UDM - 100% of new grads have jobs?

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I've been looking into several ABSN programs and noticed the following statistic on the UDM website: "100% of UDM nursing graduates have jobs upon graduation or are enrolled in graduate school".

100%? For those of you who go to or have graduated from UDM, is this true?? It's really hard to believe since so many posts from new grads on this site talk about not being able to find a job after almost a year of graduating. On the other hand, I can't imagine a school posting something like that on their site if it's an outright lie.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU.

I'm a recent UDM grad.

They've had that on their website for a while. I think it just hasn't been updated in a while. They're not out to "lure" people into the program. There are planty of applicants.

Everyone who started the program with me (with the exception of one person who is yet to test) passed their NCLEX on the frist attempt. That's a pretty big deal.

Five people went directly into ICU jobs, 3 into ED, and 2 into stepdowns and 1 in OR. Most people had jobs within a few months. A few are still looking.

In general, UDM grads seem to do pretty well. Some hosptial systems seem to take a number of us, but for the most part we have a presence in most area hospitals.

If you choose UDM I wold expect you to find employment fairly quickly once you're licensed. Good Luck.

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Hi There!

I am a graduate from the May ABSN program. Only a handful of us currently have jobs including myself, I can't speak on the status of grad school considering we graduated last month. I would not credit nor discredit this reasoning based on the university, but rather the students ability to be proactive in their job search. I have found that a semester makes a world of difference in the percentage of jobs available to newer graduates. Majority of the students that have jobs knew someone that worked in the hospital, the rest were aggressive in their job search and were realistic in knowing that jobs were not going to be handed to us right after we walked out of school. In addition, only 2 ppl received actual job offers during preceptorship and only 1 position was full- time. My advice begin applying for externships now!, this will guarantee a job after graduation, I hate to use the word guarantee, but realistically I believe it will bc hospitals already invest money into you and want to keep you after graduation and you can be selective in what area you want to work in. I have yet to meet an extern that graduated without a job, they are much different than PCA's and Nursing Assistants. Many ppl have the impression they can be selective of what hospital and unit they want and those are the ones left searching with everyone else. Have an open mind and be aggressive because it's very competitive and there is a strong possibility that you will sacrifice a lot in the program and may not have a job when you are done. Accept anything, anywhere as long as it's in a hospital, my motto is, the position I really want will be waiting next year. I credit GOD and allnurses.com for my job because they tell you what the media won't, these are real nurses living in the field you are going to kill yourself trying to enter. Best of Luck.

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Thanks for your input! I've read a lot of good things about UDM, but haven't come across a post talking about how new grads are doing in the job market, so I was surprised to see that statistic on their site. It's really great to hear that most are doing very well.

Congratulations on completing the program and getting a job! Hopefully I'll be there soon as well.

I'm a recent UDM grad.

They've had that on their website for a while. I think it just hasn't been updated in a while. They're not out to "lure" people into the program. There are planty of applicants.

Everyone who started the program with me (with the exception of one person who is yet to test) passed their NCLEX on the frist attempt. That's a pretty big deal.

Five people went directly into ICU jobs, 3 into ED, and 2 into stepdowns and 1 in OR. Most people had jobs within a few months. A few are still looking.

In general, UDM grads seem to do pretty well. Some hosptial systems seem to take a number of us, but for the most part we have a presence in most area hospitals.

If you choose UDM I wold expect you to find employment fairly quickly once you're licensed. Good Luck.

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Thanks for your post! I have so many questions now! I hope you don't mind...

1) When did most people apply and start their externships? I heard the accelerated program is really intense, so I'm guessing that students didn't start their externships until after they graduated?

2) I started looking around and it seems most externships are during summer. If so, does this mean that only the May group was able to apply for these programs (unless some of the January group waited six months to start)?

3) Is there an advantage or disadvantage between starting in January or May?

4) When you say that some were aggressive in their job search, does this include walking onto the floor that they wanted to work in and handing the nurse manager their resume? I've read a lot of people on this site suggest that and I'm just curious to hear if it's worked. In the field I work in now, if someone went over HR and tried to drop in on a manager, that would be really unprofessional. Their resume would probably go in the trash. So I guess I'm also curious about what being aggressive and proactive is in the nursing world.

Hi There!

I am a graduate from the May ABSN program. Only a handful of us currently have jobs including myself, I can't speak on the status of grad school considering we graduated last month. I would not credit nor discredit this reasoning based on the university, but rather the students ability to be proactive in their job search. I have found that a semester makes a world of difference in the percentage of jobs available to newer graduates. Majority of the students that have jobs knew someone that worked in the hospital, the rest were aggressive in their job search and were realistic in knowing that jobs were not going to be handed to us right after we walked out of school. In addition, only 2 ppl received actual job offers during preceptorship and only 1 position was full- time. My advice begin applying for externships now!, this will guarantee a job after graduation, I hate to use the word guarantee, but realistically I believe it will bc hospitals already invest money into you and want to keep you after graduation and you can be selective in what area you want to work in. I have yet to meet an extern that graduated without a job, they are much different than PCA's and Nursing Assistants. Many ppl have the impression they can be selective of what hospital and unit they want and those are the ones left searching with everyone else. Have an open mind and be aggressive because it's very competitive and there is a strong possibility that you will sacrifice a lot in the program and may not have a job when you are done. Accept anything, anywhere as long as it's in a hospital, my motto is, the position I really want will be waiting next year. I credit GOD and allnurses.com for my job because they tell you what the media won't, these are real nurses living in the field you are going to kill yourself trying to enter. Best of Luck.

