How Long?

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Just curious, how long did it take you to find your first nursing job after graduating and passing the NCLEX licensure exam?

I had accepted both of my jobs in May, passed the exam the end of June, state shut down so I had to wait until August to start.

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Graduated Dec 2010, I started working under my LPN license (took the NCLEX for that after a year of nursing school) at an AL dec 1, got my RN license in March, was applying to hospital jobs with no success. Then I decided to start applying at LTC and got my current job at a SNF in July.

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Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.
The test was 1000 questions (for everyone-no being done when 'enough' were right)....4 sections of 250 questions over 2 full days. The NCLEX was offered 2x a year- period. One girl was in a hospital bed with a leg in traction in the room of about 1500 grads taking the test on the same day at that site...

ALL grads across the country took the test on the same dates (no chance to pass along info on that specific test). You had to have at least 600 right (and I thought that was pathetically inadequate) to pass. If you got 599, you fail. If you failed 3 times (I think) you had to go back and take whatever classes over that were a problem. Which was hard to tell.... could have a 13 y/o pregnant diabetic in renal failure as the test patient..... :o

Clarify- the results came about 2-3 months after taking the test- but we could work as GNs as long as an RN was available -- in the LTC I was at, there was an on-call RN (DON or ADON). The test was in July (if I remember right- got results in mid-October).

Same here...I was the last year to take that 1,000 question NCLEX, which by the way was done by pencil and paper...no computers and no calculators....it took an entire weekend and by the end of that test you felt like your brains were running out of your ears!

In retrospect, it was quite an adventure and I feel it was a good measure of what was learned in school.

The results did take "forever"....but I had a GN job already lined up and started working immediately...but keep in mind that this was 1993....things were SO different back then. Those were the days where job interviews consisted of "Do you have a nursing license? Do you have a pulse? When can you start?" You could walk out of one hospital and walk into another and start working....

Of course, there wasn't a nursing school on every corner either....so the new grads were fewer..and there really was that mysterious thing called a nursing shortage...

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Specializes in Med-Surg, & ED.

Nclex July 5, 2009; results in on July 15th. I accepted my first job offer in northern CA and began on

August 1. Medsurg /ED . Wow, cant express in words how blessed I was in finding a job.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

1997. Had 3 job offers before graduation. Two offers of sign-on bonuses. Declined the bonuses and went with my clinical hospital.

I can remember pages and pages of RN Help Wanted ads every single Sunday in my metropolitan area.

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Already had it before I took and passed the boards. It seems it's not that seamless for new grads now.

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I worked as a Nurse technician my last year of nursing school. I was hired for a job before I even graduated. Took my boards 2 days before orientation.

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Graduated in May of 1992. I was hired into an OB position...post partum 11pm-7pm M-F...in Feb of 1992. Started working immediately as a GN...by end of first week of orientation, i was offered days, M-F. Boards were early July..pencil and paper, over 2 days. Took them at the state fairgrounds with over 2000 other new grads. You left feeling soooooo drained...exhausted. Results from boards came on Sept 15th...will NEVER forget that day. :)

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Specializes in ICU, ER.

Was hired before graduation, but this was 1984.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

Graduated Dec 2009, took boards Feb 2010, started working as a RN Mar 14th 2010..

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Specializes in LTC currently.

Thanks, but i was just looking at how things have changed over the years when nurses were in dire need and were hired asap, but now jobs are simply scarce for the most part

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