Are nursing grads still having a hard time finding jobs?

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I was considering earning a degree in nursing and even took some pre-reqs and did well in them. I wanted to become a pediatric nurse and eventually become a CPNP, but last year when the economy tanked nursing grads were having a really hard time finding jobs. Also I know a lot of schools are graduating nurses, so I hear there is an excess of nurses out there. So I decided not to do nursing and I'am having second thoughts and thinking that maybe I want to apply for nursing school. Are you all still having a hard time finding jobs? Has the school you went to or the type of degree (ADN or BSN) you have affected your job search? Do any of you think there are too many nurses out there and not enough jobs to go around?

What really bothers me is that nursing schools are not being upfront with students. My alma mater just took in a huge cohort to their 2-year program. Maybe things will be better in two years. Maybe. But I am betting that most of those students are unaware of how bad the job market is, and unaware of the backlog of already-licensed new grads that are trying to get jobs. :eek:

I completely agree!

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Im new to this particular group so bear with me! I am nursing student with a current GPA of 3.0..I am only going for my LPN at this time and work while I go towards the RN route...I havent a choice...im a single mom with no other education other than my one semester of nursing school thus far...and a very high needs child with NVLD...I have a question..what can I do this semester to make me more marketable? I am currently studying Spanish on my own and I am am willing to relocate to my sister state, after NCLEX exam,Texas...I currently reside in Wisc...and all my current class mates are going for their RN ...I feel very alone in this but I need to produce income my sons special ed needs are not being met here and as I have stated No special back round education from me...and no jobs here of any kind! I have been wanting to finish nursing school for over 20 yrs and because of an exhusband...and problems with 2 of my 6 sons...I was unable to go to the actual classes. LOL>>I currently have only 3 in the home now...FYI dont have a MI everyone :p!I need advice...there are special schools for my son in Texas too that are not here...so any advice would be appreciated!!!

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The Spanish would be very marketable in TX, IMO. You probably already know about this website: Medical Spanish - Phrases, Terms, Dialogues, Anatomy, all online

Can you find work even for a few hours a month as a CNA or a tech, *anywhere*, including an LTC facility? That will help, too. It doesn't have to be a lot of shifts. A friend of mine worked 2-12s every 6 weeks and that was enough to make her look like she had more hospital experience than a lot of the other job-seekers. Even volunteering in a community health center would be helpful.

Also, look at Craigslist and home health ads for "companion" want ads. A lot of times, they want a nursing student to cover a weekend or overnight shift. Again, you wouldn't have to do a lot of hours per week. And you'd have exposure to a patient who probably has a bunch of comorbidities.

Good luck!

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Here's the problem. I live in Southern California, primarily in L.A. County. Everyone is so stoked about getting into nursing that draws lots of job security, wage increase, good pension, and the challenge of being a nurse. My plan two years ago was becoming an LVN then transition over to the RN. I dropped the LVN program for difficult reasons. I didn't know I had my CNA certification where I can combine my EMT certification and work by using them at the sametime. It came out handy. * I will tell you later where I'm going with this. * After I received my yearly taxes for 2008, I cleared over $42K. That was a start. The following tax year for 2009, I cleared $56K. And only by working the EMT & CNA certifications. I don't plan of getting into nursing. But I'm working in the nursing field, but not as a higher level of nursing.

Before getting into nursing, just take a look at the overwhelming of new grad. nursing students seeking employment within the hospital setting. Ask yourself, how will it look like within 2 years from now? If anyone of you work in a hospital - try working as a nurse student (CNA). That way, you can set yourself in the door after finishing nursing school and passing the State Boards. If you can't get hired as a Registered Nurse - go and apply for a Monitor Tech position. While working as a Monitor Tech - go and search within or oustide the hospital for any open RN positions. You have to try to weave your way in.

After you finish your first semester of nursing - it's your first year of bed care (CNA) work. You can apply for your CNA certification. And try to apply within the hospital where you're doing your clinicals. Some RN schools contract with these non - profit hospitals. It's a foot in the door. The RN Manager for that floor where you're working in - may take notice and may offer you a job. You have to prove them that you're A+ quality.

This past June 24, 2010, I went to the Nurseweek.com job fair in L.A. There were lots of nurses and newly graduates from their nursing programs seeking employment. Only a few experienced Registered Nurses got hired. And no hospital recruiter hired new graduates on the spot. Turn the clock back 2 years ago. The new grads would get hired on the spot. I went there to collect pens. At the job fair, White Memorial Medical Center was planning to have an RN Residency Program in August 2010. Imagine how many new grads are going to apply for this program? And a few will get a job. Another hospital was going to hire in March 2011.

