New Grad RN can't find a job

Nurses Job Hunt

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I graduated in December 2014. I passed my boards a couple of weeks later in mid January. Since then, I have applied to over 200 jobs. I have sent follow up emails, made phone calls, the whole 9 yards. Yet, still nothing. I am in the metro Atlanta area and have increased my search to many surrounding cities. I have searched for nurse residency programs and new grad RN positions. I still can't find anything. What else can I do? I'm frustrated that they always say "nurses are always in high demand" but no one wants to give the new grads a shot.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Were there any clinical rotations where you shined? Perhaps contact someone who knew you as a student. Myself and my classmates who got jobs the quickest were hired from our clinical sites. It will happen, hang in there.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I am so sorry....((HUGS))

Contrary to popular belief there is no nursing shortage right now. Well.....there might be if they staffed appropriately but they don't....they are staffing with increased workloads to decrease costs.

Since 2008 there has not been a nursing shortage. There are many reasons for this....one being that when the economy tanked many of our 401K plans went with it. I know I lost about 60% following my financial planners advice and placed in an aggressive fund because we are getting to the "retirement" age. Well...wall street tanked and got bailed out. Banks tanked because of bad banking and they got bailed out. The auto industry tanked and they got bailed out....well, guess what? no one bailed me out.

Many nurses who were stay at home Moms had to back to work when their hubby's got laid off and couldn't find work for money and benefits. Those of us who planned on retiring can't. Like anytime the economy is bad people flock to nursing for the "consistent good pay" and benefits with minimal education (2 years) and cost. Unemployment services were paying for people to be retrained to hopefully shorten their stay on unemployment....therefore many schools (mostly for profit) technical and community colleges as well as businessmen seized this opportunity of plentiful money and nursing schools cropped up everywhere. This created a plethora of new grads saturating the market.

So now nursing, who has been trying to make RN BSN entry only, for years, and couldn't because of the need for nurses, has an opportunity to forward their agenda (which isn't actually a bad idea) and began wanting nurses to go back for their BSN, hence, MAGNET accreditation was born. Now in order to get rid of the expensive worker it facilities started requiring older nurses to get their BSN...some nurses close to retirement just quit while others interred debt to comply (as many facilities lessened education reimbursement citing no money) and can't retire.

That led to another problem...hiring of new grads....sure they are cheaper and usually younger....but if they hire new grads with less than what they were requiring of older expensive nurses it's discrimination, So, the simple answer...only new BSN grads are getting hired in many ares of the country and even they have a difficult job search. The market stinks right now...which by the way has driven down wages and benefits.

And while many are pinning their hopes on "Boomer" nurses retiring (or dying, as I remember in one epic thread), if I had to take a guess about the future of nursing, I wouldn't be surprised if losing those nurses led to more cuts in staffing and wages. Hospital bean counters are opportunistic, and what a better way to cut staffing than by attrition?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
And while many are pinning their hopes on "Boomer" nurses retiring (or dying, as I remember in one epic thread), if I had to take a guess about the future of nursing, I wouldn't be surprised if losing those nurses led to more cuts in staffing and wages. Hospital bean counters are opportunistic, and what a better way to cut staffing than by attrition?

Amen.....

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

I'm a BSN new grad with three years of PCA experience and I too am having a hard time getting a job. If I had known it would have been this difficult to get a job, I think I would have studied something else.

I also graduated in December and passed my boards in January. This sucks. If a BSN and over three years of PCA experience isn't enough, then I don't know what is for a new grad.

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Yet another classic example of how critical it is for nursing students to have a job as a CNA. It's crucial to have your foot in the door because, for new grads, it's all about who you know. Currently employed CNAs get a smooth transition to the RN role, usually on their current unit. Everyone knows you will graduate soon and the manager may even hold a position for you, if you're a good employee. My hospital guarantees it.

Totally agree with you. This is my story and I graduate later this year with my RN. Going straight into the ICU because I've proven my ethic as a tech on the floor.

Highly recommend this to other nursing students if feasible.

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It sucks, but it's really all about who you know. I'm a new grad, only reason I got my job is bc I work in the hospital and kept in contact with the nursing recruiter. Hopefully things turn around for you!

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
And while many are pinning their hopes on "Boomer" nurses retiring (or dying, as I remember in one epic thread),

ROFL did someone actually say dying? Of course I probably shouldn't be chuckling as I'm not far from a Boomer and if caught in bright light without my make-up on..... Oh well no worries young chickies I plan to skedaddle between 60-62. :D

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Amen.....

This just caught my eye. I still have PMs from Joyce. She was the best!

Daytonite:

critical thinking flow sheet for nursing students

student clinical report sheet for one patient

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Specializes in NICU.

I found several new grad residency positions in Ga

New Grad RN Jobs, Employment in Georgia | Indeed.com

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Ok, first step is a deep breath. You will get a job in nursing. I graduated in 2013 with no cna experience. Colorado is my home, so I moved to Denver, the city with the greatest hospital density. The hospitals in front range and mountain towns wont hire new nurses, but many are managed by companies with hospitals in Denver. I applied to 200-300 hospital job s in Denver ( thank god for online apps and uploadable resumes) before it hit home that they just didnt want me with my current experience level. I started applying to rehab and snf facilities and got a job in about a week. I stayed there a year before getting hired to a med surg unit at a great Denver hospital. Nothing fell into my lap. Treat unemployment (e.g. job searching) like your job. I started applying to the hospitals again at about 6 months into the snf job. I volunteered at a hospital I wanted to work at (not the one I ended up getting hired at by the way), and shared my ambitions with the docs and nps who rounded at the snf. Do that last one judiciously. My facility was not happy to see me leave, and one of the docs was verbally aggressive and not the sort to invite confidences. Always be thinking about the capacity of the people you meet to get you a job. Let them know youre looking, even though it feels shameful that you cant get hired. Part of being new is doing jobs you dont like to get experience and prove your worth. Thats a sh*tty thing to hear after you make it through school, but I'd rather be a first year rn again than a student :). You will succeed!!!

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Yet another classic example of how critical it is for nursing students to have a job as a CNA. It's crucial to have your foot in the door because, for new grads, it's all about who you know. Currently employed CNAs get a smooth transition to the RN role, usually on their current unit. Everyone knows you will graduate soon and the manager may even hold a position for you, if you're a good employee. My hospital guarantees it.

Do you have your BSN? Matters more as a new grad who probably didn't work as a CNA, although you didn't address this in your post.

Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:

but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

I'm not sure why you assume being a CNA on a unit is a ticket to employment. I've encountered more CNAs in my career who were *not* hired on unit they were working after school than were.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Depends how quickly you want to work. Many rural areas and small towns need nurses. The cities are saturated with new and more experienced nurses.

When I was a new grad, I didn't care where I went. I moved from a large city to a small town miles away from home and stayed for 4 years. It was not easy, but I'm glad I did. I had several good offers within the first month of job hunting and wanting to move to a city.

Many other nurses have made similar sacrifices to gain experience. Relocating is often the way to go.

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