Are nurses really high in demand?

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Oct 1, 2011

Experienced nurses are in demand.

Inexperienced ones.....not so much.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Oct 1, 2011

There are job openings primarily for experienced nurses. Nurses with several years of experience in a particular specialty may be in high demand in some areas.

However, new graduate nurses are a dime a dozen. There a few openings for new graduates and hundreds more applicants than positions to fill.

guevarrar · Oct 1, 2011

How does a new grad get experience?

Juwon · Oct 1, 2011

You might have to look outside of the hospital. Many nurses think that the only way to get experience is in the hospital, but you may have to look in other areas such as long term care, home health, and private duty. It may be hard to find positions in these areas, but I noticed that it is easier to gain experience in these areas and then transition to hospital nursing. My friend is a lpn at a nursing home and they hire new grad RNs, but as soon as they get some experience and their desired hospital call them, they leave.

So my advice is to look at other areas of nursing in addition to hospital nursing.

JenniferSews · Oct 1, 2011

Like others have said there are still jobs if you have several years of experience in a specialty (not LTC, that doesn't count.) I know CA is very tough. CO is not much better. I know a few BSNs who have been hired as new grads, mostly those who worked as techs for 3-5 years before. Although some weren't able to work at the hospital where they had worked and had been verbally promised jobs. In some cases the hospital paid for schooling and then wrote off the cost rather than give the students jobs.

Here you may be able to find a LTC job without experience and a bit of luck. But you will get very little (like 3 days) orientation so be sure you take every bit of knowledge you can from your clinical rotations. I'm not trying to be alarmist, just being honest. If you can get a CNA/tech job and prove yourself for a few years it is easier to get a job with your ADN. Research the market carefully. But frankly if you really want to be an RN, then do it and ride out the crappy market any way you can. I was happy to fulfill my dream of nursing when I was 36 years old and still don't regret it. My only regret is there was no way for me to do it sooner.

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Oct 1, 2011

What about in California? Why is it that many ADN RN's find it difficult to find a job as an RN? I would love to get my BSN, but I just don't know how I can afford to get a BSN at the moment. State schools are so impacted and competitive. Private universities are waaaay too expensive. So my only choice to go for my ADN. But now I'm having second thoughts after reading on this forum about how many people couldn't find jobs as an RN with an ADN since most hospitals require a BSN. I really want to be an RN, always have and always will. Any advice, guys?

:eek:

That can't be good ....

sweetnurse63, BSN, RN · Oct 1, 2011

Like others have said there are still jobs if you have several years of experience in a specialty (not LTC, that doesn't count.) I know CA is very tough. CO is not much better. I know a few BSNs who have been hired as new grads, mostly those who worked as techs for 3-5 years before. Although some weren't able to work at the hospital where they had worked and had been verbally promised jobs. In some cases the hospital paid for schooling and then wrote off the cost rather than give the students jobs.
Here you may be able to find a LTC job without experience and a bit of luck. But you will get very little (like 3 days) orientation so be sure you take every bit of knowledge you can from your clinical rotations. I'm not trying to be alarmist, just being honest. If you can get a CNA/tech job and prove yourself for a few years it is easier to get a job with your ADN. Research the market carefully. But frankly if you really want to be an RN, then do it and ride out the crappy market any way you can. I was happy to fulfill my dream of nursing when I was 36 years old and still don't regret it. My only regret is there was no way for me to do it sooner.

LTC counted for me!!!!! I had four yrs of LTC experience as a LPN and when I recieved my RN license ADN, three months later after I passed the RN NCLEX, I was hired at a hospital and was paid an extra two dollars an hour because of my experience which was better than not having none at all. So, long term care does count depending on where you live. :nurse:

JenniferSews · Oct 1, 2011

long term care does count depending on where you live.

True. Here no experience and a BSN grad is better than 4 yrs LTC. There is a huge stigma, look at any Centura job listing in CO, they say "2+ years ACUTE care" the caps are not mine. Many hospitals say outright LTC experience need not apply. It depends on where you live.

ETA I just had a recruiter call me from AZ I had talked to after I graduated. He asked if I had 12 months experience yet and I said 18 mos LTC. He politely told me he would try later, and did I have any intention of getting acute care experience? I told him yes but it hadn't been possible and he told me he that he knew that was very true and wished me good luck.

sweetnurse63, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2011

Wow, I can imagine it is tuff without acute care experience. Most hospitals only have a few new grad positions open. I believe another reason that it is hard right now is because of the retention rate of new grad nurses. In some cases they only stay a yr and then leave. I guess the administration is looking at the cost of orientations and the time it takes for training new grad nurses.

mba2bsn · Oct 2, 2011

Relocate to North Dakota. Healthcare jobs are bountiful over there.

NewTexasRN · Oct 2, 2011

To answer your question I would say yes and no. It depends on the location. If all the nurses with a license should start practicing again, there would never a be shortage. It's been said many times, there is a shortage of nurses who are not willing to work under certain circumstances.