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Hi There!

I am a graduate from the May ABSN program. Only a handful of us currently have jobs including myself, I can't speak on the status of grad school considering we graduated last month. I would not credit nor discredit this reasoning based on the university, but rather the students ability to be proactive in their job search. I have found that a semester makes a world of difference in the percentage of jobs available to newer graduates. Majority of the students that have jobs knew someone that worked in the hospital, the rest were aggressive in their job search and were realistic in knowing that jobs were not going to be handed to us right after we walked out of school. In addition, only 2 ppl received actual job offers during preceptorship and only 1 position was full- time. My advice begin applying for externships now!, this will guarantee a job after graduation, I hate to use the word guarantee, but realistically I believe it will bc hospitals already invest money into you and want to keep you after graduation and you can be selective in what area you want to work in. I have yet to meet an extern that graduated without a job, they are much different than PCA's and Nursing Assistants. Many ppl have the impression they can be selective of what hospital and unit they want and those are the ones left searching with everyone else. Have an open mind and be aggressive because it's very competitive and there is a strong possibility that you will sacrifice a lot in the program and may not have a job when you are done. Accept anything, anywhere as long as it's in a hospital, my motto is, the position I really want will be waiting next year. I credit GOD and allnurses.com for my job because they tell you what the media won't, these are real nurses living in the field you are going to kill yourself trying to enter. Best of Luck.

I know MANY nurse techs/externs/etc that have not been hired by their hospitals in the past year, and many current students in those positions that have been told that their is a good chance that they will not have a position when they graduate. Unfortunately it is not longer a guarantee. It still helps, but don't get your hopes up!

I have a position like this and I know my manager is ready to help me all she can when I graduate...but she just told me yesterday how horrible things are right now and that she will let me to continue to work as a tech after graduation if I can't find a job....that doesn't give me much hope!

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A4L4S,

I am very sorry you are not having as much success as the externs that I have run across, but that is why I empahsized that I did not like to use the word guarantee.Honestly, I am speaking on the major hospitals that I have worked for and had clinicals at and they did place ALL of their externs that were graduating. Thats not to say that this will change in the future, the major institutions make it a point to hire their externs 1st before hiring outside the system. Again, I am speaking on externships, not nursing assistant positions/ PCA's because I have seen many in those positions that have dedicated years and not come out with a job and I have seen externs that have only dedicated a few months that have a job upon graduation. Not to mention, all of the externs were placed in specialty areas, none in M/S. The major facilities that I have seen this success is at UMH, SJM, and DMC. Hope that helps.

Calt,

To answer your question, when I say aggressive, I mean let people know you want a job and say it! Build a relationship with your instructors because they can and will help you. Keep track of the nurse managers on the units you did your clinicals and introduce yoursel. Don't wait til your preceptorship to begin building relationships because you could end up on a dead end unit/ shift, meaning there is no job opportunities available. Embrace med-surg because this is an area that no one wants, but will let them know that you are willing to learn and start from the bottom and HR loves it! Focus on completing the program and obtaining a job. Nursing is an aggressive field and you will learn that they will respect you ability to vocalize your desire to work for their institution versus those students that are more passive. Start applying for hospital positions now! Especially extern because they work around your school schedule and your 3rd semester is a piece of cake. By the time you graduate, there may be more jobs/ jobs will have dried up even more. Either way be prepared. BTW, I don't think either semester makes a difference just sale yourself. I know of ADN grads that have jobs and started from the outside like everyone else, but they were more aggressive and less selective in their approach than many of the BSN grads that I know. Best of Luck

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I know what you meant...I am not talking about PCAs and Nursing assistants. I am talking about people who have gone through the St Johns nurse extern program and having been working as Nurse techs for over a year, and have been told that they will probably not be hired due to the current economic situation. I also know that many hospitals in the DMC have hired less than 50% of their Student Nurse Associates (most I know are from UDM). That's not a good situation.

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A4L4S,

I had a slight impression that was the system you were speaking of. I am not familiar with their interns, but I have had a clinical rotation there and know others that have also and I have not heard good things overall about the healthcare system. I understand your frustration, believe me I do. Considering they are a pretty big system they should be able to place in a unit/ hospital other than your own. I find it hard to believe that there were no jobs available to place the DMC externs, again we have to factor in people being selective of where and what type of unit they want to work in and overall job performance. DMC is a huge facility and they are one of few hospitals that were hiring new grads out of school. This is the only method I have seen successful for many new grads is an externship. The systems I named above really embrace their externs and make it a point to hire them upon graduation and place them on a unit they desire and I have to have a high respect for them considering the economic crisis we are in and the opportunities new graduates are missing because of this. If I were you I would join one of the health systems I named above, I think you would have much more success considering your experience. Best of Luck!

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