How long did it take for you to find a job after graduating?

MyMystudentRN · Feb 22, 2012

Graduated Feb 2011 took the nclex May 2011 passed with 80 questions!!! :lol2: got my license june 2011 had a job july 2011 only because i was working for this company for already a year. what better way to rack up experience? but iim done there now im a elementary school nurse which is super fun! but make sure u network network network!!! try volunteering at a hospital, doctors office, clinic, etc where u c urself working get in good with the nurses there

macgirl · Feb 22, 2012

i'm sure it depends on your state. in nc after i passed nclex, i applied like crazy. 2 weeks latter i had 2 jobs; one full-time and one part-time. i am now in the awkward position of having to turn down jobs/interviews. i don't know what shifts or days you can work. as far as i can tell the only people in my class still looking for work are seeking m-f & 1st shift.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Feb 22, 2012

I graduated in Massachusetts in May 2008, and took the NCLEX in July. After hundreds of applications, I found a job in a SNF in January 2009. Unfortunately, the job was cancelled 45 minutes into my first shift. I found my next job, in Vermont, in March 2009.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2012

There is no shortage it is a big lie.......the market stinks with the rest of the economy. It will get better I just don't know when.

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The Big Lie?Losing Our Skills

The Holy Grail

Take a Job, Any Job

Get Out of the Hospital

Back to School?

Does Uncle Sam Want You?

Feel Like a Little Golf?

Give Us a Chance

Medscape: Medscape Access requires registration but a great resource.

M3rcy · Feb 23, 2012

I graduated in December of 2011 and wasn't able to test for the NCLEX until the end of January. I applied like crazy after I graduated but never got a bite. Once I updated my application with the RN tag I was getting plenty of return phone calls. I accepted a position on a cardiac unit. So, to answer your question, two months from graduation and two weeks after passing the NCLEX.

wrenRN06 · Mar 1, 2012

must say i am pretty jealous. i graduated dec 17..had my provisional license in early february and took nclex feb 16 and passed with 75 questions. i have updated all my applications with RN and my license number..i am open for any shift, any day. i am 23 and just want to work and i don't understand why i am not being hired because i live within 10 mins of 3-4 large hospitals in the area with plenty of positings and trust me, i have applied to just about all of them! i have had 2 interviews at only one hospital in the area and am anxiously awaiting to see if i get a job that i felt i really interviewed well for and also had a excellent recommendations for. this wait is killing me...i am starting to think i need to go find part-time work somewhere

macgirl · Mar 1, 2012

well i too applied to the big hospitals. however, the small ones hire first and fastest. also, i will have a drive. but after a year of experience, a job will be a lot easier to find in a big hospital. of course, if i love it, i may just have to move there.

D.R.A. · Mar 2, 2012

I got a job before I graduated. Both of our local hospitals reserve positions at the end of each semster for registered nurse applicants. We work off provisional licenses until we take NCLEX. That being said, not all of my calssmates wanted to work at local hospitals. We graduated in December, and some are just finding jobs. I'd say it can take a couple months.

Hey_everyone · Mar 3, 2012

I graduated in May 2011 and didn't get hired til December. So it took me 7 months and I feel like I was trying very hard. It ended up that I got a job where I knew someone who knew someone...sometimes that's the only way to get a job. There are just too many people applying. If you can get an interview based on even some distant connection, you may be able to get that job. It just takes some time. Good luck!

Becca_Anne · Mar 12, 2012

I've been looking for a job since April 2011. I graduated in June, passed NCLEX July 2011, just got hired! I applied at so many places, every hospital residency I could find. I ended up in a great local clinic where I think I will be very happy. Not what I planned on doing but I am so grateful for a job!

New_LPN · Mar 12, 2012

I graduated in May 2011 and passed the boards in June. I searched high and low for jobs in my state and eventually moved to a new state and still nothing! I have now applied for 127 jobs in four different states. I've only had one interview so far!

I try not to get discouraged, but when I think about the fact that I am just one of the hundreds of Nurses on this board with the same sob story, I just want to cry!!! :crying2:

I just with I could figure out what I was doing wrong.

Angelrina,CCRN · Mar 14, 2012

Hang in there! I graduated in May 2011, took the NCLEX in July 2011 and got a job in October 2011. I was one of the lucky ones. Most of my classmates are just landing jobs and it's almost a year since we've graduated. Dont give up! It took a lot of people at least 8 months after passing the NCLEX to get a job. Unfortunately, it depends on the area in which you are searching. I live in the New York City area so it's tough here. Good luck!