Philly area jobs

Nurses General Nursing

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How long after graduation did it take to find a job? I have been out of school since December and passed the boards in February. I've had one in person interview which I did not get after taking two days off for orientation and the interview, one video interview that I'm waiting to hear back on, and I have one shadow/interview coming up next week. I've had a few rejection emails just from application submissions. I keep telling myself that something good is on the way but I can't help but feel discouraged when I see former classmates get jobs. I juggled work, family and school for years busting my butt to get to this point and now I am feeling like I wasted my time.

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

It is an extremely competitive area. You're competing with graduates from a handful of local, well-respected nursing schools (, Penn, Temple, Villanova, Jefferson, LaSalle) as well as many other programs. Since Philadelphia metro is a pretty desirable area, you've also got non-local graduates and experienced nurses who are looking to relocate. Finding a job, especially without networking or without clinical experience/residency experience at a major hospital is going to take time. You didn't mention if you have your ADN or BSN, but BSN is going to be strongly preferred or even mandatory. You'll may need to extend your search to non-hospital facilities and other geographical locations (west/north of Philly, southern NJ and/or Delaware).

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

I also graduated in December (technically January since that is when my school issued my degree). I don't have a job yet either. I have my first interview on Friday. I was rejected from one hospital and waiting on two more that seem to be taking their time. I don't think there's any reason to panic yet. I also work as a tech (not on a unit, but in observation) at a hospital that has yet to put together an offer for me, although they say they will...

My license is still pending because I went through NJ which is notoriously slow, seriously regretting that decision since the place I'm most interested in is in Philly. I have 2 friends who just started at CHOP and one in Ohio. Other than that, we're all still kind of waiting.

I'm not going to be upset about it until I get through May. Then I'm going to allow myself a private temper tantrum to blow off steam.

The more I think about it, the more I think it is better to take your time. I hear about so many new grads hating their first job.

We will get jobs. It's not an area that's especially difficult. I have kept up with some may grads and every single one I know has a job.

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BSN...and yup I've expanded my search to NJ and DE...was hoping not to have to expand to non-hospital facilities because everyone keeps saying that'll kill your chances for getting a hospital job later on...I work for one of the above mentioned hospitals (15 years) who paid for my education and yet I have to apply just like somebody off of the street LOL

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my husband keeps saying its too soon to panic but I've been working for this moment for so long that even one more day seems like forever...I've had 2 rejections and 1 interview pending but nothing else so far...

good luck with your interview!

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Have you expanded your search to the suburbs? Hospital jobs in the central Philly are definitely more competitive. Plan to apply for 2-3 jobs a day if possible, and tailor your resume and cover letter to each when appropriate. Don't give up hope yet! Job searching is stressful, but in the grand scheme of things, your graduation date, coupled with NCLEX test times is actually pretty normal for the application process. Be patient, and try some of the career forums (or Pennsylvania one), for more target advice. While you are waiting, work on practicing interview questions (I wrote out a paragraph for each question on a 3 page list of questions, reheorificed until it felt natural, and then condensed into bullet points to review before interviews). Scrounge together $$ to join an association and attend meetings, or maybe find some meetup groups...Philly is a huge city with a ton of healthcare workers and a lot of opportunity for networking. I wish you well, keep us posted.

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Have you expanded your search to the suburbs? Hospital jobs in the central Philly are definitely more competitive. Plan to apply for 2-3 jobs a day if possible, and tailor your resume and cover letter to each when appropriate. Don't give up hope yet! Job searching is stressful, but in the grand scheme of things, your graduation date, coupled with NCLEX test times is actually pretty normal for the application process. Be patient, and try some of the career forums (or Pennsylvania one), for more target advice. While you are waiting, work on practicing interview questions (I wrote out a paragraph for each question on a 3 page list of questions, reheorificed until it felt natural, and then condensed into bullet points to review before interviews). Scrounge together $$ to join an association and attend meetings, or maybe find some meetup groups...Philly is a huge city with a ton of healthcare workers and a lot of opportunity for networking. I wish you well, keep us posted.

Yes! when I say Philly, I do mean and the surrounding areas including Delaware, I live in DelCo. I have 9 open apps. I have 3 pages of questions and answers (I've already had 2 interviews and 2 coming on Monday), I am a member of the International honor society of nursing, I do try to find at least 1 new job to apply to every day....so it sounds like I'm on the right track and just being impatient? LOL. I guess I"ll just keep plugging away at it....thank you!!

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

To put it in perspective: 3 years ago, it took me 3 months of applying to jobs in Philly and South Jersey to even get a call back. And that was WITH 3 years of Pediatric ICU experience.

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To put it in perspective: 3 years ago, it took me 3 months of applying to jobs in Philly and South Jersey to even get a call back. And that was WITH 3 years of Pediatric ICU experience.

so

In other words I need to calm myself down and be patient lol. I have a shadow/interview on monday morning and then I come home change and head to a job fair later on. I'm really hoping that the morning interview goes well.

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

I went to school in Philly and worked in NJ after I graduated. There were lots of new grad programs in the Philly area (that was 6 years ago) but most of them required contracts. The climate can definitely change in that much time.

Any metropolitan area is going to be hard to find a job for a new grad. Oversaturation is usually the culprit. I know Cooper in Camden was hiring new grads not too long ago. Have you looked in the suburbs? Abington Hospital in MontCo is pretty big but that might be a bit of a drive depending on where you live.

It's hard at first. Keep going, something will open up. Make sure you send a professional thank you card to every hiring manager you interview with, that's a nice touch.

That first job is a tough nut to crack!

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

There are over 1,500 RN candidates graduating from 5 county Philadelphia area nursing programs yearly, without same number of open positions = glut.

Many discussions on this topic in Pennsylvania Nursing forum.

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There are over 1,500 RN candidates graduating from 5 county Philadelphia area nursing programs yearly, without same number of open positions = glut.

Many discussions on this topic in Pennsylvania Nursing forum.

so sad

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