Hi, I am a recent grad LVN. I am in a difficult spot. I do not know whether to remain a nurse. I am finding that no one wants to hire a new grad LVN. LVNs in No. CA are only able to find jobs in SNF or LTC and no one wants to train a new grad. I did actually get a job for a little while, but they gave me 4 days orientation and put me on a med cart by myself. I was dumb...I tried to do it. I quit the next day. I did not want to jeopardize my license or the well being of the residents. A new grad with 4 days orientation that is trying to hurry is very dangerous. As an LVN I have learned a few things, like there are two ways to do things, the way you do them when the state is here and the way we do them the rest of the time. I struggle with that concept. Are the state auditors really that dumb? I became an LVN because I wanted to be an RN, and I planned to bridge from LVN to RN. I also planned to work as an LVN while I continued my education. BUT, after spending $20,000.00 to become an LVN only to find that THERE ARE NO JOBS, I am worried about investing more money to become an RN only to find that RNs are experiencing the same thing. Any RNs out there that can share their experience would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I have been con'd, duped, scammed and fallen victim to a great marketing strategy by LVN schools. I was taught in school that this was an honorable and noble profession only to find out that it seems more like a game of smoke and mirrors put on to line the pockets of the facility owners.
The market is tough in Nor Cal, have had a couple of interviews but for one reason or another never ended up being offered a position. There are about 6 out of our class of 29 who graduated in June who have gotten RN positions. My suggestion is to volunteer, it seems like thats the only way people are getting jobs these days...
It is really REALLY hard to get a job as a new grad RN in Northern CA. I graduated in May '08, and it was hard then, and has only gotten harder. It took me 5 months after graduation before I finally got a job, and I wasn't the last in my class to get a job. At least all or nearly all of us did eventually get jobs. I hear that for the class of '09 it was much worse -- last year (Nov '09) when I was working in a hospital, we hired 4 or 5 new grads from class of May '09, and they all said most of their classmates did not yet have jobs. I don't know anyone in the class of '10, but I know that even experienced RNs are having a hard time finding jobs in this area.
I'm in the Bay Area -- I think it may be not quite as competitive outside of the Bay Area, but still pretty bad.
The only advice I can offer is to keep applying, and meanwhile, see if you can volunteer somewhere. People who get jobs seem to get them through some combination of persistence and/or knowing someone who knows someone. Or if moving out of state is an option, there may be more jobs elsewhere.
5ftRN
6 Posts
The market is tough in Nor Cal, have had a couple of interviews but for one reason or another never ended up being offered a position. There are about 6 out of our class of 29 who graduated in June who have gotten RN positions. My suggestion is to volunteer, it seems like thats the only way people are getting jobs these days...