Unemployed Associates and Bachelors RNs

[Info(RN)matics]

Fox News followed up on a report by Forbes Magazine as if to validate the story that nursing continues to be a lucrative, recession-proof job. Personally, I think this just serves to mislead high school graduates, career-changers, and those unemployed by the recession to spend large amounts of money on getting a nursing degree, and then regret it when they can't find jobs on graduation! Nursing students spend stupendous amounts of time and money on their degrees. This money may either be sourced from long years of savings or from student loans. Time is diverted from family and fun activities to serious studying and sharpening skills.

Impeccable GPAs achieved, coveted internships and externships completed, graduated, licensed, job applications sent - so far so good. The glitch lies after the fact... no jobs for new graduate RNs. The few jobs that present themselves usually have some catch - poor staffing ratios, low hourly pay, unsafe working conditions, nursing area unrelated to area of interest, contracted employment commitment... there's usually something wrong. When all is said and done, there are no jobs and no backup resources - only shattered dreams, wasted time, effort, and resources, and regrets. Big-time regrets!

If people need to find out what the nursing scene really looks like, they need to talk to nurses and nursing management - they need to talk to the struggling new graduates on the verge of desperation. This is a sounding board for all of you nurses out there who would like to share your own stories or stories of nurses who are friends or family. We need to give the nursing aspirants a chance... a chance to evaluate their career choice - especially, if the choice was made made based on the attractive compensation package and job-security nursing was known to offer at one point in time.

Please share your stories by posting comments in response to the post HERE!

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[nursel56]

I think there needs to be more education focused around nursing students into how to properly search for jobs, and what they can do while in the nursing program to maximize their chances.

There are plenty of volunteer and work study programs available among VA's, hospitals, free clinics, ect. that students can take advantage of - and in the end you develop the networking skills required to find work in the current economic environment.

I've seen students as naive as to think they will be offered jobs while in the RN program simply because there's a shortage - likes Hospitals actively go to classes and seek out employee's.

This kind of dis-information has to stop, a higher standard needs to be held by the instructing faculty, and it needs to be stressed that going that extra mile while in your studies will pay off in long term benefit for employment.

A lot of people don't want to volunteer their time and work for free while they're in training, tough. If you want to stand out in an unemployment crisis, you need to get that extra leg work put in. It's not easy, and I partially blame a lack education in respects to what it takes to really make it in today's job environment on that fact.

Imagine what an extra 2 unit course based around how to find gainful employment would do to help kids that have never worked a job in their life. Make it mandatory somewhere along the lines in obtaining a degree. This isn't the Clinton era anymore, jobs aren't just floating left and right. When you've got 10 year veteran nurses out of work, you can expect it to really suck with a zero experience resume.

Your reference to the Clinton era made me smile. I graduated in the Ford era-- back then (I'm not trying to make you guys feel worse, really!) nursing jobs were not even in the regular "Classified" section. There were so many of them, they had to create an entire new section of the paper! Hospitals regularly bought full pages, offering cruises! Sign on bonuses! Motorcars!

Yeah, I know. I just ruined your day anyway. DirtyBlackSocks, I think more and more high schools are actually mandating a course in life skills such as resume writing, interviewing, networking, etc. When I started, typically nurses did not use resumes to get jobs. The standard application form and interview was all you needed then.

I don't outright discourage people from persuing nursing, though. A statistic can't tell Individual A or B what their chances are, because so many other factors will change their odds. A new grad who works with us got an interview through a word of mouth chance when she talked to a Physical Therapist friend of hers. It wasn't a case of "who you know" so much as networking, and the fact she made herself very marketable by her initiative and demeanor.

I really think that a lot of what we are seeing is a delayed supply and demand reaction. During the worst years of the Carter administration with double digit inflation and car/home interest rates, nurses could always count on a job. It really was "recession proof" for such a long time, people just can't grasp that it's changed so (to me anyway) much, and relatively fast. I feel bad for people, and I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to put a good word in for a new grad.

[asfreeasabird]

I have seen it come in waves. I was discussing this with a nurse who has been with our hospital since she was 16 and she is nearing retirement now. She said there are times like now where it seems hard, they are giving incentives for nurses near retirement and oppertunities for new grads are slim. Then it comes back and they hire 10 new grads on one floor like the year I was hired. Approximately a year ago we hired nurses from as far away as Oregon many nurses had their BSN and one had an MBA. My manager was looking at grades and only hiring the best looking candidates, then it turns around we have nurses transfer and we need more new grads. I know it is hard some places but the year I graduated with my ADN I had 2 offers (as did many of my classmates) several months before graduation. If you look there are great jobs looking for great nurses but you may have to relocate to get them. Get some experience then move where you want to live.