Job market for new nurses in New York City

U.S.A. New York

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Another new group of nurses are soon to graduate in the next few weeks.

These graduates are entering a tight job market, a very tight job market. Where I work, we are receiving numerous unsolicited resumes. I wish the nursing schools would be honest with the soon to be graduates. NYC and the immediate vicinity is saturated with nurses. It is so tight, that even being able to intern or volunteer for free is not easy. I wish the schools would work to develop "practice ready" nurses. If the schools did a better job training nurses for entry level practice, employers might be more willing to take on a new nurse. The schools of nursing need to explain to their students that the jobs available to them are not hospital based but community based (clinics, LTC, HH, etc.) It is sad to see so many disillusioned new nurses but the facts are the facts...positions are not opening up as before. Even positions in LTC are hard to get. If you have any advise or ideas, please share.

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Aren't hospitals all over Long Island getting closed down due to government budget cuts?

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Aren't hospitals all over Long Island getting closed down due to government budget cuts?

Hospitals all over NYS and NYC area are closing but haven't heard of any huge demise of places out in LI. Long Island College Hospital is having problems but they are in Brooklyn.

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Have said it before, and shall do so again; NYC has lost about fifteen hospitals in the past twenty or less years but the number of nursing programs has remained steady or even grown when you count the explosion of ABSN degrees. Many of these for profit ADN programs are beginning to look suspect with recent board passing rates at or

Everyone keeps going on about how parts of NYS have too many inpatient beds and that focus includes Manhattan, but yet schools keep churning out new grads every six or twelve months like clockwork. Whatever serious nursing shortage there was in NYC (1980's through perhaps some of the 1990's) is over and not likely to return in the same way for a long time if ever. When you speak to nursing recruiters or those in charge of hiring the only shortage they are concerned with is of seasoned RNs with recent and direct experience in a specialty (or close enough to it) where they have a vacancy.

IMHO part but not all of the problem is the dwindling employment options in NYC that offer wages people can live on in this high cost area. Starting wages for a new grad (yeah I know but using it as an example) range from mid to low 70K to 80K, and that includes ADN prepared nurses. That is not too shabby for a "two year degree" and is more than many four year graduates with various other majors bring home. Unless they manage to nab a job in tech, finance, law or one of the other few remaining "high paying" jobs, a good part of the employment market in NYC is made up of jobs that pay

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Aren't hospitals all over Long Island getting closed down due to government budget cuts?

I dont know about closing down

Hiring freezes sure sometimes

At worst the smaller hospitals are just getting bought up by LIJ and Stony Brook

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Specializes in MedSurg, PACU, Maternal/Child Health.

There are opportunities for New grads, they are just hard to come by and requires a lot of months of applying to get called in for interview for hospitals. Clinics and home care agencies hire new grads but most new RNs want to work in hospitals. It took me 1 month to get a job at a pediatric clinic, this with no nursing experience except non-nursing work for 4 years as a child development aide. In 7 months after this then I got called for interview at 3 hospitals and eventually hired at one of them. It was all by applying online, as I had no connections. It is frustrating waiting to be called for hospital interview, however there are jobs available faster if one does not only focus on hospital setting.

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Not that its a secret or anything, but only applying online is a HUGE mistake.

Ive had people at multiple hospitals tell me that they dont even look at most online applications.

If you legitimately want a job bring an application + resume down there in person.

I dont think people realize that the average age of a nurse is close to 50 (and presumably the people who do hiring are more likely to be in the higher age range). And a lot of those people are adverse to using computers.

So if you want a job, you better print some resumes. Otherwise youll be counting on a lot of luck

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Specializes in MedSurg, PACU, Maternal/Child Health.

