Don't get me wrong, I truly do appreciate that so many people are trying to help me with my job search. I'm annoyed though, because I get about two emails a day from people that basically say 'Hey Bobbkat, I was in the ER with so and so yesterday, and I asked the nurse there about jobs, and she said that they just hired some new nurses, so you should go online and apply.' Or, 'Hey Bobbkat, I just looked online at local hospitals website and they have 63 positions open! You should apply!'
As I said I understand that people are trying to help....but do they think I'm an idiot incapable of finding job postings on my own? Do they think that I just had NO IDEA that local hospital was there? Or that it has a website?
When I tell them 'Yes.....I know they have 63 job postings. I have submitted 17 applications to local hospital over the past 6 months, and they won't give me the time of day.' they look really confused. No matter how many times I tell people that I have submitted close to 100 applications to various organizations, they start stammering to me every time about the 'nursing shortage'. I wish people would just GET IT! I am not an idiot, I just can't get a job!
Wow. I'm just starting to read these post replies. I just got my license last week, applied for 4 positions/hospitals, and I'm getting worried I might not have anywhere to work! I felt like 4 positions was kind of a lot... but I guess not! I just started, and more than determined to find a job.... as of now. Wish you the best in finding a job, too.
I don't want to be mean towards the people who are having trouble, but I'm still not convinced there are masses of people coming out of nursing school not able to find jobs. In some places in California and Michigan, where the economy is exceptionally bad, I can sort of believe it.
I am sure there are always people who have a hard time after they graduate finding jobs. It was the same way in teaching school for me. I got stuck in the ghetto and hated it. Only about 4 of us out of 16 in our student teaching cohort found jobs within 6 months, but most eventually did, but it was harder for some than others. Why? Maybe dumb luck. Maybe the economy. Maybe others did a better job sticking out than others.
Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
but what sense does it make to keep a bunch of jobs open and not fill them with a perfectly qualified rn? you mean they would rather remain short staffed than hire a new grad?
yes!!! that is exactly what is going on in many hospitals!! new grads cost a lot of money! i have worked floors that had so-called openings. guess what? my director hired no one to fill positions. she cited a budget cut. i referred to the openings on the hr website and she closed them within a week. hr opens positions sometimes without the expressed permission of the nurse managers and department directors in order to have an applicant pool waiting just in case a hiring manager needs to fill a position right away! it has nothing to do with advertising an opening that exists.
Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
i am sure there are always people who have a hard time after they graduate finding jobs. it was the same way in teaching school for me. i got stuck in the ghetto and hated it. only about 4 of us out of 16 in our student teaching cohort found jobs within 6 months, but most eventually did, but it was harder for some than others. why? maybe dumb luck. maybe the economy. maybe others did a better job sticking out than others.
good luck.
it is possible that your area is better then others, but i doubt it will remain so for very long. all it takes is one or two new grads to find out about it and your area will be quickly saturated with out of state and international nurses. btw, if you are not a nurse i am not surprised that this is shocking to you so do not take this the wrong way. honestly, you do not know what you are talking about regarding the economy and the impact it has had on nursing positions, especially for new grads. the teaching profession is nothing like the nursing profession no matter what you have heard!
for example, the number of people trying to go to nursing school right now is astronomical in comparison to the number of jobs available. experienced nurses are not retiring and are coming out of retirement because spouses lost jobs and they also lost their retirement funds. plus, nursing schools are popping up everywhere.
why is it so shocking if even you are running to nursing? why do you think you are any different then the millions of others doing the same?
there are more then 16 people who graduate a nursing school each semester in your area, i am willing to bet! what makes you think that there are so many employers to accommodate the number of students graduating?
btw, if mangers can get away with less nurses to work their floors, they save money. why should they hire an expensive new grad to help out, especially when it can cost over $100,000 to train one new grad?
there is no shortage of nurses. there is currently no guarantee you will find a job or have a steady income when you graduate. in the real world of nursing, new grads are having trouble finding jobs. also in the real world of nursing, nurses get called off (that is when we are told not to show up for work even though we were scheduled to do so) or we are sent home early. since we are hourly workers (blue collar) we do not get paid for hours or days we do not work. sometimes employers take the time we spent at home and pay us out of our vacation time others don't bother because the nurse has no benefits.
if you still want to become a nurse go for it. please, don't perpetuate the lies of the media on this forum to justify your choice because it hurts real people. gl!
it is possible that your area is better then others, but i doubt it will remain so for very long. all it takes is one or two new grads to find out about it and your area will be quickly saturated with out of state and international nurses. btw, if you are not a nurse i am not surprised that this is shocking to you so do not take this the wrong way. honestly, you do not know what you are talking about regarding the economy and the impact it has had on nursing positions, especially for new grads. the teaching profession is nothing like the nursing profession no matter what you have heard!
i would like know how its different. if what you say is true, they are frighteningly similar! it is near impossible to find teaching jobs in my area. they just closed one of the middle schools down, a public school at that! why, 50 million plus budget cuts!
