how hard is it to find a job?

[cantwaittograduate1]

Hello all,

I was wondering if you could give me some advice/info about how realistic it is that I will find a job after i graduate. I am graduating in 2013. I am flying through school, and I love it. My goal is to eventually be a nurse practitioner. I am really putting my all into it, getting better grades than I ever have before, and I know that this is what I want to do. I was very hopeful about it until the other day when i ran into another nurse. I work in a restaurant part time, and when I went over to the table, this woman was giving some long winded speech to her friend about how cells recover from something or another. Her friend looked at me and said, "thats nurse speak". I smiled and told them how I was currently enrolled in nursing school, and how being a nurse was a dream of mine, one that I was not to far from obtaining. The woman who was a nurse turned around to look at me and LAUGHED in my face. She then proceeded to say "good luck". I was so shocked that I didnt even know what to do or say. A few minutes later she started telling me that the market is flooded and that I will never be able to find a job. That if i was graduating in the next few months that I would be ok, but by 2013 it will be impossible to find a job. She also said that its partly because nurses are not retiring as soon as before. I thought at first maybe she was so negative about it because she couldnt find a job herself, but she said she had a job working for the state and she was lucky because of it.

Is this how nurses act? I was so disgusted by her arrogance and negative attitude that it made me question if this is the field I want to work in. I feel that if I were a nurse and I came across a younger person who was a student of the profession that I loved so much, I would be very nice and supportive. I would never be obnoxious and laugh in someones face. Thats just me though, I am a very nice person. I have a friend that is a nurse practitioner and she tells me that once I get my masters I will get a job ASAP. I havnt asked her about the BSN or ADN. Another customer came in and over heard me telling the story about the "rude nurse" to a friend and he told me he was a surgeon at a hospital and that I shouldnt worry about finding a job, that I will get hired.

I guess my question is, is this true? Am I just wasting my time doing this? My plan is to try and get a job as a PCA as soon as I can, so that I will at least get my foot in the door of a hospital. I was hoping that once I did that for awhile, I would be able to get a job as a nurse easier once I graduate. Is that a good plan, or does it matter? Then I could work and finish my degree. After I get my ADN, there is a different school here that offers a fast track RN to MSN degree. I am a long ways off from being a nurse practitioner, and I know that the higher my education level, the easier it will be to get a job. For right now though, will it be impossible to get a job as a RN with just my ADN or BSN? New grads: did you have a hard time getting hired and which degree do you have? To the people who have been in this industry for years: have you noticed that the standards have changed? What are your employers looking for? Thanks a lot everyone:redbeathe

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I am graduating in 2013.

2013 is two years away. While it is very true that many local nursing job markets across the U.S. currently have too many nurses and not enough jobs due to the economy, the employment markets might change for the better by the time 2013 comes around. Things might get better, or they might be worse. Nursing is not recession-proof.

Read some of the posts over in the other forums. They capture the pain and despair of grads from the classes of 2009 and 2010 who have not yet found work, even though they've been submitting tons of applications and resumes.

[watersamy]

If its something you truly love...go for it. My advice is to start applying for CNA jobs at hospitals in your area. I would also suggest taking the CNA exam after you've completed your first clinical experience. Most hospitals will hire students without CNA certification but there are also others who won't unless the students are certified. You have a better chance of getting hired into an RN block if you're considered an "internal applicant". Although nothing is guaranteed, you will have a better chance of getting hired vs. other new grads who will be applying for the same job at the hospital you are already at.

Good luck.

[studentLJinCA]

It's true 2013 IS a little bit down the road.

I work with traveling nurses (on the administrative side) and you can definitely see an upward trend. Our company went through a downturn the last couple years - but the need for nurses has been steadily climbing.

Plus, you hear it all the time - new jobs are coming. The Bureau of Labor Statistics stated in their 2010-2011 report that with the number of baby boomers coming into retirement and with our U.S. population expected to grow, there will be an increase in healthcare positions.

I would not let the negativity about job hunting affect you just yet - because it could be an entirely different scenario for you :) I am in the same boat!

Just remember to put your best foot forward during clinicals (make a good first impression), go for summer externships, and apply early!!

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

I live in a city of 18,000 people. Last night I looked at the local hospital's website and saw no less than 20 RN job openings.

Their turnover is high because historically they don't pay well. I would never work there.

[cantwaittograduate1]

i live in cincinnati, which has roughly 300,000 people, so I hope my odds will be good. I have some friends that work in hospitals here, and they say the pay is pretty good.

[tokyoROSE, BSN, RN]

I second the motion of looking at other forums where grads are job hunting. I don't know how Cincinnati is faring, but population is no indication of the job market. (See the state of California, for example.) The pay should be the least of your worries right now. New grads are asking if they should just VOLUNTEER to get their foot in the door. My advice is to look at job listings at hospitals in your area and you'll get a good picture of how things are going.

[Heavenly4505]

I live in Cincinnati, and I've had NO trouble getting a job. I graduated from Cincinnati State/Great Oaks LPN program in April 2011 and passed my boards in May 2011. I had a job by the first of June. I've had interviews since then and have been offered many jobs, but I have decided to stick with where I'm already working at. Granted, I am talking about LPN jobs in LTC. I can't speak for RN jobs around Cincinnati. I do know that several of my classmates have jobs, and some claim they can't find a job, but I don't know how hard they're looking. Good luck!