new grad rn- can't find a job

Nurses Job Hunt

Published

hi all! I am a new grad - graduated in june and passed nclex in august...and needless to say I can't get a job in hospital. right now, I work part time in a private practice, but now I'm thinking that hospitals aren't going to count that as experience, so have been trying to switch. It is discouraging how hard this has been. at first I thought that was holding me back was not having my bsn, and only my adn (thus I have been enrolled in a BSN program and am in my first semester of it) but after reading some posts, I'm seeing that those with a bachelors are also having the same problem. I have been feeling down and discouraged. is there anyone else that can relate? I thought I was alone in this journey, but reading some of the other posts made me realize that I'm not. I'm from the east coast and there haven't been a lot of openings in the hospitals in my state. Starting to think that finding a hospital job is harder than going through nursing school itself!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am in the same position. I feel like the mistake I made was not working at the hospital as a CNA while I was in nursing school because it seems to be SO difficult to work at one unless you know someone. I am frustrated and angry. How do you expect me to have experience at a hospital when I cannot get any?!

I have a RN job lined up (yes, I'm thankful to even have one) at my current place of employment, but it is at a post-acute rehab center where I will see very little action. I will not get to handle any IVs, chest tubes, burn injuries, etc. I have been working at this place for the past 2 years as a CNA and I am more than ready for something different.

I'm tired of applying at several places and getting rejected right away. :( I am losing hope. I dont understand what I am doing wrong. I am frustrated.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER.

A lot of nurses do not handle things like chest tubes, burn injuries, etc on a regular basis. Some will depending on the unit. I'm working at a hospital and I am stressing about the job market. One of the new grads we just hired said several of her friends who graduated and passed the NCLEX around the same time still do not have jobs. Just apply as much as you can and be willing to move.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I am in the same position. I feel like the mistake I made was not working at the hospital as a CNA while I was in nursing school because it seems to be SO difficult to work at one unless you know someone. I am frustrated and angry. How do you expect me to have experience at a hospital when I cannot get any?! I have a RN job lined up (yes I'm thankful to even have one) at my current place of employment, but it is at a post-acute rehab center where I will see very little action. I will not get to handle any IVs, chest tubes, burn injuries, etc. I have been working at this place for the past 2 years as a CNA and I am more than ready for something different. I'm tired of applying at several places and getting rejected right away. :( I am losing hope. I dont understand what I am doing wrong. I am frustrated.[/quote']

I'm ashamed to say that I didn't work as a CNA at all during nursing school - huge mistake!! So needless to say I really didn't have any medical experience coming out of nursing school. And yes at least it's a job, but I know what you mean with it being little action - I don't have much at where I am, too. All of these places want experience - but no one is willing to give me it! It is sooo frustrating :(

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am suffering over here in west central florida too..What hospitals have you applied to so far?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Don't feel too bad for not working as a CNA in NS. I've worked as a Patient Care Technician in a hospital for two years while I was in school, I worked my butt off so I would have my foot already in the door and some acute care experience to put on my resume...Well so far my hospital doesn't have any New Grad positions and no other hospitals have really shown any interest either. - 4 months post BSN in So Cal

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ditto. I worked my butt off as a CNA in a hospital, thinking that was my foot in the door. Well the door was slammed shut on me. It's been 18 months since I passed the NCLEX. I have one more class to take to finish my RN-BSN program. I've been applying for positions this whole time, hoping that my CNA experience and my near completion of the BSN program would help. Nope. Not at all. Six years of my life wasted.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have a degree in psych. I just graduated from an adn program and I have sent out over 30 resumes for a pct job and absolutely no call backs about a year to a year and a half prior to graduation. Now that I have graduated I've sent out ten resumes with six denied right away. I'm scared with no pct experience that I'm not going to get a job. I had someone from career services at my school look at my resume and helped me rewrite it and still no call backs. I don't know what to do. I have tried every connection that I can and I've been told no one will hire you without the license in hand. Then I've been told they will hire you license pending. I'm sick of getting rejected and being unemployed and my degree will go to waste. Any input?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Telemetry/ICU Stepdown.

If you're a brand new grad RN who can't find a job then you are the norm. If you get an offer, then you are an exception.

"Marketable" nurses right now should have 2 years of hospital experience.

It's an ugly job market. I have 2 years of hospital experience and at the very least I'm competent, if not very good, at what I do, and I would be afraid to go out there and interview because I'm still bitter over my interviewing experiences 2 or 3 years ago. I hate nursing interviews and I don't like the attitude of recruiters and managers.

There are lots of job openings, because the nursing job market has a high turnover (nurses always quitting), but top employers (teaching hospitals-I love them) are using every trick in the book to block outsiders/external applicants.

If you truly want to do this (you have goals beyond earning a paycheck) you will overcome these challenges because people who actually want to help the community inevitably get noticed and hired/promoted, etc.

Good luck.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm sorry you feel down and discouraged, and I can definitely relate! Out of my class of 43 who graduated last summer with BSNs and have all since passed NCLEX, six people have found jobs: two people were on scholarship so their jobs were already lined up at local hospitals, and four people have moved out of state after finding hospitals that actually allowed new grads to apply (and get hired!). So in over six months, 6/43 people have found work (and we are all looking, believe me!). One girl from our class has family connections with the CEO of a big local hospital and even that didn't get her past the 'no new grads' banner posted across the careers page of the hospital website. And we had four or five students who worked as CNAs while going through school, and not one of them has been able to secure an RN job at the very hospital where they are working as a CNA. It's all very discouraging and I know we all wish we had answers. Sometimes it helps me to imagine myself three years down the road, knowing I'll be glad I went through all of this to get myself there (assuming I'll be able to find a job within three years!). And it is helpful for me to know that there's a large community of us out here. It's good to connect and hear ideas from others, and just to check in and know you are not alone.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Telemetry/ICU Stepdown.

My hospital hires new grads all the time but we are in northern Illinois, almost on Wisconsin border, so it's more rural. It's not a high desirability area for young people who just got their first college degree and are full of ambition.

However, if you live in Denver, Chicago, LA, NYC, those are the worst cities to look for a job because:

1) Nursing schools are everywhere

2) Large, highly educated population

3) Lots of desperate, unemployed college grads (all degrees, including nursing)

4) Lots of professionals who got laid off in the recession and switched to nursing

5) High desirability so everybody wants to live there. Nobody wants to live in Dixon, IL, where new grad openings are

So basically if you're looking for a job in a high desirability area, you are screwed, but if you move to a low desirability area, your chances improve somewhat because demographics change-fewer unemployed college grads hanging out in the area. A lot of provincial hospitals and rural hospitals are trying to replace their retiring LPNs & Associate RNs with BSNs only, so they can try for the Magnet Status and stuff like that, so if you have a BSN they like that, and if you come from a big, well known university they like that even better.

There is a hospital in Chicago, I forgot the name, it's almost in Englewood where all the murders are. I applied there because I didn't know they're in that killzone with all the crime and homicides. Wanna bet they called me right away? Yes they did, but you can get killed driving to work in that part of Chicago. Again, low desirability & underprivileged area = more job openings because young RNs get their 1-2 years of med-surg and then run away to live in some sexy city.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It's the vicious cycle of you need experience to get a job yet you cant get a job without experience. Concerto is right the job market is ugly. I couldnt get a job as a PCT and I know I am qualified to do that job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment