Job crunch for new grads

SiennaGreen · Feb 15, 2009

This is an interesting jumping off place. I have heard this from many people across the country, but so far our area has been cushioned. If this is true and we are facing tough times for new grads, what kinds of things can those of us who are currently in school or beginning our search do to make ourselves more atttractive to employers?

Some thoughts, and please feel free to tell me I am delusional because I am new to nursing and it may not work like my previous field.

1. Network like crazy during school, treat everyone like a potential employer. Every clinical instructor or nurse you work alongside.

2. Volunteer during school. Find places or areas you are interested in and get involved, offer services, show them your competent and committed.

3. Try to get internship/fellowships/externships during school and during breaks. While I know you may want this time for relaxing, spending with family, or earning money- if you can do it, it certainly seems like a good "in" when you graduate.

Any other suggestions from the working world?

To the OP:

Are you limiting your job search in some way? Have you considered some of the hospitals in the area that aren't outsiders first choice? (Other than UMMC and JHH) I see you're considering area within hospital that aren't your first choice. Is there a good chance of lateral ovement within an organnization or do hospitals usually prefer to keep people in the position they have them? And are those opportunities for movement getting rarer in this economy too?

pinkiepie_RN · Feb 17, 2009

This is an interesting jumping off place. I have heard this from many people across the country, but so far our area has been cushioned. If this is true and we are facing tough times for new grads, what kinds of things can those of us who are currently in school or beginning our search do to make ourselves more atttractive to employers?
Some thoughts, and please feel free to tell me I am delusional because I am new to nursing and it may not work like my previous field.
1. Network like crazy during school, treat everyone like a potential employer. Every clinical instructor or nurse you work alongside.
2. Volunteer during school. Find places or areas you are interested in and get involved, offer services, show them your competent and committed.
3. Try to get internship/fellowships/externships during school and during breaks. While I know you may want this time for relaxing, spending with family, or earning money- if you can do it, it certainly seems like a good "in" when you graduate.
Any other suggestions from the working world?
To the OP:
Are you limiting your job search in some way? Have you considered some of the hospitals in the area that aren't outsiders first choice? (Other than UMMC and JHH) I see you're considering area within hospital that aren't your first choice. Is there a good chance of lateral ovement within an organnization or do hospitals usually prefer to keep people in the position they have them? And are those opportunities for movement getting rarer in this economy too?

I've definitely done some networking and it's already started paying off. I work per diem at GBMC and Sheppard Pratt and have applied to jobs there. I got a call from GBMC saying that once they know what they're doing with the new grad program (budgeting I guess) they'll let me know where to go from there. Sheppard told me to look closer to graduation. I'm working on applications for everywhere. I haven't done an "externship" per say, but I work as paid nursing student at GBMC and a tech at Sheppard Pratt. I'm using all the connections I can get and I'm considering most of the hospitals in the Baltimore area.

Rook · Feb 21, 2009

I just did the job hunt thing in MD and got hired at Sinai (and got my gf hired too). I have a BSN with another BS in medical technology. Here's my advice.

1. You'll have a BS, that's good when you are looking for a job as a new grad. Doesn't help you in the pay dept though. Its not as easy to get a job now than it was 5 years ago but you will get job offers pretty easily, just maybe not in the area you want.

2. Psych jobs are scarce. Many hospitals want to get rid or have gotten rid of their psych depts becasue they are money pits and the govt and insurers don't fund them well. Plus and this is important, unless you are 100% positive that you absolutely positively want to be a psych RN for a long long time don't start out with psych. Almost every RN recruiter will warn you that it'll be tough to find a job on the floor if you don't have any clinical exp say 5 years from now. My gf has a Masters in Psych and they even told her that.

3. Get a job 1st then worry about passing the NCLEX. No one will hire you if you fail the NCLEX but if you are already hired then they won't let you go but you'll have to work as a tech. Plus almost every hospital has new grad programs that only start like twice a year. For the record I just took the NCLEX today (I defo knew the answers to about 5 of the 75 questions I got ---- so maybe that's a good thing???? *hopes*).

Some of my friends who 1st wanted to concentrate on the NCLEX then look for a job can't start til june or july. In fact the only hospital I applied/interviewed for that didn't do this was Sinai.

4. Fill in an application online for every dept that you are interested in (not just 1 application per hospital). Different RN recruiters are assigned to different depts and that will insure that all of them will get a chance to look at your application.

5. Quick rundown on the hospitals:

Sheppard Pratt says they want at least a year of exp in their new hires. Catholic hospitals (except for Mercy) don't have many openings for new grads. University of MD wasn't hiring new grads in January, neither was Anne Arundel.

So who is hiring?

