How is 2010 treating new RN graduates?

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I will be graduating from nursing school shortly. I was curious if the job market for RNs who want to work in hospitals (not LTC facilities :)) has improved in 2010. Someone told me to find an area where not a lot of wealthy or middle-class Caucasian people (i.e., of Western/Northern European descent) with college degrees and trust-funds live and compete for jobs and reolcate there, and I'll probably find something. So I did just that. And guess what happened?!?!: all of the other hypercompetitive, hotly ambitious, overeducated Caucasian job-seekers with resources and money and degrees did the same exact thing! Ygads! Sheesh! I just can't seem to get ahead. I feel like Charlie Brown in the Peanuts episode where Lucy pulls away the football. ARRRGGGHHHH!!! :clown: All self-referential, self-depricating jokes aside, how does 2010 look for you new graduate RNs? I know the West Coast from San Diego to Seattle is saturated, especially California. Any "decent" areas opening up? 2008 and 2009 were horrible years for new nurses. Is there light at the end of the proverbial tunnel in 2010-2011 or does it still look like crap?

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Specializes in MS, LTC, Post Op.

I live in a small tri-state area, I applied for one job after Christmas break, got an interview in March and got the job. The hospital that I am employed at hired about 150 new grad RN's this year for the New Grad residency.

I had just started when I got the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome...I hope I get cleared from the doctor to go back on July 6th.

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Shannon,

First, congratulations on becoming a new RN! And (WOW!) getting a hospital job so soon. Who knows, maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel, and us thirtysomething GenXrs will be passed the torch of prosperity from retiring babyboomer nurses and all will be well :rolleyes: Secondly, I'm sorry about your condition: SJS aka "Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis." Do immune cells in the epidermis lyse healthy dermal tissue, causing necrosis? The article I just read mentioned NSAIDs as usual suspects. I hope you recover well Shannon and get back to work soon. I'm really happy you landed what sounds like a great job right out of school. Good luck to you and your new grad classmates!

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I don't know anyone in my area who didn't get a job after graduating and we have 3 local schools pumping out grads 2-3 times a year each. That's been the case for all the other "bad" years too though. And while it works ok for me currently, not what most would consider a "desirable" area. Unless you're needing a job of course ;)

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Specializes in PeriOperative.

I attended a crew resource training last week that was FULL of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed GNs. A sip of diet Pepsi everytime someone said "delegate." I was bouncing off the walls thirty minutes in.

So, my hospital (midwest) seems to be hiring in droves.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

There is very few nursing jobs in my area. I and many others were lucky though. I graduated in Dec. took boards in Feb. Updated my resume Monday night after getting my comformation and submitted it online to a large hospital and got a call the next day for an interview. I was hired the same day as my interview. My hospital has hired more than 15 of us and still has open positions to fill. The other 5 smaller hospital are not hiring at this time. One closed down a floor while another closed down a wing. I am lucky, I drive less than an hour to my job while others drive and hour and a half one way.

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I was fortunate to get hired into a critical care unit right out of school. Many of my fellow grads are also working in critical care at another hospital. On the other hand, many of my classmates did not get hired and are still looking for jobs. Some folks took jobs at nursing homes and other remain unemployed. So I would say that more than half of my class are working as RNs right now in my area. The people who are working in specialty areas really got after it right away and didnt wait until graduation month to start looking. The funny thing is that many of our instructors kept reassuring us that we would have our "pick" of jobs after graduation and not to worry about any job shortage. Go figure!

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Specializes in LTC/SNF, Psych, Primary Care and Triage.

Not good. I cannot find an RN job for the life of me. I have been searching and searching and have placed 30 applications into facilities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Texas and North Dakota. Not one call, email or even a call a reference. What is sad, is I am an experienced LVN and worked as an LVN charge nurse in a skilled Nursing unit for 3 years before I decided to quit my job and go back to school to get my RN. I have resorted to working as a cashier at a gas station, because I am single and don't have anyone to support me. So, to your question, NOT GOOD. I put in 5-8 application around the country in a week and have been for about a month and a half. I have decided to continue my education, so I applied to a RN-MSN program and to finish off with my Clinical Nurse Specialist. I am running out of options and the idea of having to move in with my mom at 24 years old, is possibly going to come true. I know I should have gone to culinary school........ :(

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Specializes in Hospice.

Im starting in inpatient hospice working with acute patients . thrilled with getting my position. Thus far many of us have jobs or at least job offers several are starting in ltc but several are actually getting non-traditional '1st jobs'. One guy turned down a hospital position for home health...another got a job as a case manager and several have gotten hospital positions. The job market is MUCH better than i thought it would be for our class.

ps..were in wisconsin

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Specializes in ER/Ortho.

I graduated in Dec and didn't start applying until after graduation. I got an ER internship in Jan which I started Feb 1st. I really wasn't enjoying it at all, and felt it was a really bad fit so I gave my two weeks notice. During those two weeks I started putting out applications, and did a couple of phone interviews, and one face to face interview. I got my second job 11 days after giving my 2 weeks notice. Its at another major hospital in my area, and pays better than the first job. I was worried it would be really hard to find another position, but so far so good. Maybe I was just in the right place at the right time..I don't know.

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It sounds like a mixed bag for sure. The RN who wishes he/she had gone to culinary school: my father was a chef and it's a horrible career (lousy pay, long, long hours, restaurant DRAMA). Chin up: something will open up for you. New Mexico is looking for RNs. The pay here is decent from what I've been told. The following areas I'm sure are still saturated and aren't hiring:

San Francisco/San Diego/L.A.

Austin/Dallas

Portland (Ore.)/Vancouver, WA/Seattle

Minneapolis

Chicago

Denver/Boulder

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm in Central California and our job market is AWFUL still. I would say of the 20 people or so that I have kept in contact with since graduating in May, about 5 of us have jobs, and they all had externships as nursing students.

I'm kicking myself now for not trying harder to get an externship, but I was planning a wedding, working to support myself, etc. and it just didn't happen.

Now I'm graduated and wondering what on earth I'm going to do, and I know a lot of us are in that situation. There are five major hospitals in my area, along with a handful of smaller rural hospitals. ONE of those hospitals did a New Grad program, in which they hired only 10 people.

I'm just trying to keep my hopes up and stay enthusiastic about job hunting. I know I'll find a great position, it's just hard waiting!

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