So, has hiring picked up for everyone else??

prinsessa · May 6, 2010

You are not alone! It had been over one year since I have been looking for a job. I have also done all of the above. It seems like there are actually less jobs now than there were 6 months ago. Now I have to compete with the newer new grads. Who wants a rusty, unexperienced, old grad? People keep telling me it will happen but when will that be? 2 months from now? 2 years from now? 20 years from now? I feel like I wasted thousands of $$ and years of my life for nothing. I know you already said it but this sucks!!!! And when anyone on facebook complains about having to work I feel like telling them to shut up and consider themselves lucky. I think I am becoming bitter and mean! LOL

hernaRN · May 6, 2010

you are most definitely not alone... i have applied and reapplied everywhere. i even applied for an application in another state because i cannot take it anymore. the part that gets me the most upset is when people who know nothing about the profession and what is happening act surprised that i have not found a job and say "but i thought nurses are in demand". The closing of hospitals in NYC doesnt help one bit.

linRdsNay · May 6, 2010

you are definitely not alone. The job market in California is equally horrible. I haven't even seen a job to apply to in the bay area in over 6 months. It's so discouraging applying to jobs in an industry that wants nothing to do with you. I've even applied to positions in my previous line of work with no responses. I'm at a loss as to what to do with myself at this point. I feel like I get dumber and dumber with each passing day.....sigh...

SCSTxRN · May 6, 2010

Come to Texas. The jobs, at least in my area, appear to be plentiful and interesting, and (at least in my area) the cost of living is relatively low.

aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN · May 6, 2010

I think what has helped me is that I know people inside two of the major hospitals and got scholarships with a work commitment from one of them so they work very hard to place us new grads. We get priority over other new grads applying who either do not work there already or have not gotten scholarships from them.

I was very leery when I took the scholarship but now I'm so glad I did!

Bobbkat · May 6, 2010

If I were single, had no child, and had not recently relocated 800 miles away from home to New England, I would be there in a heartbeat. As it is, my husband has a great job were we are, so unless I want to live hundreds of miles away from my family, relocation just isn't possible. I have considered it, but my husband and I lived 800 miles apart for a year and a half though and JUST got under the same roof again. I am so done with that.

Bobbkat · May 6, 2010

It really stinks too, because when we were deciding whether to move out here, husbands company flew us out here and had a big reception with community representatives present. When the hospital reps found out I was in nursing school they were literally chasing me around the room and shoving cards into my hand promising a job once I graduated. Of course I realize 'promise' doesn't actually mean I had an actual job secured, but now the same recruiters won't give me the time of day. It's like I have to plague or something. Geez, what a difference 2 years make.

Anne36, LPN · May 7, 2010

2 years has made a dramatic difference in my life as well. No jobs here in Michigan either from what I have read. When I first started taking classes 3 years ago, I had planned on paying for Nursing School in part with the sign on bonuses I saw advertised all over. There were lots of ads for nurses and bonuses to boot. Now there is almost nothing. I also had planned on using the No Worker Left Behind money that our state was advertising like mad. That money has since dried up.

The father of my 3 kids is an engineer and been out of work here for a year and a half.

kangamangus · May 7, 2010

I'm right there with you and yes I live in New England where you can't even get a job at a facility that has no DON and a criminal record:banghead: Never mind a nice reputable hospital....I feel your frustration and too have wondered why did I go to school for all of this? To have a degree with no job? It really bites.

Bobbkat · May 7, 2010

No jobs here in Michigan either from what I have read.

I moved from Michigan. I stayed behind there for a year and a half to finish school, while husband moved out to Connecticut. Ironically enough despite the fact that the unemployment stats are so much worse there, if we had stayed in Michigan I would have a job. The hiring manager on the unit I precepted on offered me one, and I know a few hiring managers that told me that if I am interested in working in Michigan they would let me know when they are posting a position so I could interview.

Out in Connecticut though I know NO ONE. It's aggravating that the only way to get a job is to know someone.

Bobbkat · May 7, 2010

Ann36, I don't know what part of MI you are in, or what area of nursing you are looking into, but if you are interested at all in peds, keep your eye on U of M. The new Mott will be opening next year, and as units are being finished, they will start transitioning earlier. I have a tip that the NICU will most likely need to hire a lot of new nurses, though that may not happen for a year. So if you can wait it out for 6-12 months, you may be able to land something in Ann Arbor. (I know, I know...we'd all like something NOW, but it's the best I can do).

Also, with the DMC being bought out I've heard (although I don't have first hand knowledge) that they will be expanding hiring also. I don't know if that has happened yet, but keep an eye on it. I know that a lot of my classmates landed jobs there after graduation in December. It's sad....I'm pretty much the only one of my classmates that doesn't have a job yet. ARGH! I wish we hadn't have had to move!

Good luck!