New Grad and No Job? Write to your Senator!

[SparkleRN]

Hello Everyone -

Like many of you, I am fed up with not having a job and tired of being poor. I'm also tired of being treated like dirt by nursing recruiters because I mention the words "new" and "grad" in the same sentence. Here is a link to the senate website where you can write to your state senators regarding the "nursing shortage" and the surplus of nursing graduates. I just wrote two letters to my senators to enlighten them to our situation. The more people that draw awareness to our situation, the more hope we have of getting new training programs and assistance for these very difficult times.

U.S. Senate - click on the right hand side to find your state senator.

I know that some states are harder hit than others, but if you are hurting and would like more awareness to our plight, please take 5 minutes and shoot off an email to your officials. We have nothing more to lose.

[Jane_Diagnosis]

Thanks for this post. Hope we spread the word out.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

Good for you. I hope more will do this. It is a shame that they keep "pumping them out" at ridiculous numbers when so many are struggling so much to find a job.

[happy2learn]

I'll be writing my senator! Thank you! I hope more people do this instead of just sitting on here complaining.

[NeoNurseTX, RN]

I'm not real sure where this shortage is...

[kaikou]

I'll be writing a letter as well! Hopefully even nurses with jobs can write letters as well, especially if they personally know of nurses struggling to find work.

[rfs755]

I totally agree, heard Obama was looking to bring foreign nurses here due to the shortage... MOST of the nurses I graduated cannot find a job. Wouldn't they rather have a new grad from the USA instead of someone who doesn't speak our language or used to procedures as done here??? There wouldn't be a shortage if the hospital would hire NEW GRADS..... everyone I talked to would tell me they wanted me as soon as I have a year's experience....

I did find a job and they have hired many new grads, they are great to us, but it is over an hours drive each way.... thankful for them.

[puravidaLV]

Yaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnn blame everyone else when times get tough. I can't find a job down the street so I'm not willing to relocate to find something somewhere else....yaawwnnnn.

[giftedRN]

I am willing to relocate and still cannot find a job. What's up with that?

[kaikou]

Yaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnn blame everyone else when times get tough. I can't find a job down the street so I'm not willing to relocate to find something somewhere else....yaawwnnnn.

Wow talk about being insensitive and assuming everyone is just trying to get a job within their area. I've applied all over the country and have had no luck.

[dinah77, ADN]

umm, excuse me I am looking at other states and so are most of the people I know- what's up with your completely insensitive comment??????????

[Bobbkat]

I agree, that's incredibly insensitive. I don't think the point of writing to a senator is simply because one can not find a job. A large part of the problem that new graduates are having is that the hype about the nursing shortage has created an environment where politicians are eager to throw money into importing foreign nurses, as well as nursing education. Nursing is currently in a unique situation in that there are limited jobs (as in most other industries) but to the non-healthcare related person, it is generally thought that there is a large amount of jobs remaining unfilled because of a lack of willing people to fill them. This is far from the truth.

While it is important to support those that are seeking nursing education currently so that there isn't a shortage longer down the road, money also needs to be funneled to hospitals. Right now, hospitals are claiming that there is no money to train new graduates, despite a need for nurses. If the government is aware of the need, perhaps money can also be applied towards the post-graduation training of new nurses in the hospitals, instead of the proposed plans to devote funds only to nursing schools. The only way to make politicians aware of the problem, however, is to write/call them. It's not silly or whiney at all.