I feel truly sorry for new grads

Published

Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Telemetry/ICU Stepdown.

Just wanted to say that. I've been a nurse since 2008 and did ok, first in sub-acute rehab and now in med-surg, did not experience any unemployment and had very stable finances that whole time. I guess I got lucky because I graduated just as the industry was going down the toilet.

I just want to share my observation that this is no longer the industry of opportunities it once was, it has really changed for the worse, the attitude of employers has changed for the worse, and opportunities for young people have disappeared.

This industry has never been about making x or y amount of money, but it's been about opportunities for young people. Now the opportunities are in jeopardy.

Young talented BSNs can't even find work in med-surg nowadays because new grads are not welcome.

If you can't at least do med-surg because new grads are not welcome, you are setting yourself up for failure in later career because something like med-surg is the foundation, and they're denying you even the foundation you need to get started.

My advice for young people interested in a career in health care is to stay clear of nursing but do something like physical therapy. A PT degree may require 3 years more in school (because it's a PhD or a Masters) but the extra 3 years will be worth it because everywhere you go employers will accept you, nobody will give you a hard time because you're a new grad, and companies will be glad to take you under their wings and train you.

I got back from the website for the Norther Illinois University PT program and their employment rate for new PT grads is 100% (this means 100% of new grads are welcome in physical therapy).

Just my 2 cents.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
This industry has never been about making x or y amount of money, but it's been about opportunities for young people. Now the opportunities are in jeopardy.

Healthcare is not about opportunities; it is about the bottom line. It's a business, just like any other out there. That may not be right, but it is the truth.

Also, decreased opportunities for new grads is far from unique to nursing; it's pretty much anything out there.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Healthcare is not about opportunities; it is about the bottom line. It's a business, just like any other out there. That may not be right, but it is the truth.

Also, decreased opportunities for new grads is far from unique to nursing; it's pretty much anything out there.

^Agree. :yes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Telemetry/ICU Stepdown.
Healthcare is not about opportunities; it is about the bottom line. It's a business, just like any other out there. That may not be right, but it is the truth.

Also, decreased opportunities for new grads is far from unique to nursing; it's pretty much anything out there.

OK, fair enough, but I want future nursing prospects to read this and I want the "enterpreneurs" who spam this site with nursing school offers to also read this so people realize this industry is competitive like hell and spending 100K on a BSN will not necessarily buy your daughter a steady job.

I've heard some scary nursing unemployment figures, as high as 50% of new grads not working 1 year after graduation...

Get the message out there...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It's truly sad and I still can't understand the ads stating that the projection in the US is that RNs will be needed on 20 such and such year. New grads need a job NOW. I live in NYC and it's hard for new grads to find work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
My advice for young people interested in a career in health care is to stay clear of nursing but do something like physical therapy. A PT degree may require 3 years more in school (because it's a PhD or a Masters) but the extra 3 years will be worth it because everywhere you go employers will accept you, nobody will give you a hard time because you're a new grad, and companies will be glad to take you under their wings and train you.
Since the physical therapy program is at the doctorate level (DPT), many of the new PT grads in my area are graduating with more than $100k in student loan debt. They borrowed money for the undergrad degree and the PT program, only to be offered a starting hourly rate too similar to what their experienced RN coworkers are earning.

PT wages are also stagnating, and a significant number of the job openings for them are PRN with no benefits or guaranteed hours.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

I don't trust college employment rates. Many law schools gave high employment rates, but in actuality it was for jobs people already had or jobs that did not require a law degree so it was misleading. I would take a 100% job placement rate with skepticism. Turns out approximately 50% law grads are working in jobs that don't require the degree, therefore making little money and stuck with six-figure student loan debt, a very bad deal, a lose-lose proposition!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency, ICU.
It's truly sad and I still can't understand the ads stating that the projection in the US is that RNs will be needed on 20 such and such year. New grads need a job NOW. I live in NYC and it's hard for new grads to find work.

