SHORTAGE OF NURSES

caliotter3 · May 5, 2015

I live in Texas & it's not so bad. Ok. It sucks. The highs are already in the high 80s. But I'm not worried about landing a job when I get my RN.

I've lived in TX, but that was decades ago when I was young and had not suffered a severe heat injury. I would not willingly go back now. I remember the air conditioner at my humble abode breaking back then in the middle of the heat season. Oh, boy!

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · May 7, 2015

I regret that I may sound naive, but the BSN program I'm currently scheduled to attend has indicated that they have a 95% (or somewhere in the 90% range) job placement rate within 3 months of graduation. I checked and the statistics they compiled was for Nursing jobs not just mere employment. I was skeptical still and then found that the accrediting bodies hadn't found any cause to disagree with that statement (Denver School of Nursing).
At any rate, the main reason I'm relocating is because I live in SF Bay, and I'm almost entirely sure there isn't a more inhospitable location for Nursing grads in America than this place... Not only that, but a decent sized VA Hospital is scheduled to open in Denver when I graduate, and as a disabled vet I think I should have a decent shot at getting work there.
I'm not posting this to brag or anything stupid like that... Just posting my plans here b/c I have a dearth of knowledge when it comes to getting employment after graduation, and if anyone can poke holes in my plans I would welcome it. I'd much rather change my plans now than 2 years from now with my GI Bill run out!

Ummm...as noted on another thread DSN only has an 80% NCLEX pass rate, and that means that 20% (or roughly 50 students) of every recent graduating class fail NCLEX. How do you suppose that 95% get nursing jobs when only 80% actually BECOME nurses??

Also, you probably are going to want to find out WHERE these students get nursing jobs! Pretty sure that there are not a whole lot of them in hospitals-at least not as new grads! I am betting that they are working in SNFs and LTCs (which is cool if you are satisfied with that, but it doesn't sound like what you want).

Some metro area hospitals won't talk to a new grad at all. Others are somewhat new grad friendly, Swedish seems to hire the most....they hired me and a large handful of my classmates, during orientation with a bunch of other new grads, we all got to talking about school. Not ONE DSN grad was with us! All Regis and CU.

You want more holes poked? DSN: Clinicals Homepage Go to this web page, call them, ask where most of your clinicals will be. This is VERY important, because networking and making an impression during a clinical is your best bet to getting a job. I have heard that most clinicals at DSN are NOT at hospitals. Look into it and make your decision based on facts and not advertising hype!

One more hole. When you do call DSN about clinicals, ask if they participate in REVA. The REVA program is where you apply, and if chosen you do all your clinicals except OB and Peds at the VA. if you are successful in your program, you are pretty much guaranteed a new grad nursing job at the VA. ONLY REVA students are hired at the Denver VA as new grad nurses. No exceptions made for disabled vets or anyone else. One of my classmates is a disabled vet, she did not apply for REVA and was told when she inquired after grad that ONLY REVA students get hired. And (at least in 2014 when I graduated) only Regis was contracted for REVA. being a disabled vet will not under any circumstances get you a VA job!! Oh, by the way, that new VA hospital may never open, but that's a whole other post :-) As RNsRWe said, VALOR is a great program to help get your foot in the door, but at the Denver VA, you have to be a REVA student to get into VALOR. 6 of my classmates did REVA, only one choose to do VALOR, they all had jobs when they passed NCLEX at the VA and they were (as stated) the only new grads at the Denver VA.

NICUmiiki, DNP, NP · May 7, 2015

Where I live (don't ask me please), it is not hard to get a job as a new grad. Those without a job at graduation will be in the minority. I won't speak of the actual supply/demand in my area though.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · May 8, 2015

Why dangle the carrot? Better off to just keep your juicy little tidbit of information to yourself instead of "nana nana boo booing" those who are truly interested in knowing where they might have a shot as a new grad!

Where I live (don't ask me please), it is not hard to get a job as a new grad. Those without a job at graduation will be in the minority. I won't speak of the actual supply/demand in my area though.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · May 8, 2015

Why dangle the carrot? Better off to just keep your juicy little tidbit of information to yourself instead of "nana nana boo booing" those who are truly interested in knowing where they might have a shot as a new grad!

Well....in fairness, I read it as "there really are jobs out there, I know of areas that have a demand"....rather than dangling a carrot. Just sayin'.

NICUmiiki, DNP, NP · May 11, 2015

Why dangle the carrot? Better off to just keep your juicy little tidbit of information to yourself instead of "nana nana boo booing" those who are truly interested in knowing where they might have a shot as a new grad!

Sorry, I didn't mean it in an "dangling the carrot" type of way. It was just anecdotal evidence of jobs for new grads actually existing.

MegGusta · May 26, 2015

At this moment in time, it seems as though the job market is absolutely flooded with young nurses. However, we have yet to see the majority of our "baby boomers" retire and leave their nursing posts and enter ALFs and hospitals. Give it a few more years and you will see the shift in the job market.

As for the reason the saying is out there now, I believe it is part prediction of the aforementioned population shift and also due in part to the under-staffing in hospitals. Go to any hospital and you will feel as though there are never enough nurses to make things efficient. There are enough, they just aren't being hired due to cutbacks. Our economy is pretty rough right now. Time of change = times of struggle in the economy, I guess.

Besides, nurses can work in many more capacities than just hospitals. I myself plan to combine my nursing degree with public health in the future. 'Tis my passion :)