Jobs are very hard to get, with 300 or more applicants for each position at some places. It can take years to get your first nursing job. So, if the school is selling you the idea that your going into a "guaranteed" job, your not.
There are thousands and thousands of unemployed new grad licensed nurses who are scrambling to get a job, and the hospitals are upping their standards every day, almost all flat out tell you not to apply if your a new grad, some say if your a new grad only apply if you have a BSN and a 3.5 GPA or better. Almost all positions all the way down the the lowly LTC centers are requiring BSN degrees, and even home health care wont touch you if you don't have 1 year of acute experience, which you cant get unless you have a BSN with a 3.5 average.
If you do not believe what I am saying, then Google "No nursing jobs" and take a look at what people are saying.
That being said, if you still willing to go into nursing, spend years in the most stressful program and then not be able to obtain work when your finished, then god bless you.
Sorry for wanting to open some peoples eyes to the reality of the situation. I wish someone would have told me the truth before I went into nursing school, and I would have done something else.
I am just the messenger, so don't bite my head off if you don't like the message. If you spent any time at all researching it you would see that what I am saying is true, it has nothing to do with who you know, what you did, or who your momma is.
I'm not being toxic, I'm not being negative, I am just presenting the truth as it stands.
With only about 6 people from my graduating class of 60 employed, I think things are worse now then they were last year when they did this survey. Take it however you want it, but at least you have been warned about the state of things, and when you graduate and your eyes are opened, don't say no one ever told you.
This is the reality of the labor market as a whole in 2011, and its not confined to this profession. You say that you are "opening people's eyes" by pointing out that there is a recession and more applicants than jobs in this field, but there are more applicants than jobs in EVERY field right now.
Sorry for wanting to open some peoples eyes to the reality of the situation. I wish someone would have told me the truth before I went into nursing school, and I would have done something else.
I am just the messenger, so don't bite my head off if you don't like the message. If you spent any time at all researching it you would see that what I am saying is true, it has nothing to do with who you know, what you did, or who your momma is.
I'm not being toxic, I'm not being negative, I am just presenting the truth as it stands.
With only about 6 people from my graduating class of 60 employed, I think things are worse now then they were last year when they did this survey. Take it however you want it, but at least you have been warned about the state of things, and when you graduate and your eyes are opened, don't say no one ever told you.
That's just it though - what you're spouting is not the reality everywhere. I graduated in December and I'm already working for two facilities (with nothing more than an Associate's ). 90% of my graduating class is employed, or were employed before graduation. I guess your research should probably extend outside your immediate area if you want to claim to be presenting the "truth". Give it some time, most other professions are in a slump right now too, not just nursing.
ok...and like some of us JUST SAID its not like that in our areas! i look at the hospital RN openings every day...and every day there are a few specialized areas that require experirence..but for hte most part...no experience required.
I have 2 teaching hospitals within 70 miles of me...one takes on student nurses and pays for their RN in exchange for 1 year of work.... the other takes on an average of 70 BSN prepared nurses into a nurse residency program... 2 other hospitals 50 miles from me has on average 20 openings that do not require any experience...that is just the hospitals...thats not counting the clinics/home health/ltc/surgery centers..ect.
it really pays for people to do their homework on the job outlook...but you also need to realize..its just not like that everywhere.
So what would you suggest people do? Sit around and do nothing? Name me one field that is aggressively hiring and you feel people should pursue! While the unemployment rate is incredibly high, you can either feel sorry for yourself and get left behind or you can suck it up, go to school and further your education-preferably in a relevant field-and start working your way into a position that won't get phased out or outsourced.
I'm sorry you can't find a job, but that's no reason to come onto a pre-nursing board where we've worked our a$$es off for years for this opportunity and basically try to make everyone feel as bad as you do. You'll find a job. It may not be what you thought it'd be, but you WILL eventually find a job.
interesting article. Just curious... for those that responded that their classmates have no problems finding jobs what state are you in. It seems like the new york area has been pretty saturated but there are quite a few programs in the area, so maybe that's the cause?
I am in the process of taking prerequistes and figuring out which accelerated programs I want to apply to and the cost of some of the private programs are astronomical. $100,000 debt for a nursing degree (thinking of Hopkins/NYU/Yale, etc..) yikes !!!
That is the "truth" is that only 18% of the sample population actually responded to this survey.
And out of those, 46% said they weren't employed, but only 63% of those said they couldn't find jobs b/c they were a new grad - it says others were not looking, waiting for test results, etc. 63% of 46% is only 29% of those surveyed that said they couldn't find jobs b/c they were a new grad.
I also see that you're in California Isis, which is unfortunately, one of the worse parts of the country as far as jobs go right now.
I'm in N. Texas and I've heard from other new grads that it's been more difficult to find a job than in previous years, but not impossible. My cousin is in her final semester of NS and already has a job at a hospital, she has no experience, doesn't know anyone special and has only an ASN, not a BSN. She said about 80% of her class have jobs already, and that yes, it was more competitive to get them and she didn't end up where she wanted (a larger, inner-city, level IV trauma hospital) but she got something great and is sticking with it for now.
Ehh sort of true. It is really ignorant and naive when SOME people believe that as a nurse, you are guaranteed to get job security with good pay. Because right now that is obviously not true. But there is no need to discourage others from pursuing their dreams either!
I also see that you're in California Isis, which is unfortunately, one of the worse parts of the country as far as jobs go right now.
I'm in N. Texas and I've heard from other new grads that it's been more difficult to find a job than in previous years, but not impossible. My cousin is in her final semester of NS and already has a job at a hospital, she has no experience, doesn't know anyone special and has only an ASN, not a BSN. She said about 80% of her class have jobs already, and that yes, it was more competitive to get them and she didn't end up where she wanted (a larger, inner-city, level IV trauma hospital) but she got something great and is sticking with it for now.
I am orginally from texas and was thinking about the accelerated programs in Houston as well. Have you heard about the job market being poor for new grads in say Dallas/ Houston?
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). 90% of my graduating class is employed, or were employed before graduation. I guess your research should probably extend outside your immediate area if you want to claim to be presenting the "truth". Give it some time, most other professions are in a slump right now too, not just nursing.
2011NursingStudent
346 Posts
This is the reality of the labor market as a whole in 2011, and its not confined to this profession. You say that you are "opening people's eyes" by pointing out that there is a recession and more applicants than jobs in this field, but there are more applicants than jobs in EVERY field right now.