean to discourage or scare you. I just think you should know what you're getting yourself into....bring your A game and come prepared to network your butt off!

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Jan 3, 2011

i work in a long term acute care hospital in ft worth ....i have a bsn but i started with a adn and could not find employment in a major hospital .....however, i have not tried since receiving my bsn.....i don't imagine my chances are any better than they were with a adn.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2011

i work in a long term acute care hospital in ft worth ....i have a bsn but i started with a adn and could not find employment in a major hospital .....however, i have not tried since receiving my bsn.....i don't imagine my chances are any better than they were with a adn.

now that you have your bsn degree, the hca hospitals might be more welcoming to hiring you. during the past year, most of their employment ads have been saying "bsn only." the hca hospitals in the fort worth area are plaza medical center and north hills hospital.

after you accrue your year of rn experience at the ltac hospital, you might want to take your chances with applying at a hca facility. in addition, weatherford regional medical center offered me a job last month with my measly associates degree, but i declined for various reasons.

Corkybabe12 · Jan 12, 2011

I just want to say that I am a fresh ADN grad (December 2010), and I landed an ICU position in a pediatric hospital that is magnet accredited. :yeah:

Now, with that being said, that is not the norm here. I graduated from a very respected program, and I would estimate that anywhere between 1/2-2/3 of my graduating class has not found work, and I hear the same from some of my BSN friends. It has less to do with the degree, and more to do with the mass influx of nurses/GN's moving to the area. As if DFW was not churning out enough GN's, we now have people from all over the country moving here, and many people are coming in with years of experience because they cannot find work at home. The residency for my hospital hired 15 GN's, and over half of them are not even from the DFW area, but rather out-of-state and the Austin area. Plus, many hospitals have cut back on/eliminated new grad programs d/t cost... why hire an ICU grad that costs on average over $100k to train, when you can have an experienced RN?

This was not meant to be a downer, just trying to provide some realistic insight for you. Bets of luck in your job search.

nursesme · Jan 12, 2011

Where did you graduate from, Corky?

Corkybabe12 · Jan 19, 2011

I graduated from TCC, and I plan on completing UTA's RN-BSN program soon. Best of luck to you all- just keep following up with those apps and check the sites often for job postings... many times they go up and then down within 24 hrs!

rierie · Jan 19, 2011

I am not sure where you live in the area, if you would be willing to relocate for the experience I can recommend ETMC-Tyler. They are the only level 4 trauma center in East Texas and they hire new grads to put through their interships all the time. Even if you don't want to call the area home just putting in a few years will give you invaluable experince. I am an LVN (14 yrs) and I worked in the Neuro ICU unit with the step-down patients but helped the RN's with the critical patients. I learned so much as how to deal with family during a crisis and how to anticipate the needs of the Doctors/Surgeons. I wouldn't be the kick-ass confident nurse I am today without that experience. I also firmly believe in learning in a small community hospital to keep your skills on the up and up. There are no IV team, RT round the clock or CODE team....you are it. I love that environment and I'm sure you would to with you expressing the want/desire to be a hospital nurse. Check out areas just a little bit out of Dallas and you would be surprised at who is working in those areas. Very strong nurses...that's who! Good luck in your search.

I am now an LVN and teach college level lecture and clinical to students. Without that experience I would have never been confident enough to do what I do now.