New graduate looking for work...

[tony51783]

Good evening everyone , my name is Anthony. I took the NCLEX December 2, 2014 . I had 265 questions and I passed it. It took me over 5 hours. I am looking for a job. I am not only an RN, I am also a paramedic. I recently renewed my license and I have both up to date. I am applying all over and I noticed that hospitals and other spots require experience. I still apply anyways and I make sure that I mention that I have paramedic experience. Even though it is not nursing experience but I do have experience in patient contact. It does not make sense how a new graduate can't find a job. I understand that I took the NCLEX 10 days ago and the year is about to be over in about 3 weeks. I understand that no one will hire over the christmas break but how do you expect for me to get experience when you don't even give me a chance. I have patient contact experience, that should put me up there. It is not logical how hospitals are asking for experience when there is a national SHORTAGE of nurses. Once a nurse gets too comfortable on where they are, they will stay there for years and most of them will not apply to other hospitals because of their comfort level. Why can't we new graduates get a chance. We are less prone to make mistakes because if a hospital hires me, will only know their way of doing things and no other way of doing it. What do you guys think?

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

there not a nursing shortage, rural locations offer better chances for new graduate

[happyinmyheart]

National shortage of nurses? Uhmmmm, you might want to look around the AllNurses threads on that topic. There's no national shortage, only small shortages in a few rural areas

[roser13, ASN, RN]

ABSOLUTELY NO NURSING SHORTAGE.

NONE WHATSOEVER. New grads & experienced nurses currently unemployed.

Spread the word.

Took your boards December 2 - 10 days ago? Patience, much?

Keep applying. Some RNs have been applying for years.

[WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Definitely no nursing shortage going on. Quite the opposite, in fact. Too many nurses and not enough positions to fill.

Your best bet is to network, network, network. Talk to classmates, preceptor, clinical instructors, your neighbor's barber, ANYONE who may have a connection or contact to a healthcare environment.

I have patient contact experience, that should put me up there.

You do not have experience as an RN so it doesn't give you as much as an edge as you believe.

Why can't we new graduates get a chance. We are less prone to make mistakes because if a hospital hires me, will only know their way of doing things and no other way of doing it. What do you guys think?

I am quite sure that when it comes to experienced nurse versus new grad, one could (and will) argue the opposite.

Things are tight. You may have to end up moving for a position; many do. You have to understand that, to the facility, because you are a new grad with no nursing experience that you are inherently a risk. You need to sell yourself to each and every facility that you apply to.

[flyersfan88]

Wow....it takes most people (including myself) months to find a job post nclex.... not days. RELAAAAAAAX.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

"We are less prone to make mistakes because if a hospital hires me, will only know their way of doing things and no other way of doing it."

Sorry, Tony. You have just given a living example of why some new grads might have trouble finding positions. You truly have no idea how much you don't know. The really smart new grads will refrain from making statements such as yours.

[RunBabyRN]

Ahem.

As a fellow new grad, I can't help but just be dumbfounded by this post.

So you've been a nurse for a whole week, and are frustrated you can't find a job? WOW. You have a LOOOOOONG road ahead of you.

First, you need some humility. I don't care if you have 30 years under your belt as a paramedic. It is not RN experience. I have a ton of other healthcare experience, including military experience where I had a wider scope of practice than I do as a nurse, and 6 months after becoming a nurse, I am still interviewing for hospital jobs.

Don't bother applying for jobs that require acute care experience, because you DO NOT HAVE IT. Period. Spend your time looking for new grad programs and residency programs and anything that says, "New grads encouraged to apply."

As stated above, there is NO nursing shortage. There is a shortage of EXPERIENCED nurses, but there is a huge surplus of new grads on the market, as schools keep pumping us out, regardless of the job market. Gone are the days where people graduate with job offers.

I don't know why you think new grads are less prone to making mistakes. By knowing where you are and aren't safe, you are less prone to making mistakes. By doing extra checks and not rushing, you are less prone to making mistakes. Your post makes you sound as though you will just do things without asking for help when you don't know, or will assume you know everything, a very dangerous attitude in nursing.

I have a coworker who graduated in '08 (worst time to graduate ever), and she is STILL trying to crack her way into a hospital job.

Consider less glamorous work- home health, SNFs, correctional nursing, etc. Some of these are more open to new grads, and you can gain RN experience, though it won't be counted as acute care experience. It looks better to be working as a RN doing non-acute care than it does to be working at Pizza Hut.

[RunBabyRN]

I meant to add, if all you needed was prior healthcare experience, all of those people who have been working as CNAs through nursing school would be walking into jobs as RNs. Not so. That used to be the golden ticket, but those days are long gone.

[nursefromcali]

Calm down. I'm pretty sure you'll get a job. EMT or paramedic is good experience to work as RN in my opinion. And congrats you're a RN now!. BTW some brand new nurses got their job with the minimum of 3 months after they passed their boards. Maybe just wait a lil bit? Let someone evaluate your resume. Practice interview questions. Apply as walking. apply as much as you can online or fax maybe. Job is there you just have to look for it and be lucky to have it. Godlike :)

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

BTW, the applications you're filling out are going mostly to HR, not to the actual nurse managers. What they check for 1st is to see if you have nursing experience. If you don't, alot of the time they read no further and hit delete.

[tony51783]

I guess I should give up then ? After all that hard hard work I see it's mounting to nothing . As I read the posts I may have gotten information wrong and twisted . What I don't understand is that why hospitals can't realize they will not have many experience RNs are out in the market. There are more new grads then experienced. I may have some influence on the inside at several places but still I want to apply to other places . Should I gave up ?