New grad RN jobs

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2012

It's hard because many hospitals have stopped hiring, period. People leave and they just don't replace them. I saw this happen cyclically when I worked in the hospital.

I was a hospital nurse from 2007 until April of this year. When I started, they were hiring everyone. We had nine new grads hired within about an 8 month period along with 2 experienced nurses. I don't think there were 10 nurses total hired in the rest of my time there (a 4 year period). Somewhere around 2009, a good 6-8 nurses left and they hired ONE.

Let's take the past year for example: 12 nurses have left. In that time, they have hired 5. So the past year alone has left them with a net loss of 7 nurses and, as far as I know from the people who still work there, there are no plans to replace them. Take that with the fact that the staff had been working down about 7 nurses from a few years earlier and those nurses had never been replaced. There are also a good half a dozen more people looking to get out.

This is what hospitals do: people leave and they don't replace them, they overwork the nurses that remain and burn them out then they leave and the cycle repeats. I routinely worked 48 hrs/week or 72 hrs in a 7 day period when I was in the hospital (but that didn't count because as long as it wasn't Sun-Sat they could work you however they felt like it). I would work 36 hrs/nights in a weekend and sleep a grand total of 8 hrs from Fri am to Mon am.

Instead of replacing the staff that leave, they overwork the ones they have and up the patient:nurse ratio. When I started, the night ratio was meant to be 3-4. When I left, it was rare that you'd work a night shift without having 5 patients (even if some of your patients were meant to be "nursing intensive" with a 2:1 ratio) and it was not uncommon to go to 6.

Where have you been applying?

Aongroup1990, CNA · Jun 2, 2012

Well, let me add it could be what you are doing. Have you talked to the HR people. or your recruiters. Sometimes you have to really write a letter of interest and all that other stuff.. Get yourself known. and try to network a little better.. What state are you in? Try to have a good resume.. Type in the search box on here .

"It's all in the resume" and click on this girl's links.. they give great examples...

HusbandofNewGradRN · Jun 2, 2012

KelRN

Although I am not a nurse myself what you have described is happening all over the country in various lines of work including mine (power generation).

The hospital system really has no control over most of their costs except for one and that would be their labor force. There has been a growing trend that many have adopted of not hiring replacement workers and those that are left are then thrust to picking up the slack, cutting corners, being more efficient and working large amounts of overtime. Many hospitals have eliminated training budgets that have helped open and train new grad positions and there seems to be no end in sight. Many times this scenario doesn't change unless something bad happens, the hospital is sued and people lose thier jobs due in part. to being overworked. Sooner or later that mindset will change and when it does it will be the hospitals competing for new grads instead of the fierce competiton that exists right now with thousands of applicants for most new grad positions.

What I find comical in these forums is reading of a new grad's who have been fortunate enough to have found work right away. Some of them come in here blowing their horns about how others must be lazy and/or not conducting their job searches correctly. You know the "I got a job right away, you must be doing something wrong" which could be no further from the truth for most new grads unable to find work.

Anyways I feel your pain, in the power plant I work at we are down to around 30 workers from the 55 that were there when I started. Massive amounts of OT and lack of preventative maintenance will catch up to this place one day.

hkrntobe · Jun 3, 2012

There are no jobs. Period. It costs thousands of dollars to train a new grad. Hospitals are not willing to invest in new people, let alone new grads. It sucks. It's going to bite the health care system in the posterior later on but, there you have it.