Nursing now is thought to be like the L.A. City and L.A. County Fire Departments. Anyone who lives in Los Angeles, California, know what I'm talking about. You have men and women applying for a spot to fill about 100, and you have 5,000 applicants. Besides the point, they go by the highest overall point system or category based on percentage. You look at all of the nursing schools in Southern California; you tell yourself what are your odds of getting a job? I work in the emergency room (I will remain this hospital nameless). Some of the nurses who have worked for this hospital for 3+ plus years are applying elsewhere, simply because they received a 10% pay cut, and all of us got the pay cut. 1/4 of these nurses managed to find jobs at another hospital, right away. Why? Because they had experience, and they didn't want to work for less.

As for the nursing instructors. They're not going to tell you - there is difficulties of finding work. They will encourage you, entice you, and tell you that LVN's earn between $19 - $25; and RN's earn between $31 - $49. Once you graduate - you're on your own. Some of them earn between $32 - $45 an hour or higher as nursing instructors. If they tell everyone on the first day of class - you may have difficulty of finding work after finishing nursing school and passing your State Boards - would you imagine how many nursing students would disappear from the program and find something elsewhere? Then the instructors will not have a paycheck. Their job is to get you prepared for the world as a nurse.

Many people are losing their jobs. Along with it - they lose their homes, health insurance, bills start to pile up, and they get sicker. Many people utilize the hospitals (ER) as a safe haven for medical treatment. People migrating from another country being brought by their relatives who don't have medical insurance, simply because the hospital(s) provides good service to them, but they don't want to pay the medical cost. People being admitted to Med - Surg, Telemetry, or ICU / CCU. The cost goes up, and once they're discharged - they walk away. Hospitals are losing money that way. Also Registered Nurses can't document what was provided to the patient. Like using a (1) packet of sterile 4x4's on a decubitis wound on the heel of foot. That drives costs that never gets reimbursed. Each hospital loses money each year. If the hospital has bad contract negotiations with these health insurances, bad handling of the cash resources, a hospital files bankruptcy - all mentioned above plays a role of how a hospital handles their resources. If all business is going well - you may see new graduates getting hired for a nursing position. Everything has a cause & effect.

I don't plan of getting into nursing. Everything is getting so narrower. I'd rather stick with doing the EMT & CNA work in the hospital setting. Registered Nurses earn between roughly of $72K to $85K per year. Times are changing. Each person may have a gift. And each person may have to think it through before sacrificing their livelihood for 2 years and may never see their hopeful career soar. If you can't find an RN job within the hospital - try the jail wards or prisons. Or get a job as an LVN.

Everyone has a choice to make. Some choices will be rewarding; and some choices will get you nowhere. Any new grad. nursing students who reside in the following Counties in California, you can type this website and it can give you scores of hospitals you can apply to. These Counties are in Riverside, Orange County, San Bernandino, Kern, Ventura, Los Angeles, Inyo, Santa Barbara, etc.

But here's the website: www.theagapecenter.com/Hospitals/California.htm

I hope this helps whomever lives in Southern California.

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I am in Houston Texas at a BSN school and the same thing goes for my school. Pretty much every one got the first job that they applied. the one they really wanted.

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I am also in Houston TX and I have been job hunting since May 2010. I think my biggest problem is that I moved here after graduating, so I have zero contacts in the hospitals. Also, my GPA was 2.9..... and everybody is requiring a 3.0 for their new grad programs. And the biggest reason... all the jobs require 1 year experience. I finally found a hospital outside of town that did not require experience. I got an interview for the L&D position- my dream job! Had a wonderful interview with HR, and she walked me down to meet the DON for L&D. The DON took one look at my resume and took me they wouldnt hire anyone without a year of experience, period. I am so frustrated!!! I have another interview at a different out-of-town hospital on Monday, but my fears are that they will also want experience. You'd think HR would screen for that!

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Yes!!! I live in Ohio and it is nearly impossible for a new grad to get directly hired on in a hospital. It is even difficult to get hired at a LTC facility or home health without having connections. I would say having connections is 90% of what it takes to get a job. I've put in around 200 applications to hospitals all over the state of Ohio and not even had one call back. I contacted one hospital, that said they had 129 applicants in the first day they posted an RN position. They said they are not even considering new grads. It's very disappointing.

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I'm an older nurse & this is my second career. I just graduated in May, 2010, passed the NCLEX with 75, was president of my school's student nurse association, won the nurse leadership award from our nursing dept., and am the current VP of our state nurse association (I won't post what state I live in for that reason), and I still don't have a job! Our hospital set aside some jobs for new grads, and even though I interviewed, I DIDN'T GET HIRED! Talk about a slap in the face! I think I'm the first Class President who didn't get hired at my hospital!! So I have probably more than 50 apps out there at hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, etc., and I've only had one job interview so far. There is not a nurse shortage but a nursing JOB shortage. All due to the economy. You have hospitals cutting back, nurses who would have retired are now staying at their jobs, part time nurses are moving to full time, etc. . . Plus hospitals don't want to put the time and effort into training a new grad right now so most jobs require experience. Luckily, my husband's income is good, so we're not hurting right now. But I joke that I'll be an RN working at the grocery store! If I don't find an RN job soon, that's where I'll be. It really stinks and is very disheartening. I'm afraid that by the time I find a job, I'll have lost my clinical skills!