Fyi when I was job searching I tried printing and taking resumes to many hospitals but all that got me was HR rolling their eyes at me and saying you are to apply online only and piling my resume on a scrap pile of resumes....of new grads. My resume was well edited and I never got a call from those places that I "printed and walked my resume in to". The 5 hospitals calling me for interview were those i applied online only. Many new grads I know and that I have seen post on allnurses where turned away on their print and take resume to HR tactic. Maybe in areas where there is somewhat of a shortage or RNs or back in the day when there was a shortage "print and walk in to HR" worked but in this day it just gets HR annoyed at you so when they see your online application they skip it.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Many facilities HR/recruiting is off site, especially larger organization so walking a resume in will be useless. Many organizations utilize online applications to reduce the potential for implied bias and to screen applications based upon written submission and not in person impressions. Try ensuring advertisement key words are included in your resume and cover letter. In my area the three major healthcare systems all have HR off site (at least one was subject to an attempted lawsuit for hiring discrimination which while dismissed as unfounded wanted remove the potential for future claims and others followed). Their facilities & HR office have large signs stating that in person applications are not accepted under any circumstances. Only online applications. They have computer kiosks available for applicants that do not have access to a computer at home. Managers are instructed to refer any email, in person or phone contacts to central recruiting and the online application. Even internal applicants submit online transfer interest forms. Information desk volunteers are instructed to not permit potential employees to have access to patient care floors to "visit" managers. Only bona fide visitors are permitted especially secure units like nursery, L&D, pediatrics, NICU, PICU, CCU, ICU, TICU, SICU, ER holding, etc

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Not that its a secret or anything, but only applying online is a HUGE mistake.

Ive had people at multiple hospitals tell me that they dont even look at most online applications.

If you legitimately want a job bring an application + resume down there in person.

I dont think people realize that the average age of a nurse is close to 50 (and presumably the people who do hiring are more likely to be in the higher age range). And a lot of those people are adverse to using computers.

So if you want a job, you better print some resumes. Otherwise youll be counting on a lot of luck

Your idea may work for small or community places but just try getting into HR or seeing a nurse recruiter at NYP, Mount Sinai (which now includes Continuum Partners), NS-LIJ, NYU. etc.... When these places tell you to submit your application via their approved method (online or whatever), that is what they mean.

Now maybe if you have an "in" or otherwise know someone it might be a different story...

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Many facilities HR/recruiting is off site, especially larger organization so walking a resume in will be useless. Many organizations utilize online applications to reduce the potential for implied bias and to screen applications based upon written submission and not in person impressions. Try ensuring advertisement key words are included in your resume and cover letter. In my area the three major healthcare systems all have HR off site (at least one was subject to an attempted lawsuit for hiring discrimination which while dismissed as unfounded wanted remove the potential for future claims and others followed). Their facilities & HR office have large signs stating that in person applications are not accepted under any circumstances. Only online applications. They have computer kiosks available for applicants that do not have access to a computer at home. Managers are instructed to refer any email, in person or phone contacts to central recruiting and the online application. Even internal applicants submit online transfer interest forms. Information desk volunteers are instructed to not permit potential employees to have access to patient care floors to "visit" managers. Only bona fide visitors are permitted especially secure units like nursery, L&D, pediatrics, NICU, PICU, CCU, ICU, TICU, SICU, ER holding, etc

Is this closer (or in?) to the city or something ?

When I was applying on long island there was only 1 hospital that I applied at that wouldnt take my resume in person.

The 3 I got interviews for (and one I got hired at) I applied to in person.

Id imagine the City could be drastically different due to population differences, but im not a city person so I wouldnt know

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Your idea may work for small or community places but just try getting into HR or seeing a nurse recruiter at NYP, Mount Sinai (which now includes Continuum Partners), NS-LIJ, NYU. etc.... When these places tell you to submit your application via their approved method (online or whatever), that is what they mean.

Now maybe if you have an "in" or otherwise know someone it might be a different story...

Guess its different in the city then out east.

Almost every hospital in Suffolk that I applied to (which is many) took applications in person except for St Catherines.

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