for example, the number of people trying to go to nursing school right now is astronomical in comparison to the number of jobs available. experienced nurses are not retiring and are coming out of retirement because spouses lost jobs and they also lost their retirement funds. plus, nursing schools are popping up everywhere.
is there data that backs this up? from what i am seeing, i tend to believe it, i just have a hard time convincing others/family that its true. some data would help.
why is it so shocking if even you are running to nursing? why do you think you are any different then the millions of others doing the same?
no! that is why i am so concerned! that's whats so bad for other people of this forum. none of us are different.
there are more then 16 people who graduate a nursing school each semester in your area, i am willing to bet! what makes you think that there are so many employers to accommodate the number of students graduating?
btw, if mangers can get away with less nurses to work their floors, they save money. why should they hire an expensive new grad to help out, especially when it can cost over $100,000 to train one new grad?
i won't disagree, but its shocking to hear. i guess i would say, when people graduate, doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, most people think eventually they will find a job. why, these people are "always needed". what we do not hear is the stories of the people who struggle, like myself in teaching, or the nurses here, to find work. this forum is the first place i heard of nurses struggling. i guess thank god i came here.
there is no shortage of nurses. there is currently no guarantee you will find a job or have a steady income when you graduate. in the real world of nursing, new grads are having trouble finding jobs. also in the real world of nursing, nurses get called off (that is when we are told not to show up for work even though we were scheduled to do so) or we are sent home early. since we are hourly workers (blue collar) we do not get paid for hours or days we do not work. sometimes employers take the time we spent at home and pay us out of our vacation time others don't bother because the nurse has no benefits.
if you still want to become a nurse go for it. please, don't perpetuate the lies of the media on this forum to justify your choice because it hurts real people. gl!
i'll tell you what. i know many people in the field. you have convinced me to do my homework even more. i plan on contacting everyone i know in the field and discuss these concerns with them. i may need to reevaluate my decision to go back to school.
why? who wants to spend 2-3 years, thousands of dollars to not be able to find a job. redicuolus. its not worth it.
yes I'm from Cali, where everyone seems to be wanting to come for jobs... ugh. but I'm trying to be positive, and will be happy with what anyone has to offer for me.
Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
i'll tell you what. i know many people in the field. you have convinced me to do my homework even more. i plan on contacting everyone i know in the field and discuss these concerns with them. i may need to reevaluate my decision to go back to school.
why? who wants to spend 2-3 years, thousands of dollars to not be able to find a job. redicuolus. its not worth it.
thank you
i emailed you per your request and addressed many of your concerns from this post. especially ways you can do research in your area so you can find out the status of the nursing job market beyond a lay person's view point. for example, when you talk to people in the field talk to the new nurses who graduated in the past 6 months to 1 year in your area. even some of the older nurses are clueless unless they are on this forum because many of them have no trouble finding jobs due to their recent work experience. others who have been out of the field for a bit are struggling to find jobs and understand the lack of a shortage.
btw, there is no way you are going to convince family and friends that new nurses are struggling to find jobs because they hear about a nursing shortage everyday. they see the job openings for nurses without ever reading the requirements. they also tend not to work inside of a hospital, where they would know that the hiring mangers are not interested in hiring new nurses at this time.
i emailed you per your request and addressed many of your concerns from this post. especially ways you can do research in your area so you can find out the status of the nursing job market beyond a lay person's view point. for example, when you talk to people in the field talk to the new nurses who graduated in the past 6 months to 1 year in your area. even some of the older nurses are clueless unless they are on this forum because many of them have no trouble finding jobs due to their recent work experience. others who have been out of the field for a bit are struggling to find jobs and understand the lack of a shortage.
btw, there is no way you are going to convince family and friends that new nurses are struggling to find jobs because they hear about a nursing shortage everyday. they see the job openings for nurses without ever reading the requirements. they also tend not to work inside of a hospital, where they would know that the hiring mangers are not interested in hiring new nurses at this time.
got your message. thanks for the time and effort you put into it.
I was maintaining just fine until I was declined entry to a competitive placement. The HR person was very nice when she told me I was not "on the list," and she's probably right that I should feel good that I was even chosen to be interviewed, given the requirements, the screening process, and the number of applicants vs the number of openings, but I just feel. so. discouraged. Ugh.
I am so sorry for the person who was told to stop applying. It's so ridiculous to have to apply separately for every job, when all the applications probably, initially, go to the same person in HR. I keep wondering if this will happen to me because I apply to almost every job that doesn't say "experience required," or "no new grads," even though I suspect the absence of those qualifiers is just because they used a canned description and forgot to add them. Oh, and how about trying to sound optimistic and bright and sincere when writing a cover letter? It's really getting me down, I'm not a good liar or a good actress. I'm going to start telling the truth: "I'm interested in nursing and I want to work." Oh, and if I'm asked what my weakness is one more time I might just say "I enjoy 8 hours of sleep in the dark."
