Anxious about job market

Meeshie · Aug 24, 2016

Florida is also a huge state so it depends on where in Florida. South Florida is difficult for new grads. Central and North Florida have a lot of nurse residency programs for new grads. Whether that will still hold true when you graduate, of course, there's no way of knowing.

julesjameson3333 · Aug 24, 2016

I appreciate everyone's responses.

I also checked out your sources Generalist RN and that report states in spite of their estimates some states are still predicted to experience shortages, so there may still be hope after all!

Hopefully good grades, a good attitude, and some diligence will be enough to persevere.

julesjameson3333 · Aug 24, 2016

All I know about the "nursing glut" or whatever is that there are 14 travelers on my unit, we hired 11 new grads recently, and we're still short. Some of May's new grads just got out of orientation... and we're still short. From where I'm sitting, it doesn't look like much of a glut to me. Both my FT and my PRN job offer the highest level incentive pay available for every shift, day and night, every single day. I have not been called off for a shift ever at my full time job in two years of employment. We've had Tier 2 at my FT job for about 30 weeks straight now. I think I would welcome a glut right about now because I am really tired of not having the right ratios...

if you don't mind me asking what area are you employed in?

emmy27 · Aug 25, 2016

I had to leave a college town in north Florida after graduation at the height of the recession to find a new grad job- but years later, I get messages from recruiters looking to place nurses in Florida all the time, and friends who stayed in town have all since found jobs (it took some 6-12 months after graduation, but they all got in to the types of work they wanted eventually). I've been offered many PRN and travel jobs by recruiters as well, and on the occasions I've bitten, they've had me ready to start work within days.

Florida has atrocious pay compared to most of the country, but that's generally true of all of the southeast. I got slightly more as a new grad by moving a few states north than I would have had I stuck it out at the hospital where I was working before graduation, and I've of course had many raises over the years, but the max pay for RNs at many of the hospitals where I've worked in the southeast is just a few dollars more an hour than new grad pay for friends in some northern and west coast cities.

I think projections of "too many nurses" that merely look at the number of licensed RNs and the number of jobs fail to take in to account the incredible turnover and burnout rate of RNs these days. Like many others, my hospital employs travelers and has mandated overtime and we still work short nearly every day, despite a robust new grad residency that hires new grads in to specialty areas. Few if any of the young nurses I now intend to work at the bedside for their entire career, because the conditions are grueling and getting worse. The supposed coming nursing glut will likely affect high-status hospitals in desirable locations, but there will *always* be people who need nursing care somewhere, so if you're flexible and willing to work in places that aren't necessarily glamorous, it is a steady source of employment once you get that new grad experience done.

BeatsPerMinute, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2016

We just hired 8 new grad nurses on my floor. (large hospital on the east coast with a comprehensive new grad program). There are opportunities, you just have to look, and be persistent. The flexibility of the OP will help.

Don't get discouraged by the "hospital only wants specialty nurses" comments... while that is partially true, I was hired into the critical care unit as a new grad. Now 1.5yrs later I'm considered a "specialty nurse" and can go anywhere. It's not that hard and doesn't take that long to become a specialty nurse.

OP, you have time on your side which is great. Use the time wisely. Don't hesitate to start playing around with job search engines and save searches that are most helpful. When you start clinicals, be helpful, be a sponge, be willing to do all the little tasky stuff even if it is to answer a random call light to get a patient onto a bedpan - this will show you are a hard worker and will look good to the unit nurses and your clinical instructor (who at the end of your clinicals, you could ask for a reference when you start job hunting). Start creating a resume. Fill it in with the job history/experiences/references you have currently and practice replacing it with nursing clinical info as you go through clinicals. (Tip: as a new nurse you will only need 1 page for a resume; the trick is to create a clean-cut resume with lots of white space. It'll take practice, studying sample pages, and having someone (maybe at a career center at your school?) review it a few times. Finally, another thing to do as you go through clinicals... write down your experiences. Journal. When you interview for jobs these days, managers will ask, every time:

"Tell me a time when you...."

"How did you/would you handle this sort of situation..."

"Explain to me a time when you went above and beyond for a patient..."

Most will be about patient/family interactions, how you were safe, professional, demonstrating teamwork, how you handled conflict, worked with a dissatisfied patient... they don't have to be grand stories, just a snip it of what the situation was, how you responded, and what the outcome was. If you journal about your clinical experiences you will be able to pull stories from your recordings. It's a pain in the butt but I really wished I had done this more. I do it now as I am planning to return to school and will have to do similar interviews again, just with my experience as a RN vs a nursing student.

Good luck!! PM me if you have further questions!

julesjameson3333 · Aug 25, 2016

great tips Beatsperminute. Thanks!

Libby1987 · Aug 25, 2016

I have friend's daughter who just graduated from a BSN program at 22 that was hired straight into public health in one of the toughest state markets. But it is in a less populated county and she had a heck of a background with her charitable work in 3rd world countries and ROP experience. On top of graduating with honors. In other words, she stood out.

Get experience in anything that shows you can perform under pressure and interact well with others. Plus it's great practice for the working conditions.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Aug 25, 2016

Every person in my cohort had a job upon graduation. We had people who had no problems finding jobs all over the country. Some in big metro areas.

By 2025, I'm sure you would have a graduated a found a job anyway. 2025 is still 9 years away, right??? :sarcastic:

Oxygenforeverybody · Aug 25, 2016

Plenty of jobs for Nurses / new grads. Don't listen to naysayers. Job market for Nurses is still very good and in need. Even in the next 10 years according the Bureau of labor as well. Registered Nurses : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Including if you're willing to relocate. Nurses will awlays be needed because not everyone stays in the position, retires, moves up to a new position etc. Don't listen to the naysayers who live in a small town or a place that is oversaturated with nurses.

julesjameson3333 · Aug 25, 2016

:) thank you, good to hear

ICU_UcMe, BSN, RN · Aug 25, 2016

We graduate in December; I've already had 3 job offers, and two have offered sign-on bonuses. One of the offers is in mental health (which is my current field). I don't know about your area, but it is my understanding that mental health nurses are always in high demand because it's so stressful, and the pay oftentimes is terrible.

Are you in a BSN program? If so, I honestly would not worry about being able to find a job. If it's an ADN, I know some hospitals will only hire those with experience, but I highly doubt that is the standard. There is an initiative for 80% of nurses to have a BSN by 2020 so that may be why some are starting to lean that way.

julesjameson3333 · Aug 25, 2016

Thanks for your insight. Yes, I will be enrolling in a BSN program. I completely agree that a higher education is paramount to remaining competitive. I only wish I had started sooner, but alas...

It's interesting you should say that psych nurses compensation often pale in comparison to that of other nurses. I was unaware of this. I have heard that when it comes to NP specialties they tend to be one of the highest paid. I try not to allow money to be a prime motivating factor in my career path, but it would be dishonest to say that salary wouldn't at least play some role in my decision making.

Out of curiosity, given my background in massage and fitness, what nursing specialty would lend well to my skill-set?