So.............I graduated about a year ago from a nursing diploma program (in NJ).......and when I left school and passed the NCLEX, I had all this vigor and eagerness to get my Nursing career started. I basically was really excited to earn the title of RN and have the chance to help people and my community. Granted when I left school I think I had a good understanding that the general economy was in shambles and I knew it was not going to be easy to get a job. But I had no idea it was going to be this bad. Basically I have had no real leads to gaining employment in the nursing field for this past year and it starting to weigh on my resolve to continue searching for work in the field. Now from reading alot of posts from New(er) Grads on allnurses.com I know that I'm not alone it this. In fact there are a lot of New Grads out there with BSN that are saddled with way more debt than me that are not finding work out there. So in the end maybe I'm one of the luckier ones out there.
But here the thing, I can say I'm disappointed with the healthcare field in general for lack of employment....but.....I'm not Bitter (at least not yet anyways) toward it. BUT from talking to some of my former fellow classmates that are not employed or only have sporadic per diem jobs and reading some of the RN boards, bitterness toward nursing seems to be creeping in.
This concerns me a bit because eventually (I think) the economy will turn and there will be a demand for nurses at all levels. And in my mind we will probably need more nurses than ever considering how may elderly we have coming down the pipe.
I'm just thinking though if bitterness does set into alot of New(er) Graduates now that cause them throw their hand up with disgust and walk away from the field of nursing. Will this effect and/or finally create a real "Nursing Shortage" in the long(er) term? Or is the field so saturated that it won't make a difference? Personally I have no idea but I know alot of you guys out there have been in this game for a long time and I know this is not the first downturn in nursing. So I looking forward to seeing your guys perspective on this post.
Let me just lastly state that I two elderly parents that are needing more and more care as they age. So this is not just concerning me because I'm an unemployed RN. I'm also a child of of people that will most probably depend on RN as they reach there twilight years.
I received my RN this summer and receive my MSN this month. I still don't have a job. I am also 37 weeks pregnant. I am hoping that its the latter that is preventing me from being hired and that I will be working by the Spring.
My suggesion to new grads who cannot find jobs, if you have a BSN, you can join the military. If acitve duty is not taking nurses now, (I was told by some new grad Army nurses, that the reason that they joined the Army was because, the AF and Navy were not taking anyone), I would at least look into the Reserves. If they take you in the reserves, you are guaranteed at least 6-8 weeks of COT. And you have your reserve weekend to earn money.
There are also school tours you can go to as a Reservist, and don't forget you have a two week annual tour.
If that doesn't interest you, and if further education is in your plans, I would look into going into Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Pathology (the hospital where I worked, we had two SLP who were nurses before changing professions- they were VERY happy with their career change choices). You can then get jobs as a PT assistant, or aide, or a COTA.
I would not wait around for things to open up in nursing. If you have a BSN, you probably have the pre-requisites for these programs already accomplished. Yes, it is a Masters or a Doctorate, but they are good jobs, much better than nursing, more control and respect.
i have a lot of friends who went to the super high tuition nursing programs that are sprouting up everywhere. they all passed nclex with flying colors- i would like to clarify i am not saying that people who went to these programs are under qualified, etc. we all do what we gotta do. i am saying that these programs are taking advantage of people by making them believe there is a nursing shortage, charging a ton of money, and pushing new grads out left and right. most of my friends who went to these schools did not have jobs for over a year after they passed the nclex, and the three who were working in a hospital lost their jobs upon passing nclex because they could not work a position lower than the degree they held, and there were no RN positions for them.
so, the bitterness is at the schools, advertising, etc who continually push the falsehood of a nursing shortage and a high demand for jobs, leave students with 60k debt, and then these students cannot even use the education as a foundation for furthering their careers, since the credits won't transfer.
however, i also believe that everyone should do research on these things before picking a career to pursue. unfortunately, not everyone will.
That is very true, the "nursing shortage" issue is still being used to recruit students into programs and a lot of the students coming in are under the mistaken idea that nursing will be easy, fast money as soon as they leave school. My school is guilty of it as well as a lot of the colleges and universities around my neck of the woods. They are instilling unrealistic ideas into students rather than being frank and letting them know its hard work and right now there is no guarantee. That would weed people out from the beginning and leave jobs for those of us that became nurses because its what we believe in.
Craigslist is now posting adds for Navy Nurses, and so is the Army. You have to have a BSN to join the military, so those of you who already have a BSN, are already half the way there.