Right, NYC is tough but just because everyone wants to live in LA, NYC, or Atlanta does not mean there are no jobs. If people were willing to move, there are plenty of communities in need of nurses. It's just not as glamorous I guess.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Telemetry/ICU Stepdown.
It's truly sad and I still can't understand the ads stating that the projection in the US is that RNs will be needed on 20 such and such year. New grads need a job NOW. I live in NYC and it's hard for new grads to find work.

Probably because the projections are full of crap? Probably because it's pure speculation and nobody really knows for sure as the job market and the economy are unpredictable? Hey, let's backtrack about 10 years and remember the computer programmer projections or real estate/finance/banking projections as they were in 1999 or 2000, which turned to be completely unreliable, and were followed by massive downsizing in those industries. It is extremely risky, in my opinion, to project industry growth in the next 20 years, because that's a very long time. This country was turned upside down in the space of a month (2008) and 20 years worth of projections turned out to be just wishful thinking.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, Infusion.

While I can appreciate you want those uninformed students who may be considering nursing, to know the truth about the current climate and the lack of job opportunities, this post is discouraging for us new grads. We have worked so hard to finish nursing school and achieve our RN status and spend most days applying for positions and trying to keep our spirits up, so reading this type of post is disheartening. I know first hand it is truly an emotional roller coaster and a fight to keep your chin up! As an older nursing student and now new grad (48 yrs young ;) who was active in SNA and also a class representative and I was fervent to encourage my classmates when they were down and have continued to do so since they are many of us, including myself that haven't found jobs yet. After 4 semesters of hospital clinicals I honestly feel more than anything, that is what is needed in nursing and among some nurses is a positive attitude and one of encouragement and empowerment, rather than nay sayers who start telling you how you should really choose any other field than nursing. I realize we all need to vent to each other because nursing is a damn hard job and 2 of my best friends who have jobs vent to me often, to let out their daily frustrations. I just wish I could read more positive posts on here sometimes that encourage current nursing student and new grads. I was ill on a Saturday and visited the urgent care clinic near my home a few months ago right before I graduated and when I shared with the RN that I was a soon to be RN she immediately began to tell me how awful being a nurse is right now and that she is getting out of the field ASAP :o I sit there thinking, why in the world is she telling me this, what can it possibly accomplish? On top of it being inappropriate for a nurse to tell a patient she is caring for how she felt about nursing why would you do it all? Even if I felt that way I would not tell someone who is about to graduate how horrible it is to be nurse. It's like telling a first time mom who is pregnant with her first child my horror story of being in labor for 24 hours and then having a c- section and telling her what a bad idea trying natural childbirth is. I vow not to be that type of nurse and no matter how bad it may be I won't tell other students how awful nursing is. I know we can't be positive all the time but I can sure as heck try :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Concerto, you are right. How do we ever know if these projections are accurate? I remember always hearing Nursing is in soooo much demand.

Edmia, I'm glad you touched that topic because I live in Brooklyn, NY and can only speak for where I live. I always say NY is OVERPOPULATED and that's why we have this problem. There are lots of advertisements for jobs here, but I have a lot of fellow colleagues that are jobless. I don't understand. OP didn't say what state they lived in so I'm not sure what to say, but it seems like so many threads are about new grads not finding work these days.

So sad.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Department.

The problem is that Nursing was in great demand. I can recall $10,000 sign-on bonuses just about 10 years ago. Then right about 2008 the market dropped off, causing a general slump in all sectors. The instability caused big drops in retirement plan values to plummet as well. I would imagine that lots of nurses that were planning to retire decided not to... and won't until they feel stable enough to.

Folks, this is very cyclical. It's happened before and it will happen again, and it's not just in this industry! Eventually the older nurses will have to retire and when they do, there'll suddenly be a need for a HUGE number of nurses. Yes, this is coming... it's a question of when, not if.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion