Are there really enough jobs???

BrandonLPN, LPN · Jun 26, 2012

If you "think outside the box" you shouldn't have a hard time finding a job.

Hospitals have been notoriously hard to get into for years now. But the hospital is only *one* of the places a nurse can work. Try LTC. Or corrections. Or dialysis. Or a psych hospital.

It always amazes me, all the new grads want to work at the hospital. What do they *think* is going to happen when they apply at the same place all the *other* new grads are applying at?

Gypsy_Nurse · Jun 26, 2012

I first started as an LPN in the VA system, by some miracle. Once I got my RN license the government had a hiring freeze going on. Since I was at the VA and wanted to stay with them for my entire career I kept working as an LPN even though I had my RN license, because I was holding out for an RN position to open up. Finally after six months I gave up! Call me a fool for staying that long or call me a fool for leaving, either works...I got a job as an RN in a Critical Care Unit at a private sector hospital in the same town. It's crap benefits but I needed to work as an RN before I forgot everything I learned! Good luck to you!

rs02011988 · Jun 26, 2012

Bouncing off of someone else's idea of thinking outside the box....what about public health nursing?

BluegrassRN · Jun 26, 2012

What sort of field can you major in where someone guarantees you a job at the end of your education? Sorry, but nursing is simply more like other professions now; there is no job guarantee after school. That doesn't mean it's a poor choice for a career. It's simply competitive now.

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jun 26, 2012

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.

Right now, there aren't.

And it's not clear if/when things will improve. In fact, experienced nurses are also struggling to find work.

Tragically Hip · Jun 26, 2012

What sort of field can you major in where someone guarantees you a job at the end of your education? Sorry, but nursing is simply more like other professions now; there is no job guarantee after school. That doesn't mean it's a poor choice for a career. It's simply competitive now.

It's not about guarantees. It's that there are many more RN's than there jobs for RNs. It hasn't always been this bad, and in fact, there is still propaganda about a nursing shortage.

Nursing is now (to be hyperbolic) more like professional athletics. There are many ambitious college basketball players who'd like to go pro. Sometimes even the college MVP can't find a job.

It is true that there are many options for an RN beside bedside nursing, but many of them require at least a year of experience. For instance, I'm not aware of a home care new grad program for RNs.

Some places are utterly saturated with nurses looking for work, with a flood of new grads in the mix. New grads who insist on a particular type of job in a particular area may not have a job for a long time.

raspysunny · Jun 26, 2012

If you "think outside the box" you shouldn't have a hard time finding a job.
Hospitals have been notoriously hard to get into for years now. But the hospital is only *one* of the places a nurse can work. Try LTC. Or corrections. Or dialysis. Or a psych hospital.
It always amazes me, all the new grads want to work at the hospital. What do they *think* is going to happen when they apply at the same place all the *other* new grads are applying at?

This is what I am still unsure of. As a new grad, is it mandatory to work in a hospital or not? There are soooo many other areas in nursing that I want to explore and learn of. I can think of hundreds of other areas where I can give a huge and meaningful contribution.

So my question is: Straight outta school, can I accept any job in the field of nursing? I hope I'm phrasing the question correctly. Please give me an understanding on this. If the case is "NO" then the sky is the limit.

lovedijah · Jun 26, 2012

What sort of field can you major in where someone guarantees you a job at the end of your education? Sorry, but nursing is simply more like other professions now; there is no job guarantee after school. That doesn't mean it's a poor choice for a career. It's simply competitive now.

THANK YOU!

Education- No gurantee

Engineering- No gurantee

Anything else you can think of- No gurantee

You can barely get a job at McDonalds these days. Easier said than done, but perhaps new nurses need to be willing to relocate. Perhaps they need to work at places they don't want. I have no idea and it's very unfortunate. But it is what it is. Regardless of what you major in, few people have jobs on graduation day.

Leonardo Del Toro, RN · Jun 26, 2012

I think if you really always wanted to be a nurse and this is where your heart is there is no error. But is wise to know and prepare for the situation at hand. Yes the job market at best is very poor and at worst severely frozen showing no signs of improvement yet. So I would not hurry into getting your licence, the longer you wait the better. Don't spend too much money getting your degree either because you won't be able to pay back for a while. I think that eventually the jobs will come back but it could take 5 years or more, so if you're are young it's OK because by the time jobs are back you still young. So to answer your question plainly: Yes there are almost no jobs for new grads, some are already 2 - 3 years looking, it is real. If you are going into nursing thinking about a good paycheck and job security DON'T DO IT!!