I'm going through the same thing. I realize that my family and friends are trying to help but sometimes I feel like they are implying, "whats wrong with you that you can't find a job during a nursing shortage?" One friend has repeatedly asked, "are you sureeeeee you've applied to ALL the hospitals?" Another friend has told me a friend of a friend found a RN job 2 years ago with no problem so it should be the same with me. An uncle sends me mail with hospital brochures saying he has talked to Jane Doe, R.N. on my behalf and she says there are jobs out there. He even gave me the website for the largest hospital system in my area....maybe even in the state and said I should apply there....like I never though of it. I wish there was something that I could say to them, without being rude or disrespectful, to stop this "advice."
I'm going through the same thing. I realize that my family and friends are trying to help but sometimes I feel like they are implying, "whats wrong with you that you can't find a job during a nursing shortage?" One friend has repeatedly asked, "are you sureeeeee you've applied to ALL the hospitals?" Another friend has told me a friend of a friend found a RN job 2 years ago with no problem so it should be the same with me. An uncle sends me mail with hospital brochures saying he has talked to Jane Doe, R.N. on my behalf and she says there are jobs out there. He even gave me the website for the largest hospital system in my area....maybe even in the state and said I should apply there....like I never though of it. I wish there was something that I could say to them, without being rude or disrespectful, to stop this "advice."
Putting myself in your place, it has to be frustrating. I've been therefore in other professions. It does NOT feel good. Sure, these people mean well, but unless they can help you net work with people who can find you employment and "the jobs are out there" its not help. It does not sound good right now for new grads. Hang in there if you want to be a nurse.
I hear alot when I discuss this issue with my friends and family "so and so had no problems finding a job, and this other person did not either" well that was 2,3, 10 years ago. If nursing follows economic trends, this cycle will work itself out...eventually. Problem is, we don't know when "eventually" is.
It's frustrating, because I am from Michigan, went to school in Michigan, but had to recently relocate to New England for my husbands job. We CAN'T move again. My husband would have to quit his job in order for us to relocate, and that would just be idiotic. He has a great job, with great pay, and great benefits. To his credit, he has brought up that being a possibility though. But the problem is that being in a new area means that I really know nothing about where I'm applying too. I can't tell you why X hospital is better than Y hospital, because besides research that I am able to do online, I have zero experience with the hospitals out here. If a recruiter ever actually called me and asked 'Why are you interested in local hospital?' Ummm.....cuz it offers employment as a nurse?! I'm a horrible liar as it is, and adding desperation to the equation.....well, let's just say I probably sound pathetic. And it's sad too, because it's not like I'm a 21 year old that has never interviewed before. I have a previous degree in El Ed, have job hunted and worked as a professional before....it sucks being left out in the cold now after all the work that I've put in. I'm toying with the idea of making a t-shirt that says 'Dec 2009 BSN grad, 3.8 gpa, excellent clinical references, great at critical thinking, inserting foleys and iv's. Will YOU hire me?' and wearing it out where ever I go.
Ironically, we left MI because of the horrific unemployment situation there (can you say over 15%?), and the availability of nursing positions seems to be even worse here!! I just wish that everyone that is trying to help me understood all of this.
Right now I want to be a nurse more than anything else. I am starting to get very depressed about not finding a job. I just don't know how much longer I can do this. I can't move to another state because I have kids and a husband with a stable job. Some nights I am up until 3 am crying because I fell like such a loser. I know I'm not but being rejected over and over is hard to take. My mom keeps saying not getting hired is not a rejection but to me it is. This whole job hunt makes me feel like I am stalking someone who wants nothing to do with me. Interviews seem like horrible first dates. One nurse recruiter called me and said to stop applying for jobs at that hospital. If they want to interview me they will call me. There is a thin line between being persistent and just plain annoying and I think I crossed it. btw, I only applied at this hospital 5 times in 10 months.
I don't want to sound like a broken record,but try agency private duty peds nursing. Try companies like maxim,psa,bayada,interim. Some are willing to train new grads for one on one care with children and adults with vents,trachs,and gt,foleys ivs,etc. You might like home care and may never want to go work for any facility ever. Oh my 2 cents, the areas with the nursing shortage don't pay squat esp nc. I went there to get a job (still kept my agency job from up north) and it was a disaster.
alabamacrimson
26 Posts
I don't want to be mean towards the people who are having trouble, but I'm still not convinced there are masses of people coming out of nursing school not able to find jobs. In some places in California and Michigan, where the economy is exceptionally bad, I can sort of believe it.
I am sure there are always people who have a hard time after they graduate finding jobs. It was the same way in teaching school for me. I got stuck in the ghetto and hated it. Only about 4 of us out of 16 in our student teaching cohort found jobs within 6 months, but most eventually did, but it was harder for some than others. Why? Maybe dumb luck. Maybe the economy. Maybe others did a better job sticking out than others.
Good luck.