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Well I have no clue if I replied to this thread or not but I'll reply again. When I applied to hospitals, I put in 5+ apps a day everyday for 30straight days maybe 31. I took my boards in March applied to hospitals around Ohio all may, even the one I did an intership at (thought I was in), not one damn interview. I was outraged. Then I started applying to nursing homes. I went to 3 one day when I was bored just to see, didn't see if they were hiring or anything just went bc I was in the area. 1/3 called me back and I got a job, it was prn:(. So I applied online to another nursing home hrs later someone called me. Went to job fairs 2 more interviews. The ft job I finally got in July I never even applied there (network). All I have to say is be careful guys really check out these facilities. Nursing homes, other places outside the hospital are not going to give you 6 weeks of orientation (long periods to adjust), they give you 3-5 days, some give 30(better than 5days), then you're on your own. I was so excited to have a job, and I have never been happier to leave a job. 2/3 Ltc I worked for weren't bad, I actually still work at one. Be careful with all these nonhospital jobs, demand adequate orientation training, don't be afraid to ask for more, or say you don't feel comfortable. And keep searching it took me 6mos to get a job period (I worked with sex offenders while getting licensed and getting a nursing job) before I got my RN, moved back home from college so I can wait another 6mos until I get a job I can tolerate (not like or love, at the end of the day it's about putting food on the table, or 1yr so I can have experience, but I need more satisfaction out of my job than that).

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I'm an older nurse & this is my second career. I just graduated in May, 2010, passed the NCLEX with 75, was president of my school's student nurse association, won the nurse leadership award from our nursing dept., and am the current VP of our state nurse association (I won't post what state I live in for that reason), and I still don't have a job! Our hospital set aside some jobs for new grads, and even though I interviewed, I DIDN'T GET HIRED! Talk about a slap in the face! I think I'm the first Class President who didn't get hired at my hospital!! So I have probably more than 50 apps out there at hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, etc., and I've only had one job interview so far. There is not a nurse shortage but a nursing JOB shortage. All due to the economy. You have hospitals cutting back, nurses who would have retired are now staying at their jobs, part time nurses are moving to full time, etc. . . Plus hospitals don't want to put the time and effort into training a new grad right now so most jobs require experience. Luckily, my husband's income is good, so we're not hurting right now. But I joke that I'll be an RN working at the grocery store! If I don't find an RN job soon, that's where I'll be. It really stinks and is very disheartening. I'm afraid that by the time I find a job, I'll have lost my clinical skills!

Dennise, as I read your post, I thought I was reading my autobiography! In fact, some of my classmates might think you are me. :) I just wanted to give you some encouragement to keep applying. Before and after graduating in May 2010, I applied for tons of jobs, too. I do think there is some age discrimination in some hospitals, but that is another rant for another day. The good news is that I eventually got 3 offers, 2 of them in rapid succession. I just started my new job. :) So keep applying, networking, etc. I would PM you, but you don't have enough posts yet for me to do that. Keep your chin up!

AW

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If you want to be a nurse, I say go for it! I don't know of anybody who is graduating college and getting a great paying job right now.. in any field.

You have to start on the bottom and work your way up in just about any career.. I don't think you should see nursing as any different. In 2-3 years everything could be different. One thing I think ALL nursing students/grads/etc. can count on is that the field will not become obsolete so there WILL be jobs now and in the future. Will you have to work nights and weekends? Probably! That goes with the territory. You have to be willing to start at the more undesirable positions and work your way up.

I think that the media, nursing school recruiters, etc. have done a lot of students a huge disservice by pimping nursing as a degree that will offer you ANYTHING you want when you graduate. Life simply doesn't work this way.

Good luck..

Well said.

I've been a nurse for 16 years (11 @ my current hospital)..... in this economy I work straight nights, every weekend. I offer to work holidays, and teach classes also.

It's hard work, but it pays the bills!

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Specializes in ICU LTACH.

If you really want to be a nurse, then you should just go for it. I graduated in May, 2010 with an ADN & still have not found a job. The job market is still quite bad for new grads. In the meantime maybe spending the time to get your BSN would give you a chance to pursue nursing, while the economy gets better. Another advice would be to work as a CNA or as a student extern, because that will give you a better chance of getting hired once you're done with school. The problem is not that there isnt a need for nurses, the problem is that the hospitals arent able to spend the money on training us new grads in this economy. Hopefully things get better SOON!!!! :crying2:

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