Everything leads to believe that new nurses are needed. The aging population, the baby boomers, the aging nurses working, longer lives lived, more chronic diseases present etc....
My dilemma and question is, how can hospitals and health care facilities afford not to hire newly graduated nurses. They should be getting the manpower from somewhere. Are they relying only on overworking the experienced staff only. If they rely only on experienced nurses they are using a constant amount of people for a growing population of people with diseases.
This is what I do not understand, either the hospitals are using workers from some obscure source that I am not aware of or there is a mystery going on here.
I don't mean any offense to anyone but I think the times of hiring foreign nurses should be over unless it becomes needed. It does nothing for our economy. The money usually ends up getting sent back home, instead of reinvested in America. At the same time it prevents an American nurse from being employed which strains on unemployment and aide resources.
We don't hire new grads at my institution simply b/c we don't have to. It is expensive to train them, and they don't always stay which means it is money down the drain. There is no shortage of experienced nurses looking for jobs here, and they hit the ground running after a very short "here's the treatment room, here's your locker, here's the paperwork" sort of orientation. They can take a full load right out of the gate and don't need a preceptor for more than a few shifts, and even then that preceptor can probably take patients. In short, it is easier for everyone and cheaper in the immediate to hire an experienced RN, even if you have to pay him/her more. Nothing against new grads, I was one once, lol. But if you can find someone who already is an expert, it seems like a no brainer, no matter how sincere, smart and nice the new grad might be. Business is business.
Also, we don't have any foreign nurses in my area at all, and very few that I have seen in the larger metro areas where I have visited, taught, or been assigned for NP clinicals. It may be an issue elsewhere, but here it is simply a decision b/w expert nurse or novice nurse, and we are going to hire the expert every time.
For any nursing students who happen to read this topic: I am a recent grad (Aug) and a recent hire - ADN.
It *is* possible to get a job. However, during my clinicals, I had to work my ass off, impress, and make friends. This is your best shot. Make them *love* you while you are still a student.
Those in my class who did not, as well as some from previous classes who did not, are still looking for work.
regarding the expectation that things should get better as the economy improves and experienced nurses leave the field in droves:
1) there are a great many people who are skeptical that the economy will significantly improve any time in the next few years. there remain enormous challenges in debt, employment, currency valuations, and trade imbalances - not to mention the drain of the endless bush/obama wars.
2) i know several experienced nurses who state that they have no intention of ever retiring - and these aren't even the late-to-the-party folks like me.
i don't plan on leaving my position any time soon- i am 40 and plan on working until my mid-60's.
i have saved and worked hard but will need to put kids through college and have health insurance when my hubby retires before me......
I do agree with what has been said here, for the most part. And, like DC pointed out, new grads, if they want to work, need to impress and make contacts. This is also what I did, which resulted in 3 offers, 2 of which came before I wrote my RN exam. Sure, I have a lot to learn, but I am wanting this badly, or I would not have bothered. Most of my friends found jobs, mainly through people they knew, too. So they are out there.
I do agree with what has been said here, for the most part. And, like DC pointed out, new grads, if they want to work, need to impress and make contacts. This is also what I did, which resulted in 3 offers, 2 of which came before I wrote my RN exam. Sure, I have a lot to learn, but I am wanting this badly, or I would not have bothered. Most of my friends found jobs, mainly through people they knew, too. So they are out there.
It's a regional thing, I guess.
Every person in my class, myself included, did just what you say (I have to imagine that most do) and yet, only 2 of 20 were hired into the facilities in which we did clinicals or precepted. If they have no budget to hire then it doesn't matter whether you impress or not.
Well, to be fair, I am in Canada. It is not good here for nursing either, but the US is facing worse trouble. However, I think some new grads need to relocate, if they want to work, whether ideal or not. Because there are areas in the US that I'm sure also require nurses. For one thing, even up here, most of the major cities are saturated.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Yes except that people seem to forget that everyone had to start somewhere. So in the end, these facilities are just going to screw themselves, and sooner, rather than later.
Not necessarily. When these experienced nurses begin to retire, hospitals will just trot out their new grad programs again and start training the fresh faces.
Also, networking includes more than preceptors. Nursing instructors, friends, nursing associations. Actually, the position I took was through a good friend I made right here on allnurses! :)
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
2) I know several experienced nurses who state that they have no intention of ever retiring - and these aren't even the late-to-the-party folks like me.
I'm planning on taking an early retirement in 8-10 years, so someone can have my job.
Sniper RN
107 Posts
This all sounds so grim.
I don't mean any offense to anyone but I think the times of hiring foreign nurses should be over unless it becomes needed. It does nothing for our economy. The money usually ends up getting sent back home, instead of reinvested in America. At the same time it prevents an American nurse from being employed which strains on unemployment and aide resources.