Good luck. I still stand by my original response- if you have the chance, I would get out of nursing now- If PT interests you, you can go back to school and, for the time being, become a PT Assistant. It is two year Associates degree. It is a decent paying job ,without much of the problems that plague nursing. A COTA is also a possibility.
You can take what prerequisites left for PT School, or OT school. I would not stand around and wait for nursing to turn around. There are so many nurses now in the US, the profession is being flooded with new grads, and it will take YEARS to recover. If it ever will.
The PTB are succeeding in disempowering us. They see nurses becoming militarized, unionizing, and gaining some power. They are doing everything in their power to regain that control and power over nursing. Granted, there are still too many nurses in areas of the country who are not unionized. NOW is the time to act, unionize, and regain our strength and control. Fight for staffing ratios, that will immediately require a mass infusion of nurses to staff according to the law. It will probably take all of the nurses who have graduated, and are without jobs, to being staffing levels up to where they should have been all along.
Well everybody knows where 99% of the NICU-only thing comes from. It's "I don't want to have nothin to do with mouthy, smelly, obnoxious people over the age of one month". Can't blame 'em. But, you will have to deal with the parents of the little angels who will watch and critique your every move and that levels the playing field.
I hope I don't sound snarky, but I want to work in NICU not to "avoid" the nastiness of nursing, but because I love newborns and would like to work with them, whether it'd be in NICU, OB GYN, pediatrics, or Labor and Delivery. I'm more than willing to work in other fields such as psych, but my heart belongs in the NICU. But that's just my two cents.
There are many nurses out there without jobs. The real problem isn't a shortage of nurses.Hospitals just don't needed them at the moment. At the former hospital I used to work, there has been a hiring freeze of all medical employees due to low census. More and more, people are being denied medical insurance by the government due to USA being BROKE. On top of that, the REAL unemployment rate is America is hovering around 24% even with people being sick, they simply can't afford health insurance, therefore, don't have it.
No insurance=No patients=no income for hospitals=no work for nurses
I live in the Northeast. I landed a LTC job when I graduated in 2008. I worked there for 5 months and then got a 16 hour a week position in a hospital. I eventually got full time. I would suggest to take whatever job you can get. Eventually doors will open for you.
There are many nurses out there without jobs. The real problem isn't a shortage of nurses.Hospitals just don't needed them at the moment. At the former hospital I used to work, there has been a hiring freeze of all medical employees due to low census. More and more, people are being denied medical insurance by the government due to USA being BROKE. On top of that, the REAL unemployment rate is America is hovering around 24% even with people being sick, they simply can't afford health insurance, therefore, don't have it.
No insurance=No patients=no income for hospitals=no work for nurses
Our census is sky high, and they still can't hire more nurses, because they have a hiring freeze due to the losses the hospital system took when the economy and stockmarket dipped...
Hello Trinitas 2010RN. Just wondering if you'd have any time to talk about your experience in transitioning from the personal trainer world to the nursing world. Having been a fitness trainer in NYC for the past 15 years I was seriously considering going back to school for nursing.I'd have to bash out about a year/year 1/2 of prereq's first. I'm just looking ahead at a career that's a bit more stable cause as you know the fitness industry has a way of being a roller coaster ride with client consistency. You can email me at [email protected]
Hello Trinitas 2010RN. Just wondering if you'd have any time to talk about your experience in transitioning from the personal trainer world to the nursing world. Having been a fitness trainer in NYC for the past 15 years I was seriously considering going back to school for nursing.I'd have to bash out about a year/year 1/2 of prereq's first. I'm just looking ahead at a career that's a bit more stable cause as you know the fitness industry has a way of being a roller coaster ride with client consistency. You can email me at [email protected]
Thanks,Lee
Thought I'd save you the wait: the person you're looking for hasn't posted here in more than three years. Gone.
I'd encourage you to look around the forums, see what you think. I can tell you that the job market in NYC is saturated with nurses (new, experienced, and everything in between) so finding an employer isn't the easiest thing. Then again, it'd be several years before you'd have a BSN, and you might be in better stead then to find a job.
melmarie23, MSN, RN
1,171 Posts
I received my RN this summer and receive my MSN this month. I still don't have a job. I am also 37 weeks pregnant. I am hoping that its the latter that is preventing me from being hired and that I will be working by the Spring.