I am a new grad RN that cannot find a job. I graduated in April and passed the NCLEX shortly after. I applied to the Nursing guarantee initiative and unfortunately did not find a job, now I am stuck feeling so depressed. I have applied ALL OVER Ontario, also Nunavut, I have sent so far OVER 240 resumes with only one response. I went to the interview, stayed over night since it was 8 hours away from where I lived and bombed it because I was so nervous, not only that I was not prepared for medication type of questions (
I have had my resume looked over by TWO employment agency services. I change my cover letter for each job postings.
I have contacted the RNAO for help but they are useless, I have emailed the lady that reviews resumes 3 times and I doubt she even read my email since she has not even responded.
I have contacted health force ontario which claims to be committed to supporting nurses and they are also useless, I was told just to keep applying for jobs from the HFO and RNAO sites.
I have applied for a job in the U.S and they called me within a week. However, I was not aware of the LONG and EXPENSIVE process to become licensed in the U.S. So as of right now I want to focus on getting a job here in Ontario. Of course if I am still out of luck I will have no choice but to apply to the U.S.
I have become very depressed and I cry all the time, I am so frustrated that most jobs require at least 1 year experience, I am also frustrated when I see nurses complain about their shifts when theres nurses that cannot find work that would die for that chance.
As bad as it sounds I would work for less, I love nursing I would take a big pay cut just for the opportunity to work as a nurse, unfortunately with unions I know that is not possible but if it was I would do it.
I need help, places that would give a new grad a chance.
Although the messages are confusing, more people need to carefully research the job market before proceeding. There are numerous articles posted about nurse layoffs across the country, yet people continue to be surprised when they're struggling to find employment.
The last time there was an actual nursing shortage was around 2002. Since 2008, nursing jobs have been disappearing.
I spoke once to a young lady that was going into nursing and told her there was no shortage. She laughed and said the school told her there would be lots of jobs. She is a nurse working as a waitress now.
I spoke once to a young lady that was going into nursing and told her there was no shortage. She laughed and said the school told her there would be lots of jobs. She is a nurse working as a waitress now.
Totally agree, just don't want to "like" it.
Over the years when we've told people on this site this we are told we are wrong and not to kill dreams. I wish we were wrong.
Healthcare is not a guarantee of a stable pay cheque or a lifelong job.
Volunteer coordinators have the right to be selective, it costs hospitals money to have volunteers initially, someone has to do interviews, verify health screens, reference checks and provide orientation and training.
And why should I care about those costs?? Did you forget volunteers put in time and energy for free?
Over the years when we've told people on this site this we are told we are wrong and not to kill dreams. I wish we were wrong.
Healthcare is not a guarantee of a stable pay cheque or a lifelong job.
I understand that but what about the people that choose nursing because they genuinely love nursing. My sister became a teacher well aware that it would be rough to get a job, she still went into teaching because that's all she ever wanted to be. She was the few lucky ones that got a job right out of teachers college.
I honestly have never seen myself doing anything other than nursing as a profession.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.
Depends on on the health authority. You can in mine
That's not true. With AHS since June 30, 2010, an individual is only allowed to have one relationship with the employer. While it's entirely possible to pick up casual shifts on other units, an employee only has one actual job.
And why should I care about those costs?? Did you forget volunteers put in time and energy for free?
Those costs create a fiduciary duty on the part of the volunteer coordinator to spend the money in the most responsible way possible. That means only accepting those volunteers they are sure will keep up their commitment and perform the role to the best of their ability. It's much the same as the costs associated with orienting new employees to a unit. They're paying 2 people and obtaining the work of one, plus there are the associated costs - advertising, screening, short-listing, contacting the candidates they plan to interview, then doing the interviews, reviewing references and documentation - none of it is cheap and most budgets won't allow for rapid turnover of staff. No one says you have to care about those costs, but they have a large impact on how things work.
I understand that but what about the people that choose nursing because they genuinely love nursing.
I honestly have never seen myself doing anything other than nursing as a profession.
That's actually a very weak reason for selecting one candidate over another. And there's no real way of including that sort of sentiment into a competitive interview - how would you score that objectively? There are lots of people who "love nursing" but aren't competent and skilled nurses. Ultimately an employer is looking for specific criteria - education, clinical skills, knowledge base, experience and so on - when they screen applications and the ones they will interview and hire are the ones who tick those boxes. Hiring decisions have to be primarily business decisions. "Should we hire Nurse A because s/he LOVES nursing and has never wanted to do anything else? Or do we hire Nurse B, who has 10 years of experience with our patient population, charge orientation, certification in the specialty and great references?"
Some do some don't, if they don't I can easily move on once I find another position. People do it ALL THE TIME!
Not as often as you think. And that particular mindset is what many of the previous posters have been talking about. If a person develops a pattern of job-hopping because they're always looking for something better (that may not in fact exist) they'll be even more unattractive to the person screening applications. No manager is going to want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on hiring and orienting someone who leaves before the ink is dry on the offer letter. Oh, and it's not that easy to just move on to another position. Not these days. If it were that easy, this thread wouldn't exist because you'd have a job.
OP you can either accept our advice, or not. I understand your frustration, but that will not change the system.
Many of us have been involved in interviewing, hiring and training staff. Whether or not you perceive the current system as fair is irrelevant. There are thousands of new grads and few jobs. That doesn't mean you won't find employment, but it will be challenging.
When you're writing cover letters, try to link the organization's values with your skills. What can you offer the employer? Have you had relevant clinical experiences? Led a project?
Avoid telling them you're compassionate, always wanted to be a nurse, etc..... It's cliche, and does not convey much of anything.
The money hospitals use to choose volunteers is absolutely nothing compared to the money they save. Many businesses use volunteers to keep them afloat, the manager at one of my practicums even stated that it helps her budget SIGNIFICANTLY.
I stated I love nursing which is the reason I got into nursing! I never mentioned that is a reason I should be hired.
I would think that if an individual is a job hopper they would not put these short lived jobs on their resume. Also, I was referring to working in a non-nursing position (such as a unit clerk) and if a nursing job came along....believe me, it would be easy for me to move on from the non nursing position. I would think it would be for MOST people.
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joanna73, BSN, RN
4,767 Posts
Although the messages are confusing, more people need to carefully research the job market before proceeding. There are numerous articles posted about nurse layoffs across the country, yet people continue to be surprised when they're struggling to find employment.
The last time there was an actual nursing shortage was around 2002. Since 2008, nursing jobs have been disappearing.