The good old days...

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Mar 9, 2010

There IS a nursing shortage, but any job, no matter how in demand it is, will be hard to find in a bad economy. Don't lose hope, you'll find something eventually.

cokeforbreakfast · Mar 9, 2010

I am trying not to get discouraged, but it's difficult.

When I think "nursing shortage" I think "not enough nurses to fill open positions." It has been my experience this is simply not the case.

However, I will agree that if health care agencies were financially able to staff appropriately, a nursing shortage certainly would exist.

Thanks for the encouragement!

allnurses Guide · Mar 9, 2010

There IS a nursing shortage, but any job, no matter how in demand it is, will be hard to find in a bad economy. Don't lose hope, you'll find something eventually.

As a person who actually lived through prior recessions, I don't agree that this is true. 500 or more applicants for one job, that never happened. Uprooting your family and moving to a new state just for a nursing job? Asking if you can work as a CNA? Considering going back to your while-in-school job as a waitress or clerical worker because the bills aren't going away and your student loan deferrment of 9 months is over and you have no money to pay them back with? No, this is truly unprecedented.

I think that even if hospitals increased their staffing by 30% there would not be full employment of new grads. If a hospital freezes new hires and works short-staffed, it still has to maintain a core number of nurses. The percentage of turnover isn't large enough to explain such a lop-sided supply and demand situation.

cokeforbreakfast, I'm sorry you are having such a rough time after your initial enthusiasm about nursing, and if you have had your excitement chipped away at 3 months, it isn't invalidated because someone else has tried for a year. It's just bad and badder! I'm sure you already know all the standard job getting advice if you've been hanging around here, but realize your BSN is yours for your lifetime. Not to sound trite, but still. . .this too shall pass. It's OK to come here not all perky and cheery, sometimes stuff just sucks. I do really wish nursing schools could step up and develop ongoing career strategies and networking opportunities to assist alumni, or perhaps work with HR depts so that people in your predicament don't lose their eligibility for new grad programs because that 1 year has ticked by while they haven't been able to land that first job! That's adding insult to injury, imo. Best wishes to you. :)

caliotter3 · Mar 9, 2010

Gee, I was happy when I started too. Unemployment certainly takes the wind out of one's sails and the twinkle out of one's eyes.

NurseARSC · Mar 9, 2010

cokeforbreakfast what state are you in?

netglow, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2010

Coke,

Off topic, but your screen name makes me laugh. My sister is a "coke for breakfast" type. I had thought she was the only one existing :lol2:

luvRNs, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 9, 2010

Sorry about your situation, but there IS hope. I am a newly retired baby boomer, and there are MANY more following me. Add to that the fact that us boomers are aging and developing illnesses related to that.This temporary job contraction will ease, and the ensuing demand for nurseswill be unprecedented ! :yeah:

cokeforbreakfast · Mar 9, 2010

Thanks for all the great replies!

Nursel56...you make a lot of great points. I am working at a restaurant three days a week :) My nursing program did very little to prepare me for this battle. We simply touched on resumes and interviewing skills, and I wasn't worried about those. (I am 40 and have obtained almost every job I ever applied for...but how can I even get an interview when employers are holding jobs for their own employees graduating in the spring?) And this year, my school added yet another class to their nursing program. Why? Because the nursing shortage is a "given", and admission to nursing progams is so competitive. Here is what I wonder, though...if hospitals are able to function with the current staffing ratios, why would administration ever allow them to add additional staff? It truely is a business, after all. And with regard to losing new grad eligibility...this is a HUGE problem! A fellow December new grad was already rejected by one of the new grad programs created for spring graduates, on the grounds she is no longer considered a "new grad".

Caliotter3...aptly put!

NurseARSC...I'd love to tell you but I'd rather not say. By talking about this I may alienate someone, somewhere in my state, and I can't afford to do that. Sorry.

2ndWind...I love coke for breakfast. I think maybe a lot of it stems from my being a night owl...if you stay up all night, it's not so much breakfast as supper!

LuvRN's...From your mouth to the recruiter's ear. I pray it's true!

Thanks to you all everything. I think it's important for students going in to nursing programs to go in with eyes wide open. I don't believe the NCLEX pass rates at the school you are applying to are nearly as important as the employment rates of their graduates. Ask SPECIFIC questions as to how your school will prepare you for obtaining your first nursing position, and what support will be available after graduation. Talk to new graduates in the geographic area you will seek work in and ask about their job-seeking experience. And I don't think it would hurt to have a backup plan in the event you remain unemployed for a year or more. Better safe than sorry!

KyPinkRN · Mar 9, 2010

Coke,
Off topic, but your screen name makes me laugh. My sister is a "coke for breakfast" type. I had thought she was the only one existing

Me too... I like Coke so much we used it for our wedding toast instead of Champagne, not because anyone has issues with alcohol, but because we really love Coke!

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Mar 9, 2010

As a person who actually lived through prior recessions, I don't agree that this is true. 500 or more applicants for one job, that never happened. Uprooting your family and moving to a new state just for a nursing job? Asking if you can work as a CNA? Considering going back to your while-in-school job as a waitress or clerical worker because the bills aren't going away and your student loan deferrment of 9 months is over and you have no money to pay them back with? No, this is truly unprecedented.
I think that even if hospitals increased their staffing by 30% there would not be full employment of new grads. If a hospital freezes new hires and works short-staffed, it still has to maintain a core number of nurses. The percentage of turnover isn't large enough to explain such a lop-sided supply and demand situation.
cokeforbreakfast, I'm sorry you are having such a rough time after your initial enthusiasm about nursing, and if you have had your excitement chipped away at 3 months, it isn't invalidated because someone else has tried for a year. It's just bad and badder! I'm sure you already know all the standard job getting advice if you've been hanging around here, but realize your BSN is yours for your lifetime. Not to sound trite, but still. . .this too shall pass. It's OK to come here not all perky and cheery, sometimes stuff just sucks. I do really wish nursing schools could step up and develop ongoing career strategies and networking opportunities to assist alumni, or perhaps work with HR depts so that people in your predicament don't lose their eligibility for new grad programs because that 1 year has ticked by while they haven't been able to land that first job! That's adding insult to injury, imo. Best wishes to you. :)

I know my hospital had more RN jobs than we could fill before we went on a hiring freeze due to economics. When the finances are better, those, plus more from retirees, will certainly be open again.

Blackheartednurse · Mar 9, 2010

I remember when I...
...looked up everything I could find on allnurses about nursing as a career.
...tried to find information on accelerated nursing programs.
...searched for information how to pass the HESI entrance exam.
...sought tips to help me in my entrance interview.
...looked for study advice from other allnurses students.
...asked for online help with my care plans.
...cried when I got a B.
...cried when I failed a practical exam.
...was elated when elected class speaker at pinning.
...looked on allnurses for what to include in the speech.
...was jubilant when I found out I'd graduated summa.
...searched for tips to help me pass the NCLEX.
...felt triumphant when I passed the NCLEX.
Who KNEW that those were the good old days??? Why didn't I have a CLUE that was the "small stuff"?
Here I sit with my beautiful BSN, a $20,000 home equity loan, and no job in spite of three months of completing tireless applications (and only two interviews). I shouldn't complain...there are many others who have been looking a year or more, and paid more for the experience.
Buyer (or in this case, student) beware. There is no nursing shortage.

You cried because you got B??? Take it easy... :uhoh3: