New Nursing Student

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I am concerned with where I am going to fit in the rise and fall of the nursing profession. I am set to graduate 2016. I understand that there will always be a need for nurses but it seems as though there is an influx of people interested in becoming a nurse. My question is, how saturated is the REAL nursing employment market?

Everywhere I look it seems that finding a job after school is going to be easy. On the flip side I have heard that it is becoming very difficult for a new RN to secure a position in the nursing field. I currently work in a nursing home, so hopefully they will allow me to transfer positions to from CNA to RN when I graduate.

Any information regarding this would be deeply appreciated. Thank You Ivey

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We are in the same boat. I also am expected to graduate by 2016 and I've read so many threads about lack of opportunities for new grad nurses. I'm very worried as well.

I'm actually doing my CNA cert classes so I can try to secure a job as a CNA and then transfer to LPN and then RN in the same facility.

I guess we should just try to network as much as we can. And take it one step at a time. We gain nothing worrying about the future job market outlook for nurses.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

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Worrying will get you do nothing but get you stressed.. That's what school is for. You both are doing exactly as you should. The only people who get jobs in my area are the ones who are already working somewhere. The odds increase dramatically. Networking is also so important within that facility and showing them what a valuable employee you already are. I know working during school is tough but it is seriously so important. Who knows what will happen in 3 years but right now you're doing what you should.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

The job market is tight. In some areas of the country you cannot find an acute care position without a BSN. Hospitals are laying off in large numbers. Just because jobs are posted doesn't mean they are hiring and that they are hiring new grads. Browse the site ...use the search feature and search unemployment, no nursing shortage,

Jobs sputters as hospitals cut staff it's a problem right now.

The average new grad is looking or about 14 months. Some parts of the country have an approximate unemployment of 47% of new grads.

It's a tough market out there and getting tougher.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

The job market is rough. I wasn't that concerned when I was in my nursing program. However, my priority was on passing the program and then on passing the NCLEX. When those two things were accomplished, I did have a difficult time getting a hospital job (even with my BSN) but was able to land a GN Residency program.

When I was job hunting, a nurse manager did let me in on a known secret, "it's about who you know." Sad but very true. You will be done with your program in 2016 and confident things will be a little better for you and your graduating class. If LTC is what you can get, then go for it but would encourage you to also seek hospital jobs. A lot of the ads in my area now ask for a minimum of 1 year hospital or acute care experience. Many managers are purposely overlooking the nurses with the LTC experience who are trying to get a hospital job.

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It really depends on your area, which is all anybody can tell you with any certainty.

I live in Georgia. I know that in Atlanta, it can get pretty trying to find that "dream job", or any job in a hospital. In the more rural areas (and I don't mean total podunk), well, I'll put it this way: I'm a nurse's aide on an ortho floor in a hospital. When I was hired, there were 20 new nurses hired. 18 of them were total new grads. 5 of them were for the ortho floor, so I got the chance to talk with them, and all of them seemed average, had no connections internally other than applying, and two of them had even failed their NCLEX and had to retake it in a couple months. I know the hospital from the town 45 minutes away (bigger and nicer than my town) still actively comes to our graduating class, feeds them breakfast, and tries to schmooze them into applying at their facility. And that's REALLY saying something, because that hospital is in a big university town with BSN grads and my college only does ADN.

However, most people are going to tell you not to come work in Georgia because the average pay is so low. And while that's true, it's a job, and it's a very good job for the area. You can have a great quality of life on a nurse's salaray here in Georgia. Our cost of living in rural areas is mostly quite low.

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it won't help you to stress about it now unless you are re-thinking your decision to become a nurse. I graduate in 65 days and am not stressing about finding a job because it won't do a thing for me now.

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Hope is not a plan. An RN costs the facility more than a CNA. If you think they'll want you as an RN when you finish, ask them to give you a letter of understanding to that effect. Their response will give you the answer you need.

Besides, you might fall in love with something you don't even know exists now while you are in school. Keep your eyes on the road, but keep your peripheral vision open.

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