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?

it's really brutal out there...i graduated this january with associate in nursing and passed my nclex right away early this year, and up to now, still no job!!! they either say, they prefer bsn graduates now and with at least one year experience. i don't know what will happen to graduates like me with just an associate degree in nursing if no one wants to give us a chance to be hired. how can we accumulate an experience then? it's really so frustrating and depressing because of this feedback i'm getting from employers.

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Specializes in Pediatrics & Med-Surg.

Wow, what state do live in??

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i live nj

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Specializes in Psych, Stepdown, Research.
Throughout my college career everyone told me don't worry about your GPA. Your a nursing major your going to have a job thankfully however I didn't listen I busted my hump to get a 3.5 because below that wasn't good enough to me. I graduated a little more than month ago I can't even believe that and just passed by board two days ago. Besides having a BSN and a pretty good GPA I can tell you one trick that helped me land four interviews; and two jobs. It was nice being able to decide between two jobs in this economy and to be able to not settle for the regular adult med surg floor. I will be beginning my career on a Pediatric Oncology Floor in a hospital ranked top 30 in the country for pediatric medicine.

Electronic apps make it TOO EASY for everyone to apply for jobs. This may be the reason hospitals report recieving up to 800 applications a day for RN positions alone! So imagine the nurse recruiters -- do you think they have time to read 800 applications. According to the many nurse recruiters I have talked to they do not! Therefore the applications they do look at are those who have followed up with them. Why does this seem to set people apart from the crowd because I'd like you to try to find contact information for different nurse recruiters on different hospital websites... it is not readily available at all. You have to spend many hours searching the website or have lucked out enough to have spoken with them at a fair and recieved their business card. Each application I submitted I followed up with by email if they didn't answer me in a timely fashion I was relentless until they finally emailed me back annoyed or not I had gotten them to take a look at what I had to offer the nursing world. The job I ultimately landed went a little something like this. I totally disregarded the experience requirements and applied for a Pediatric Nurse position... I emailed one nurse recruiter with resume attached who led me to another who told me that I obviously couldn't possibly be offered the job as a nurse right now because it was Jan and I wasn't graduating until May but she told me email me back in April and we can set up an interview. I emailed her back the last week of March telling her I could be in the area such and such days in April... and landed my interview. I did a mock interview bought a skirt suit (studies show that woman are more likely to be hired by both men and women when in a skirt or a dress) and practiced everyday in the mirror. The first question I received from the Nur Rec who interviewed me was how I had landed the interview without having graduated... and thats when i knew it was my emails that has done it. I followed the same protocol for every position thereafter. I applied to four jobs; got the offer to interview for four jobs. Interviewed for three jobs. Got offers for two. And canceled the fourth interview after I had recieved my dream job. Its possible but you have to set yourself apart from the crowd!

Just passed my boards... Peds Onco RN coming soon!

This is great info. Thanks.

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Specializes in Pediatrics & Med-Surg.
i live nj

Wow! I do hope it gets better for you. Have you considered moving? Perhaps that might be an option, whatever you can do at least for 1 or 2 yrs just to get your RN experience. Well just a thought. Good luck.

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thanks you so much! i really appreciate that. and yeah, i am contemplating on moving to ny or pa or any states for that matter. but that would mean leaving my family behind but if that's the only way to get an experience, then i am willing to do it. anyway, my hubby and kids support me all the way, and that makes it much easier for me.

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Specializes in Pediatrics & Med-Surg.
thanks you so much! i really appreciate that. and yeah, i am contemplating on moving to ny or pa or any states for that matter. but that would mean leaving my family behind but if that's the only way to get an experience, then i am willing to do it. anyway, my hubby and kids support me all the way, and that makes it much easier for me.

i'm glad your family supports you :) well good luck!

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I to have found a really good job at the hospital I wanted to work at. Its a major hospital as well.I have had no previous medical experience and I did not know anyone to help me get the job. There are jobs out there. Almost everyone I know in my graduating class has a job. Some hospital some LTC and some Home health. It is possible. Dont give up your dream. Just have faith and go for it.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

I graduated in May 2010, licensed in July, found full-time job in September. This is not my first choice of jobs nor is it in a hospital. I'm working in a dialysis clinic. I literally applied to 100 job positions in hospitals, doctor offices, clinics. I feel fortunate to have a job, especially with the tight economy you gotta take what you can get. Some of my classmates found jobs, some are still looking.

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