New Grad RN-->No Jobs, Then what?

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I have been reading through these threads and haven't seen an answer to this question. I know that it is tough to get a new grad RN position and some say they are still looking after a year post graduation. So what happens to those who get no experience and in effect are now "old grads with no experience" when the job market begins to open up again? What do those in the know recommend for those who may not be able to get a job within a year or two of graduation? Do you get more certifications, i.e. ACLS, PALS, etc while waiting for the market to open? Do you volunteer in a hospital? If volunteering, do hospitals allow clinical practice as a licensed RN volunteer? (Of course, there may be union issues with that). Essentially, will a licensed RN with no experience become obsolete since many will graduate and be "newer" when the job market opens again?

Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.
WHY aren't the UNIONS helping with this??? Something has to be done! I worked as a LVN for 5 years and just got my RN license, too. I have high GPA, commendations up the ying yang, years of volunteer work in the community, etc.. I cannot get a job, I do not get phone calls, all I get are emails that turn me down. This has to stop!!!! In California we have approximately 64,000 Foreign RN's taking our spots!! They continue to block us because they are said to have experience - well guess what - that doesn't matter!!! New grads have to be trained, and we cannot be turned down or refused employment and a NON-citizen have the job - regardless of the excuses that Hospitals make!!! Look at any VA job posting, they state right off the bat that the RN candidate MUST be a citizen of the USA, not a permanent resident, not on a visa, etc. The VA states that because it is FEDERAL LAW set forth by the Department of Labor. This Federal Labor Law applies to ALL employment whether it is private sector and government... SOMETHING must be done - I am not going to be unemployed and a NON CITIZEN has MY job... No way.. so since I don't have a RN job right now, putting the word out all over the place has become my job!! Nursing advocacy for work deprived USA Nurses. Permanent residents can gripe that they pay taxes, etc. etc. well that doesn't mean they can have a job over a USA Citizen, even though this violation of USA citizens rights is occuring in LARGE numbers. Oh and I have to repay my $50,000 loan for the RN program... I better get a job, cuz I am getting ******!

Your posting the same thing over and over again. Do you realize how bigoted this makes your sound? I hope you don't express these views in person and I certainly hope you don't do it in an interview. Just because your a "citizen" it doesn't mean anyone owes you a job. This is america the land of opportunity not the land of a sure thing.

Your stats sound good and by all means you should have a job by now but if you are in person the way you are coming across online then your not sounding like a good potential employee and coworker. R

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tothepoint-

I think they're just upset. We live in the USA. We are citizens. Yet we watch foreigners replace us DAILY in the workplace.

What country do you know of that will hire us over their own citizens? Let us know and perhaps we can all move there...because the USA is going down the drain. It is a fact that foreigners have been hired, repeatedly, before qualified citizens. Those who aren't angry about this are only allowing our country to be pushed further down the drain.

Let's face the music. I'm not a racist. I'm not a bigot. I'm an angry tax-paying citizen that is tired of watching MY country (that I LOVE) go down the drain. I'm tired of watching my fellow Americans struggle to find jobs that are filled with foreigners...but I'm mostly tired of close minded people that call me a racist or bigot because of that.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

The main point I am disagreeing is the argument that citizens should be preferred over permanent residents.

Should we be importing foreign trained workers of any kind when we have domestically trained workers from any industry no of course not

What I am objecting to is the sentiment that seems to have cropped up in the last few years trying to differentiate between those born here and those not. I have lived here all of my adult life (10+ years) I am US educated. I am eligible to be a citizen if I wish I just have to file the paperwork and spend the thousands it will cost to file. I don't like being told I'm suddenly a evil foreigner when this is my home too.

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I don't think you're an evil foreigner and I don't have anything against foreigners. I understand where you are coming from.

My main idea is: Our economy is in absolute shambles. We should take care of our citizens first. We *should* favor U.S. graduates over foreign graduates. No more exporting and importing....too many people are jobless and it's silly.

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I don't think you're an evil foreigner and I don't have anything against foreigners. I understand where you are coming from.

My main idea is: Our economy is in absolute shambles. We should take care of our citizens first. We *should* favor U.S. graduates over foreign graduates. No more exporting and importing....too many people are jobless and it's silly.

This post sums it up nicely.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

Also it is a waste of education resources to allow people to train for a profession so specific as nursing if there are not enough jobs to go around. An English major has much more flexibility than a nursing grad. We are in relativity very fixed in our potential employments. We are trained to be nurses. Full stop.

I will give you a little story about how something like this was handled in my former home country NZ. I had a friend who was a NZ citizen but lived and trained in Sweden and was an Optomotrist. When he moved to NZ to work they denied him a license on the basis that there was sufficient numbers of optomotrists to met the countries need and he was advised to retrain in another occupation. Was it fair to him no but they did have a point.

Unfortunately this probably would never become the norm here but maybe when nursing school was harder to get into we were training the appropriate number of nurses.

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That's very true..but I don't see it happening anytime soon as it is all about the $$$ over here in the USA. They could care less about the repercussions..apparently. :(

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I'll probably keep doing what I've been doing (which I like) if I can't find a full-time RN/BSN job suitable to my palate. I'll look into getting some per diem stuff, but around here I've yet to see the crunch in healthcare. Also, school is cheap down here so with the short time I'll actually be in it shouldn't be that big of a deal.

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@I'mThatGuy: Please tell me what city your talking about where there is not a problem for NEW GRAD RN's getting a job. City and State.. Thanks a MILLION.. I need a job and cannot find one AT ALL!!! NO New Grad jobs and if there is one they get between 300 to 1,100 applications per position. I have LVN experience and a RN License.. 3.75 GPA, Volunteering for the PD in my area, victim advocacy, etc etc.. fab references yada yada.. NO JOB.

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@I'mThatGuy: Please tell me what city your talking about where there is not a problem for NEW GRAD RN's getting a job. City and State.. Thanks a MILLION.. I need a job and cannot find one AT ALL!!! NO New Grad jobs and if there is one they get between 300 to 1,100 applications per position. I have LVN experience and a RN License.. 3.75 GPA, Volunteering for the PD in my area, victim advocacy, etc etc.. fab references yada yada.. NO JOB.

Well, where are you looking? 300 - 1000 apps per position? Must be a large city. I'm in Arkansas.

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Not sure which is worse... our manufacturing jobs going overseas and US citizens losing jobs... or non-US citizens coming here filling jobs positions and US citizens losing jobs.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Wow. I feel for all of you that have been looking. Just keep going and be persistent. I knew the economy was not good, but this is unbelievable, since there is a real shortage of nurses, and no one seems to want to hire new grads. I am a Canadian educated nurse, just graduated, with a BSCN. I'm in the process of studying for my Boards in October, and starting to feel out the job market.

I've been through these recessionary times before. It's a cycle, and it can't last. It never does, and people are getting older, and sicker, so they will need nurses very soon. After reading these posts, I might suggest that if you are looking, take the first thing that comes up. Take anything. Register with an agency. Agencies hire new grads. Network. Go to some places in person near your home. Move, if you have to.

That's my plan. I want to work as a nurse. I need to work, because I am getting old, and I have loans. I will go wherever the job is, if that is the case. Canada, US, Australia.....wherever there is a job. Because the stupid thing is, after you have worked for a year to a year and a half, you aren't a "NEW GRAD" anymore.

Good luck to all of you. It sucks that we are in this position. And it's insane, really, because there is a need for nurses, but no money....

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