Published
There is no nursing shortage and many many new grads as well as experienced nurses are having a tough time finding a job. Some areas are better than others, some places like hiring new grads; while others don't; it really just varies...
Take a look around here and see the posts about the job market, look in your local paper see what they have listed under healthcare, call your local hospitals or go to their website and see the listings they have. What is going on in your area is the most important.
I knew the whole "shortage" thing was bull a long time ago. It's a little discouraging and I don't even have a license yet. I just stop and think sometimes that this just does not add up. I live in NY and I just can't imagine what it would be like once I finish nursing school. There are millions of nurses here in NY. How can they all possibly find employment???
Broadly put, there are no significant number of jobs available. What few jobs are actually available are fought over by both new graduates as well as experienced nurses. Hiring freezes are not uncommon. Meanwhile, administrators are free to do whatever they want to their employees and prospective new hires because of the large number of Rns looking for work. Will the job market ever improve? Who knows.It's not a good idea to go into healthcare right now unless you just "know" you want to be a nurse and are willing to devote a lot of time and effort into starting your career.
Also: you should enroll in a BSN program, not an ADN.
I was relieved that a relative of mine just switched majors out of nursing. She needs, as we all do to work once she graduates, and would not/should not need to put up with what nursing has become either. She is a smart cookie, that girl. Her DON was stunned because she was the top of her class. She enjoyed it, but she is level headed - a gift.
There aren't enough jobs for all the new grads, but it's like musical chairs - YOU have to be aggressive enough and plan for the future well enough to sit in a chair. If you're in NYC you need to be prepared to locate somewhere else around that area, such as Long Island, upstate NY, or NJ in order to find a job.
raspysunny
56 Posts
Someone please explain to a pre-nursing student how there can possibly be enough nursing jobs to employ ALL of the up and coming new grads. This really worries me. I hear of so many new grads who cannot find jobs, and I would just like to hear what the reality is.