Unemployed Graduate Nurse

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i live in south florida and am having an extremely hard time finding a job. i graduated in may 2009 and passed my nclex in august. i have been applying at almost EVERY hospital/medical center in my area and still keep getting the brush off! "you need experience" or "we're not hiring any new grads". and the worst part is that after they turn me down, i hear they hired a new graduate right after. i apply online and then call the nurse recruiters leaving voice messages almost every time, and of course no call back. ive heard to go in personally to speak with them but i am unsure of what to say. any advice???

i REALLY dont want to relocate but im getting very close to doing so.

is anyone else having this same problem? or am i really that bad of a candidate to be hired?

PLEASE comment :)

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Specializes in LTC/Skilled Care/Rehab.

I am having the same problem. It is hard not to take it personally. I keep thinking something must be wrong with me. I am starting to get very depressed about this. Some of the people who I went to school with are already on their 2nd job. Why can't I even get one chance to prove myself? (((HUGS))) I know what you are going through.

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prinsessa: wow, your friends are are already on their second job?? as everyone else has told me, hang in there and be patient, your opportunity will come soon. from my graduating class, it seems like half have jobs. there's gotta be some open positions out there!

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i am in the same situation it's so frustrating i have been looking for a job for about 5 month and so far no luck the closest i got to getting a job was a call from a nurse recruiter and she didn't even talk to me she left a message when i called back she already give that job to somebody else. i must have applied for so many jobs and i really just want to quit and not even deal with nursing anymore i have been out of school for about a year now i feel like i have forgot everything.

please don't relocate because it's the same everywhere just keep looking and maybe something will turn up. don't give up remember all the nursing school you had to deal with. good luck and know you are not the only one!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Long term care.

Hi I'm new nurse to ...cant find work what to do could someone help....LPN IN NJ

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Nursesha,

Just keep applying for every job position that you see for new grad LPN maybe nursing homes. Good luck!!!!!!!!!

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I am in the same boat. It is so frustrating and depressing. I really need a job because I have to pay my bills and my student loans. I don't know what to do either. I have started to apply for tech and nursing assistant positions. I am also trying to volunteer at a clinic that is run by volunteer nurses and doctors.

I know something will present itself eventually, but I wonder how long it will take...

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I sure do understand where you are at. I graduated in May 2009, BSN with honors. I have applied for every job that comes along. I can't relocated because of family issues, but like they say it is the same everywhere. The headhunters that I talk to tell me there are no new grad positions anywhere. It is frustrating when I apply and don't even get an interview and then find out that one of my fellow students got the position. There are many times that I have doubted myself. Am I too old (47) to be considered? Why them and not me? If I could just get an interview, I think I could land a job. I am so frustrated, that I am looking at things I was thinking about before nursing school. I have even considered starting my own homecare business. I have applied for so many positions that I seem to get then confused and try to apply again. I have applied for CNA, LPN, and MA positions without success. I can't even get a sales position (20+ years expereince), because they know I will not stay. Life sucks right now!!!!

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I'm in the same boat..i graduated in July, got my license in October and was offered a job in December but it was so overwhelming and it was nights where I would have 50 residents (OMG!) so I quit, I took some time off for the holidays and now I am searching again but no one is calling me back. I am starting to feel so bad for quitting that job. I feel like such a loser! My dh works @ a nursing home and says he can get me in at his facility but honestly I really dont want to work there but I am starting to get desperate...its nice to know I 'm not in this rocky boat alone. I hope this dry spell ends soon. Good luck to everyone...

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Specializes in Geriatric, Pediatric, Hospice,Psych.

I am in the same boat as well. I graduated in Dec 2008, and I also have past experience as an LPN. I am stuck working for agencies that barely have part-time work, not to mention, there are only overnight shifts available and I am not able to work those hours with a child :uhoh3:. I can't seem to find anything stable and I am getting frustrated. I invested all this money for my education thinking there was a "shortage" in nursing, and little did I know I was not going to land a decent full-time position, or even part time position :mad:.

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Specializes in ED.

hi OP, im also in the South Florida area. I live in Miami but took a job in Ft. Lauderdale. Its hard and Miami is pretty much dead for new grads. Hospitals arent fairing well either. Just look at JMH right now. I would check out Ft. Lauderdale. I drive 48 miles to and back but i dont really mind the drive as long as i have a job. I would say keep your hopes high and really apply to everywhere you can. People may not like LTC but i would look into it. Hang in there new grads do something in the meantime that you can tell later on during an interview. I was asked what i was doing since graduation and i just told the interviewer flat out that i was looking for jobs and that there are no jobs at all

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Hi all,

I'm in the same boat. Graduated May '09 with my BSN. Passed the NCLEX in June. I relocated from Boston to New Orleans without a job offer because 1) my boyfriend was going to med school down here and 2) I figured the job market would be slightly better for new grads in New Orleans. I was wrong. The only RN job I got was doing flu shots for about a month (until the vaccines ran out). I've had three interviews, and was overlooked for two of them because a nurse with experience had applied and was hired. The other was too sketchy for my liking and didn't seem to understand that I was a new grad without any experience (very little orientation). I took a part time job working in the mall for the holidays, but was let go after the holiday season because they knew I wasn't planning on staying with them long term.

I apply and apply and apply to RN jobs (although it's getting hard to see the computer screen with tears in my eyes) but nothing ever comes of it. Nurse recruiters ignore my phone calls or tell me there is nothing for new grads at their hospital. I've even been told by a nurse recruiter before one of my interviews I'm a less desirable candidate because I've been out of nursing school for so long and not working as an RN (well, WTH am I supposed to do about that if you won't give me a chance?!)

I'm in the process of applying to positions back home in Boston, in Washington DC and Nashville (cause I have roomies from nursing school there), and in Houston (cause it's only a five hour drive to my boyfriend in New Orleans). I'm looking at anything in any state with compact licensure (I've applied for TX licensure), but it seems like 'new grad' is the newest contagious disease that no hospitals/clinics/LTCs/schools want near their patients.

I'm so disappointed with myself and feel like such a burden on my mom and dad 'cause I can't even buy groceries for myself. Although, at this point I feel like I don't deserve to eat because I'm such a failure at life. I, too, am ready to give up on nursing altogether, maybe go get a scrub tech degree or phlebotomy and do that instead. I feel like I'm stuck in purgatory and there's no way out...

Sorry to be such a debbie downer..

(Best of luck to everyone in the job hunt!)

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