Sinai - Sinai is the only hospital that will hire new grads at any time during the year also. If you apply for intermediate care you'll defo get a call back. One note: Sinai RN recruiters are tough to get a hold of. I got sick playing phone tag with mine and eventually just showed up there an hour before my Union interview. The RN recruiter liked that becasue it show initative. So that's another tip. I work in Tele (PCU).

Union Hospital (and all other MedStar hospitals)- I had an interview for ED and Ortho at Union. ED turned my down (EDs are tough to get into) and ortho offered me a job. You have to start in January and/or June I think.

Howard General

Laurel Regional

UMM might hire in May/June but they have a backlog of new grad applications so I hear.

I know a student still in school who got a job at Hopkins Bayview.

Easton Memorial - starts in Jan/June I used to work there so they offered me a job but I wanted to go on the Western shore. If you are interested in the Eastern shore EMH has by far the best mentorship program (10 months for ED/ICU/Tele, 5 for all others disciplines). Plus they have perceptors who are hired specifically as preceptors, that's all they do.

Mercy Hospital was around trying to pick up new grads in December at Salisbury so they are too.

May2009 · Feb 21, 2009

Hey Rook...I see you work at Sinai...I have an interview there on Monday for a RN position in Labor & Delivery.....I am really nervous, this is my first "RN" interview. I graduate in May with my BSN and I currently work at UMMC in the L&D as a student nurse and at Sinai in the mother/baby unit as a special assistant. Any tips? Should I bring a recommendation letter to the interview from a coworker at UMMC...Im not sure what to expect! :uhoh3:

Jules A, MSN · Feb 21, 2009

Balto/DC is still a great area for nursing jobs. The pay is good and just from reading the posts here it sounds like the jobs are still plentiful for new grads. It makes sense to me that they would fill up quickly though. I'm in psych and have found that while it is more specialized and the units tend to be smaller its not hard to find a job. Its also been my experience that the pay in psych is better. In the past JH turned me off because their rates were so low as if working for the Hopkins name was compensation enough. Easton's program does have a good reputation but their pay rate is really low, last I heard $23? Sheesh I made that as a LPN and anything complicated aka interesting gets flown over the bridge. Good luck to all the new grads.

chaxanmom · Feb 21, 2009

This isn't really widely known but NIH has a new grad program as well in the Clinical Center. It's highly competitive and right now just open for oncology/med-surg but they do hire new grad BSNs (with excellent GPAs). Before I started shadowing and precepting there (working as an intern this summer) I assumed you needed a PhD to work there and that it was all basically labs and offices. Not so. There are amazing opportunities there.

Rhone · Feb 22, 2009

Hey Jules,

Can you say where you worked as an LPN, and whether it's a place you'd recommend working? (I'm currently an LPN student.)

Jules A, MSN · Feb 22, 2009

Hey Jules,
Can you say where you worked as an LPN, and whether it's a place you'd recommend working? (I'm currently an LPN student.)

Hi,

I work in a psych hospital near DC. Of course LTC is where you will find the most money and opportunities for LPNs but other than that I have friends that have worked at Union Memorial, Kernan, Hopkins Bayview and St. Agnes and most really liked their units. If you want psych Sheppard Pratt and Spring Grove hire LPNs. Good luck!

Rhone · Feb 22, 2009

Thanks for the info, Jules.

Rook · Feb 23, 2009

May 2009

I didn't really have an interview with my RN recruiter. I just showed up there an hour before my Union interviews and she gave me a quicky interview. The RN manager of PCU gave me a 1/2 hr interview. You'll do a shadow in the dept where you will work for 1/2 day and you'll be asked questions like "what's your philosphy of nursing." and "Do you work well with people." and "why do you choose Sinai". Look over the website and find out Sinai's mission etc. In you shadow exp ask questions and appear involved and also if you can think of any ask questions to the manager. Pay for new grads is $25/hr however with the recession you can get a nice 2br around siani for $700-850.

Any recommendation can help, if you have a copy of a job evaluation that won't hurt either. Good luck, from what I hear they don't interview the person unless they are going to offer them a job so you should be fine.

Easton starts at $23.50 (maybe $24.50 now after the COL raise). Easton gives 2-3% raises with you performance eval + gives COL raises every now and then. As a Lab tech I started at $14.50 in 1999 and (I still work there per diem like once a month and make $26/hr). Easton also has good shift diff. 10% evening, 15% nights, 8%weekend. Union pays $24/hr and Sinai pays $25/hr so its comparable. Apts in Easton run for $650-950. However the hosp is in town and if you live in easton its only a 2min commute which is nice and county taxes are very low. Easton really is a good place for new grads it puts any other hospital's new grad programs to shame.