No jobs for new nursing grads?! Please helppp!

LaceElaine · May 20, 2012

Wow. You've all really opened my eyes. Where I live, the recession didn't hit as hard as it did in most areas of the country. I'm not saying I don't see the aftermath all around me, it's just not as bad as everywhere else. Maybe this is partly why I was unaware of the job shortage. That, and the lies being fed to us. I see commercials for Kaplan and local community colleges advertising their nursing programs, saying how promising nursing jobs are and 95% of graduates have found jobs upon graduation. This is really disappointing. I'm thankful that I came across this thread!

leenak · May 20, 2012

The recession actually didn't hit my area that hard either (luckily). Nurses though still have some trouble getting full time jobs though. We have a bunch of nursing schools though.

cljonesfuturenurse · May 20, 2012

I'm sorry but this applies to pretty much any field you go into now. So please don't let that discourage you. I have a Bachelors degree in another field from two years ago and I still hadn't found a job in that field. Thank God I had a decent job already. Needless to say I am still employed there.

I definitely didn't let if discourage me. I have an interview for a job tomorrow that could change everything for me. I am glad that I have that education because if I never had it, I wouldn't even be considered for this job. I will still pursue nursing because of my passion for healthcare.

If you are truly passionate about something, keep pushing forward. Everything will eventually fall into place. There is no nursing shortage in my city!

IEDave, ASN, CNA, LVN · May 20, 2012

My dream is to become a nurse but whats bringing me down is that I have been hearing that there are no nursing jobs and not many hospitals wants to hire new nurse grads. I'm so scared and I am now reconsidering nursing. What about nurse practitioners? Are there no jobs for NP's either? I'm only in high school right now and I REALLY want to be a nurse, specifically Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Should I still go for it? Thanks SO much.

My :twocents: on the subject - first, yeah the job market for new grad nurses is pretty tough right now especially compared to the job market of 2005-2006 ("We'll give you a house! We'll have your children for you! Please, please, PLEASE come work for us!!!" - and, sadly, that's not much of an exaggeration). But - let's hop in the wayback machine for a bit & go back to September, 2007. Nobody really is aware as to how bad, bad is going to get - so, you decide to plunk some coin down & go for that BSN. Fast forward 1 year - you're chugging along on your BSN path, and the US economy has hit a brick wall; like most students you're only peripherally aware of what's going on, but you notice the student body is getting really big all of a sudden, and maybe getting into prereq classes is getting tough. Hop ahead 1 more year - the school's REALLY getting crowded, registration's turning into a nightmare and your tuition's heading up there; but, you're still confident that the same ol' "we'll hire you - PLEASE come work for us" still applies. Zip ahead 1 more year - you passed your NCLEX, you're pinned & ready, and it's - June of 2011. You have a slight advantage because you got in early, but you never did any CNA work, no practical experience in the field, and the economy is JUST getting to the point where the CNA jobs are starting to come back. Hence, no work to be had for a newly minted RN; and, worse, you're overqualified for the jobs that ARE available.

Multiply that times all the people that panicked along about September, 2008 to now, and that's what we've got - huge numbers of recently trained and inexperienced nurses that're saturating the job market.

So - the good news? First, a lot of those people that hit the panic button are likely to bail on nursing once they figure out that, in this line of work the phrase "blood, sweat & tears" isn't just a catchy name for a 60's jazz-rock band - it's the reality of the nursing profession. Second, fast forward 4 years from now - oscillations in free-market economies are normal (so far I've been through about 6 of 'em) and we're into recovery mode - slow, painful, and with a lot of snarlin' & snappin' - but, it's getting better. Thank Ghod (mis-spelling intentional). Third - historically, education is nearly always a wise investment, provided that you actually make use of it.

My points? First - Kaplan, ITT, DeVry, et.al.; they're not really lying so much as they're just selling product, and they've been doing that for years - "caveat emptor" still applies, just like it does with peanut butter. Second - a career path in nursing is still a viable option, so long as you're willing to accept the less pleasant realities of the profession; not a lot of glamour, lots of hard work, and sometimes it can get pretty toxic. Third - my take is that starting on a BSN/PNP right now is a pretty wise move, but I'd really recommend you either volunteer at a hospital or do some work as a CNA before you decide for sure, 'cause it's not for everyone. See the reality first-hand; then, decide.

Take care,

Dave, CNA

Chaotic94 · May 21, 2012

Wow! This topic has definitely been informative. I'm in Arizona and I'm bilingual so I am hoping that will make it easier to find a job once I graduate since there's a lot of Spanish-speaking people in Arizona. I am applying to the bilingual program here which has a wait list of only a semester as opposed to the regular 2 years at the rest of the community colleges. The reason for that is that they say they desperately need bilingual nurses here, but now I'm wondering whether that's even true or not. My plan is to get my BSN right after my associates so maybe that and being bilingual will benefit me in this job market. It's definitely scary to think that once we graduate, we won't have offers lining up as advisors tell us!

