NO jobs for new nurses, I may quit school.

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Hello Everyone,

I need some advise and I don't care if you are a seasoned or new nurse. I am wondering if I should quit nursing school because something that was supposed be a secure job is now in jeapardy by the economy. I have been hearing so much about a how New Grads can't get jobs. I mean is there even really a shortage? New nurses can't keep being put off because of experience, how else is a new nurse to get experience? I am wondering if I should do something else instead of wasting time and money on a profession where I won't get a job. Student loans intrests rates are creeping up more and more. So what does a person do? When a new nurse graduates he/she has six months after graduation, and deferring isn't always the answer. Some of us don't want to be in debt for the rest of our lives while we wait to see what the job market is doing to a profession that NO ONE can do without. I have heard some people say this to shall pass, but when? If anyone could shine some light on this I would be eternally grateful, as I don't want to give up because this is all I could ever see myself doing. I guess at this point I am just looking for encouragment or if I should change my major. Thanks:mad:

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Specializes in School Nursing.

What other area would you go into that isn't hurting in the job department at this moment?

The question is, are you wanting to be a nurse strictly for the money/job security? Perhaps if another area of study lights you up you should go in that direction, but know that no college degree is going to guarantee you a job or stable job security.

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Specializes in Home Care.

Let me gaze into my crystal ball.....

Nobody knows the answer to your question.

I've often struggled with the same questions, I start the LPN-RN program in August. I can't help but wonder if its worthwhile or where I'll end up when I complete it. But I've come so far in completing my pre-reqs and my AA that to pursue another career at this point just doesn't make sense.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Yes, finding a position as a new nurse in this economic climate can be challenging. But you're asking a question that no one but you can answer.

What would you pursue if not nursing? Does that career (whatever it is) currently have a rosier job placement record? If so, then go for it!

However, since you say "this is all I could ever see myself doing" I'm thinking that you might be willing to go the distance and face the challenges, knowing that economic currents change, shortages ebb and flow, and you just might not be any better off in any other profession.

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I don't think you should quit. But you have to ask yourself if nursing is truly what you want to do. If so, then continue on with it.

Things change all the time. And I'm quite sure you'll eventually get a nursing job that you'll be happy with. In the mean time, you might have to do something you don't really care for. But things don't always come easy, so you will have to work for what you want.

However, if you don't really care about becoming a nurse or don't have a passion for it, maybe you should consider other opportunities. But like mjmoon said, no degree automatically guarantees that you will get a job, especially right after graduation.

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Specializes in Professional Development Specialist.

I've wanted to be a nurse since I was 7. Unfortunately actually going to school wasn't really possible for me until my mid 20s and then I had a nice long wait list first. But I was always taking prereqs one class at a time and looking and dreaming of the day when I'd be able to actually start nursing school. The market for new grads has been bad before. But overall I kept trying to find a way to be a nurse because that is what I really wanted to do! The job market was miserable when I graduated and I worked very hard to find a job. But I'm still doing what I loved, something I would have done no matter what the job security or salary looked like. If you want to drop out because you don't think nursing is for you, then do it first thing tomorrow morning without a thought. But if you want to be a nurse and are only concerned about the job market, keep going. Things change all the time and as others have pointed out there really isn't any job market that is booming. Even if you have to look for a while and take a job that isn't great, it's only temporary. Things will change eventually.

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If you have job skills and a well-paying, satisfying job to return to, then consider leaving school if you considered nursing as a second career and don't want to continue.

Remember, that there are also lots of new grads who did get jobs that are not leaving threads entitled " I got a job". You will hear more about those that are having trouble.

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Specializes in NICU.

The climate right now is awful. Knowing that, if you want to be a nurse make sure you start doing everything that you can to make yourself marketable. Get any job in a hospital that you can. Preferably patient care related, but even a job in food service in the cafeteria is better than nothing at all. Anything that gets your foot in the door is useful because when you do finally become an RN, often the current employess have first dibs on positions. Will it be your first choice position? Maybe not. Will you have to work nights and weekends? Most likely. But you will have a leg up on the position, and once you get a position it is much easier to find a better position eventually after that.

Other things you can do are to get involved in groups. If your school has a student nurse association or club, join it, be active, and make connections. Join your states student chapter of their major nurses association. Again, be active, make connections. Go to conferences and try to meet people. You could also start volunteering your time at a hospital.

I can't think of many careers that are having a particularly easy time with employment right now, so switching majors might not be that helpful for you in the end, especially if you really want to be a nurse.

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Unwise to quit based on present circumstances that could turn around at any moment. Just because others can't get a job today, does not mean you will be unable to get a job three days from now. What do you intend to go into that has better job prospects now and in the future, than nursing? A nursing license is always a good thing to have. You never know when you might need it. Rethink this.

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You have my most sincere condolences. Way back in the day when I graduated, back when the earth's crust was cooling, the question wasn't "can I get a job?" It was "which unit shall I work for?" GNs were snapped up. We were cheap (my starting wage was 12 bucks/hour) and compliant. My orientation was ostensibly six weeks long but after two weeks I was pretty much carrying a full load.

Only you can answer that question. My feeling is, getting a bachelor's, any type of bachelor's, opens some doors. And I think, as an RN, you WILL be able to find a job. It may take a lot of effort, you'll probably have to work nights, you may have to relocate, but you will find a job.

It's really sad. I went into nursing for a large part for the job security and the flexible hours. And now neither of those are guarenteed. I wish you all the best.

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I think if you want to be a nurse, you should continue on with your program regardless of anxiety about what the job market will be like when you graduate. It's true that it's harder for new nurses to find good jobs today than it was a few years ago, and I don't know when jobs will be plentiful again, but that doesn't mean that NO new nurses find jobs. Plenty do find jobs, but we hear more from the ones that don't (since the employed new nurses aren't complaining). Even with the job market the way it is today, your prospects of finding employment after graduation are a lot better than pretty much ANY other major. As for debt, I understand the concern that you don't want to take on too much, in that case look into transfering to a community college or City University to get your RN, skip the private schools that charge an arm and a leg. My final thought is that if money is the biggest objective here, you might as well quit college right now and work on marrying a rich old guy. Hopefully you're not simply after money, and as you say, you can't see yourself doing anything but nursing - so stick with it!

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You will regret it if you quit school because every major is in jeapardy by the economy. I strongly believe that in today's economy health care field has more job opportunities than any other major. And the baby boomers are going to retire in 2011, so there should be jobs available. Almost every employer requires experience and I do not agree with this at all, I do not understand how one can get any experience if experience is required when you apply for a job. I applied for a job at D & G and they require experience to be a sales associate. All you do is simple math ( add, subtract,divide, multiply) and greet the customers and offer to help if they need help. It is not rocket science. If I am capable of learning all the drugs and procedures in nursing school, I will master the sales associate job.

All I can say is do not quit nursing school, the Economy might improve; and if it doesn't what guarantees that you will have a job in another field.

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