Any advice for being getting a job after graduation?

headinsandRN · Oct 6, 2010

A good way to avoid this may be to get a scholarship/loan with a hospital before graduation.

Also, when you goto your clinical site, ask the nurse manager of that floor how to establish employment as a pca.

Lizzie21 · Oct 6, 2010

My advice to you would be talk with your senior practicum nurse manager and see if they have any available openings on their unit. if they don't, then i would start contacting previous clinical instructors. it's really all about who you know. also, talk to your school career center and see if they can help you find places that are hiring new grads, work on your resume, coverletter and interview tips.

AKAnurse4 · Oct 6, 2010

You need to start applying about 5-6 months before graduating to guarantee job placement...it's really tough out here you don't want to wait till after graduation... Best of luck

goingCOASTAL · Oct 6, 2010

Aim for the type of facility you want first: community hospital or a medical center ... then, take any job you can get. Same thing happened to me when I graduated in '95 ... I took a job I really didn't want, but soon had opportunities open up to me throughout the hospital.

The "glut" is worse around graduation times, but people are always leaving hospitals. If you want to work ICU, but all you can get is a general med/surg unit ... go med surg a few months, earn your "hall-cred," and start asking around about cross-training opportunities. If you're able to get crosstrained in the unit of your choice, it's much more likely that you'll make an impressionable impact with the department leaders than just a dry interview - and unit managers and directors will EASILY hire a good nurse they know over going through a stack of applications.

Get what you can at first ... then network like heck. You can STILL have the job you want; it's just the jobs most in demand aren't hiring anyone with an RN anymore.