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I have a question. After graduating, how long until you got your very first nursing job?
I know you have to take the NCLEX and stuff, but from the date of graduation, how long did it take you?
From graduation 2 months, but from date of passing NCLEX, about three weeks for a hospital RN position.
My LPN wait time was zero. I had a job with a hospital as a nurse extern where I basically worked as a tech on my assigned floor while I finished nursing school and waited to take my boards. The minute my license showed up in the database I was on orientation...this was a long time ago where the job market was much different.
I got a job offer 3 months after graduating.
EDIT: My first offer was 3 months before graduating nursing school.
EDIT: Actually, my first offer was 3 months before starting nursing school
EDIT: Sorry, after thinking about it, a nurse recruiter offered me a job when I was in Kindergarten. That's how good I am.
I think it might help the OP as well as other future new grad RN's to look at the prospects of getting a job if we posted a certain time frame when they graduated/started working. 5+ years ago, I think those peeps got jobs fairly easily as a new grad, but those of us that finished within the past 5 years, not so much. I finished in relation to my previous post, I finished in 2014, and started working in 2015, roughly 7 months after graduating.
Got my first job offer in March of 2015 (started applying in January of 2015). Graduated and took the nclex in May of 2015, started working in July of 2015. Residencies are more apt to hire you early, contingent on passing boards. Most of my classmates had solid job offers in writing a month before graduation.
I worked in a nursing home for 1 year three months so I could have worked there.
Got out my license first week of August.
Got first job offer in August 2 Weeks after obtaining license. Got let go from that job after three months.
Started my current job two weeks after being let go. Still with this employer 6 months after, love my job
Scrubs_n_sirens, MSN, RN
136 Posts
I graduated May 2014, my job was lined up by early January 2014.
I started applying November 2013. It paid off tremendously to be an eager early bird