Job market for new grads in NO?

whodat1986 · Feb 19, 2010

All I keep hearing about is how saturated hospitals are with nurses right now (especially, it seems, in south LA), but I hear that it should start looking better in a year or 2. Not a nurse yet, though, so can't tell you from personal experience!

cpkRN · Feb 20, 2010

I'm in my clinicals in New Orleans now and I haven't witnessed a single hospital hiring. I just finished at LSU Interim and, according to everyone I worked with there, they have a state-mandated hiring freeze system-wide right now, so that knocks some stuff out of the picture. A friend of mine who was in Ochner's summer program (which used to almost guarantee a new grad position), was told there was no room for new grads at this time.

I don't know if it's a saturation thing, because the unit I just left is severely understaffed but they're not allowed to hire anyone. Again, this is just from my clinical experience as a current student. There may be another side to this.

knothole, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2010

I graduated from CSN in December. Alot of my classmates are just now finding jobs and others are still jobless. It helps if you have a job as a tech first. I left to go to Lafayette, LA found a job right away. I also mention this to another classmate and he got a job very soon after me in Lafayette. Just get a job ANYWHERE you can, put in your year, then move to where ever you want.

LaurainLA · Jul 9, 2010

I am a recent grad from southern mississippi, but i live closer to new orleans. I constantly see advertisements for Tulane, Ochsner, and Touro in the paper, but every resume I've sent out I've gotten the reply "We appreciate your application, but we have filled the position 'internally'" It's very frustrating. I am considering relocation, but it seems the new grads are having this problem everywhere.

su9032 · Nov 10, 2010

There will be many opportunities opening up when the new VA hospital opens in 2013. The plan is that they will be hiring 75 nurses a month starting in January 2012. I got this information from one of the head nurses at LSU.

kitti419 · Nov 16, 2010

I graduated in August, passed boards end of Sept., went on 2 interviews in Oct. and accepted a job beginning of Nov, starting in Dec. I could have started in Nov but had to give leave for my current job and get some things in order. My class graduated around 30. Most who have taken and passed boards found jobs within a 2 month time frame. I think everyone knew someone who helped them get in the door. Start networking and polish the resume. It took hardly any time at all and we heard nothing but negativity about the job market.