Are there nursing jobs or not?

[Lala27poodles]

I am a new member, and have, until now, thought that nursing was my calling...

I am trying to make a career change, and have always wanted to do this, but could never afford to until now.

However, after reading all the scary "There are no nursing jobs anywhere! Run for the hills!" posts, I am seriously second thinking it. I want to, but not if I literally can't get hired anywhere?

So are these folks exaggerating at all, or are there really no available nursing jobs to be found anywhere?

[Chich]

I think it's just the economy we're in today & where you're located, I personally won't graduate for another couple years & will be moving to California so I'm hoping that by then there will be a lot more RN positions available for new grads

[sugarbush]

There is not a lack of available nursing positions as there is a lack of money to fill those positions. Hopefully one of the healthcare reform bills will be passed and that will take a lot of financial strain off of hospitals. We have 6 hospitals locally and only one operates in the black, the rest are subsidized by religious organizations or tax dollars. Of course the one that does run in the black is also the one that pays it's nurses the best and has almost no turnover.

[Lenore22]

Here't to hoping more nursing jobs will be available in the next year or two. :plsebeg:

[Mulan]

Instead of hiring FTE, they are asking people to pick up an extra shift or an extra 4 hours, that is supposed to help our place get through this.

[vicki429]

What was it like when it was a good time for nursing grads? Was everyone getting their dream jobs left and right? Was everyone lined up with a job before they graduated? Just wondering what a decent economy means for nurses because I wont be graduating for another 2 years either and I need something to hope for. :-)

[LetUrLightShineRN]

But isn't it true that a lot of experienced nurses are getting to retirement age? What I heard from some nurses here in NW is that hospitals were only hiring LPNs and froze hiring on RNs a couple of years ago but that backfired on them and now more and more hospitals are looking for Nurses with BSN degrees. I'm thinking that a couple of years could make a very big difference in the job market, and the economy. I think it only helps to remain optimistic. If you want something you're going to have to make it happen.

[Jules A, MSN]

What was it like when it was a good time for nursing grads? Was everyone getting their dream jobs left and right? Was everyone lined up with a job before they graduated? Just wondering what a decent economy means for nurses because I wont be graduating for another 2 years either and I need something to hope for. :-)

When I graduated with my RN all my classmates had been hired by the start of our last semester. We interviewed over Christmas break. I went right into psych and in my class there were people who got hired into TELE, NICU, ICU, ED as well as med surg and physician's offices. It just worked out that way we didn't expect or count on it. I wouldn't hope for things to be quite that easy but if you are realistic and are happy to land an entry level position without being too picky you shouldn't be disappointed in most areas. Good luck!

[work&play]

Last year I was working as a Science substitute teacher. This year, I'm not so sure since they laid off so many teachers and are placing them on top of us in the sub list.

There's an enormous hospital being built behind my house. It's all state-of-the art. I'm going to try going back to school for nursing instead of a teaching credential, and see if I can get a job there when I'm finish with school.

[RN-NewGrad]

Sugarbush, WHERE do you live? I have applied to HUNDREDS of jobs in my area and for all shifts but only 2 interviews. They did not hire me because they wanted more experience.

Lala27poodles, you should go for it if it's your dream. Who knows what the economy and job market will be like when you graduate but the truth (no exaggeration) is there really are no jobs for new grads right now. From my class of 30, only 2 have jobs but they worked at the hospital as techs prior to finishing school (not all the techs got jobs though). I strongly suggest you work as a tech while in school. I am willing to work as a tech now as an RN but they won't hire RNs as techs.

[Nurse Cary]

As a new grad myself, I can say that there was a time where I was very frustrated about finding employment. I applied for many different positions, yet weeks had passed and I hadn't gotten a single call back. Finally, I contacted a friend of mine who is a nurse... long story short, she put in the good word for me that got me the interview. 10 minutes into the interview I was offered the RN position.

Keep your chin up and network as much as possible... sometimes all you need is a contact within the hospital to give you the recommendation that will open that door.

I start tomorrow! Good luck, everyone.

[JomoNurse]

it's easy for a nurse with at least 1 years of experience to find a job (generally). New grads are still being hired in my neck of the woods (socal), but some of them are having to settle and taking jobs in areas they aren't interested in. a job is a job and paycheck is a paycheck.

[shelbee1084]

I live in Louisville, Kentucky and am a nursing student. from what I've come across, all the hospitals/nursing homes/home health agencys are constantly hiring a ton of nurses. Whether or not they are hiring new grads is something different. I know they say they want you to have at least one years experience in a clinical setting, but when your going to clinicals in school, wouldn't that be considered experience in a clinical setting? Not sure about that exactley. Jobs are out there and the people who are telling you that their isnt might be picky about jobs. I know most of the people in my class say they don't want to work in nursing homes/LTC's AT ALL! I, personally, would prefer LTC but thats just me. If you really want to know the truth, call around at your local hosplitals and talk to someone in HR and ask them yourself. good luck!