chriskelly · May 21, 2012

My on the subject - first, yeah the job market for new grad nurses is pretty tough right now especially compared to the job market of 2005-2006 ("We'll give you a house! We'll have your children for you! Please, please, PLEASE come work for us!!!" - and, sadly, that's not much of an exaggeration). But - let's hop in the wayback machine for a bit & go back to September, 2007. Nobody really is aware as to how bad, bad is going to get - so, you decide to plunk some coin down & go for that BSN. Fast forward 1 year - you're chugging along on your BSN path, and the US economy has hit a brick wall; like most students you're only peripherally aware of what's going on, but you notice the student body is getting really big all of a sudden, and maybe getting into prereq classes is getting tough. Hop ahead 1 more year - the school's REALLY getting crowded, registration's turning into a nightmare and your tuition's heading up there; but, you're still confident that the same ol' "we'll hire you - PLEASE come work for us" still applies. Zip ahead 1 more year - you passed your NCLEX, you're pinned & ready, and it's - June of 2011. You have a slight advantage because you got in early, but you never did any CNA work, no practical experience in the field, and the economy is JUST getting to the point where the CNA jobs are starting to come back. Hence, no work to be had for a newly minted RN; and, worse, you're overqualified for the jobs that ARE available.
Multiply that times all the people that panicked along about September, 2008 to now, and that's what we've got - huge numbers of recently trained and inexperienced nurses that're saturating the job market.
So - the good news? First, a lot of those people that hit the panic button are likely to bail on nursing once they figure out that, in this line of work the phrase "blood, sweat & tears" isn't just a catchy name for a 60's jazz-rock band - it's the reality of the nursing profession. Second, fast forward 4 years from now - oscillations in free-market economies are normal (so far I've been through about 6 of 'em) and we're into recovery mode - slow, painful, and with a lot of snarlin' & snappin' - but, it's getting better. Thank Ghod (mis-spelling intentional). Third - historically, education is nearly always a wise investment, provided that you actually make use of it.
My points? First - Kaplan, ITT, DeVry, et.al.; they're not really lying so much as they're just selling product, and they've been doing that for years - "caveat emptor" still applies, just like it does with peanut butter. Second - a career path in nursing is still a viable option, so long as you're willing to accept the less pleasant realities of the profession; not a lot of glamour, lots of hard work, and sometimes it can get pretty toxic. Third - my take is that starting on a BSN/PNP right now is a pretty wise move, but I'd really recommend you either volunteer at a hospital or do some work as a CNA before you decide for sure, 'cause it's not for everyone. See the reality first-hand; then, decide.
Take care,
Dave, CNA

Someone will be writing a book about this someday, and you’ve got a headstart. :)

Merlyn · May 21, 2012

Even though the job market is tight, no reason to panic. Just kept sending you applications out. Some where some day you will get a job. The hard thing is to wait for one to come around. You might get lucky and get one right away or have to wait for a while.

futurenurse97 · May 27, 2012

Should I still go for nursing even if there are hardly any jobs? Lots of people say that it will only get worse, not better. Please help! I still don't know. Someone please encourage me. Nursing is really what I want to do but this problem is putting me down. I want to be able to find a job right out of nursing school and not loose my skills from not having a job and all. Help?

loriangel14, RN · May 27, 2012

No one has a chrystal ball and can tell you what the job market will be like years down the road.

Merlyn · May 27, 2012

Should I still go for nursing even if there are hardly any jobs? Lots of people say that it will only get worse, not better. Please help! I still don't know. Someone please encourage me. Nursing is really what I want to do but this problem is putting me down. I want to be able to find a job right out of nursing school and not loose my skills from not having a job and all. Help?

Maybe you will find a job out of Nursing School and maybe you wouldn't . Should you go to Nursing school because there are no jobs. Are Acting Schools empty because there are no jobs? Life is a gamble. If you want to be a Nurse go for it. As my old Aunt Rose said when my father came into the house one hot August day,to find her sitting in the Living Rm all deck out for winter. My Father said "Aunt Rose it's summer. It's Not going to snow." Aunt Rose look at him and said, "You never know."

HM-8404, BSN, RN · May 28, 2012

One way to determine the "job shortage" is to look on your local hospital's job sites and see how many RN jobs they have posted at any given time. When I first joined the Navy there were dozens of job postings for RN's where the hospitals wold pay off your student loans or pay you a sign on bonus if you came to work for them. Those are long gone in my area now.

This job market is like any other, it has its highs and lows. Like stated previously the economy has really helped clear out the nursing shortage. Those that were expected to retire now can't afford to due to their 401K taking a hit or perhaps a spouse lost their job. They are now having to continue working or go from part-time to full-time positions.

Things can drastically change in the next 3-4 years though.

VioletaRockos · May 28, 2012

My advice to you is to get a nursing assistant job at a local hospital close to your college. Those hospitals want students as aides because they will already know how their systems work and will hire you in a heart beat if you make a good impression on your manager.

Another option is to make friends with your clinical instructors throughout your nursing student career. You'll be working at a variety of hospitals, and by the time you're a senior (if you are working your way through a BSN program), manager will notice your enthusiasm and hire you then. This is what happened to me. I had my senior practicum for 6 months at a hospital twice a week, the staff loved me and put a good word to the manager, and I was offered a position 2 months before I graduated!

It's all about connections. Show you love what you do, act enthusiastic, work hard, make friends, and there will be jobs open. Build upon a solid Medical-Surgical knowledge based when you first graduate, and take it from there.