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jun 26, 2012

I don't think anyone can predict what it will be like when you graduate so hedge your bets in any way you can and do not over pay for your education by attending one of the private schools that are quick to get accepted to, but charge way too uch in tuition.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jun 26, 2012

there is no nursing shortage. right now......there are multiple applicants for every position and many hospitals have hiring freezes. it is however, highly variant and a willingness to re-locate will help.

has the nursing shortage disappeared?

it's that time of year again. graduating nursing students are preparing to take the nclex and are looking for their first jobs. this year, many are finding those first jobs in short supply.

reports are rampant of new graduates being unable to find open positions in their specialty of choice, and even more shockingly, many are finding it tough to find any openings at all.

these new rns entered school with the promise that nursing is a recession-proof career. they were told the nursing shortage would guarantee them employment whenever and wherever they wanted.

so what happened? has the nursing shortage—that we've heard about incessantly for years—suddenly gone away?

the short term answer is clearly yes, although in the long term, unfortunately, the shortage will still be there. the recession has brought a temporary reprieve to the shortage. nurses who were close to retirement have seen their 401(k) portfolios plummet and their potential retirement income decline. they are postponing retirement a few more years until the economy—and their portfolios—pick up.

many nurses have seen their spouses and partners lose their jobs and have increased their hours to make ends meet for their families. some who left the profession to care for children or for other reasons have rejoined the workforce for similar reasons.

in addition, many hospitals are not hiring. the recession brought hiring freezes to healthcare facilities across the country, and many are still in effect. help wanted ads for healthcare professionals dropped by 18,400 listings in july, even as the overall economy saw a modest increase of 139,200 in online job listings.

for the rest of the article http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/co...sappeared.html

nurses are talking about: jobs for new grads

the big lie?

without a doubt, the main source of frustration experienced by recently graduated and licensed but still unemployed nurses is what could be called "the big lie."in other words, the television commercials that encourage young people to become nurses -- and then abandon them for months (or years) without employment; and the educators who tell them that the associate's degree is perfectly adequate to guarantee employment, that they will have their pick of jobs when they graduate, and that there is plenty of time to get a bsn later on. who knows whether it is greed, ignorance, or wishful thinking that underlies the fairy tales told to nursing students about their future job prospects? whatever the motivation, the disillusionment of our new grads is palpable. the jobs they expected after all of their hard work just haven't materialized, and some grads are getting pretty desperate.

medscape: medscape access

for the rest of the article you need to register for medscape but it is free and is a great resource and source of information

be a nurse...if you can

not too long ago, the threat of a growing nursing shortage prompted thousands of prospective students to choose nursing as a career, and nursing schools rapidly filled to capacity. nursing was frequently referred to as a "recession-proof" career, and the outlook for finding a job after graduation was rosy.

experience and employment: the vicious cycle

now, the bloom, as they say, is off the rose. it seems that many of our new grads are stuck in that perennial dilemma: they can't get a job without experience, and they can't get experience without a job. this situation was not anticipated by thousands of nursing students who were told, often repeatedly, that a global nursing shortage practically guaranteed employment for them.

consider, for example, the situation faced by new graduates in california. a survey of hospitals by the california institute for nursing & health care found that as many as 40% of new graduates may not be able to find jobs in california hospitals, because only 65% of the state's potential employers were hiring new graduates and generally planned to hire fewer new graduates than in previous years. overwhelming numbers of new graduates submitted applications for the few available positions for new graduates. it wasn't that the hospitals weren't hiring at all, but that they wanted nurses with experience.

what happened to the jobs?

most experts blame the crumbling economy for ruining the job prospects of new graduate nurses around the country, but as usual these days, the truth is more complex.

uneven distribution. the demand for nurses was supposed to exceed the supply by the year 2010.the question of whether we truly have a nursing shortage right now is a fair one. the answer, it seems, is "it depends." apparently, it depends on where you live and where you are willing to work. neither the distribution or supply of nurses, or the demand, is uniform. some geographic (mostly rural) areas have a shortage of nurses, whereas some urban locations are witnessing an oversupply of nurses. new graduates seeking jobs in these regions will face a very competitive job market.

economic recession. the shrinking job pool is widely believed to be a consequence of the declining us economy. temporarily at least, economic pressures and job losses in all industries have induced thousands of experienced but aging nurses to forego retirement and even increase their working hours to support their families.

medscape: medscape access again requires registration but it is free no strings...

i am not stepping on your dreams. "praemonitus praemunitus" forwarned is forarmed. don't let this deter from your dreams for in knowledge there is power. start networking now. volunteer, work as a cna. be the best nurse you can be.

i wish you the best on your nursing journey.:loveya:

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Jun 26, 2012

Koi I respect those jobs, but nursing is what I need to do. I have specific goals as far as nursing is concerned and I
have to carry them out.

i started out (and still am) as an EMT, worked it through school, gained expeirence... interviewed for at the minimum 20 positions, applied to over 100 and finally landed one 2 days after graduating w/ my BSN.

its MUCH harder to get jobs these days but still possible if you have expeirence in the healthcarefield and SELL yourself. Just as they are looking for an employee, you are also looking for a place to call "home"... gotta make them say.. wow we want u to pick us as you want them to pick you.

be assertive!