What are my chances of getting an RN job in NYC?

gtshin30303 · Jan 1, 2011

It is very difficult for new grads to get jobs in NYC because four hospitals closed and there are hiring freezes at others. The unemployed experienced nurses have been forced to apply for entry level jobs, pushing new grads out. I heard that there are up to 1,000 applicants for every new grad position.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2011

... from University of NC chapel hill (one of the top nursing programs in the country) ...

I love when people say this. Arguably, aren't most of them in the long run?

Guest27531 · Jan 2, 2011

New grads from any program are finding it difficult to get a job these days. If you are moving to NYC before having a job you should be prepared to spend months without a job in nursing so you should consider how you will support yourself.

Your best bet is to do extensive research ahead of time online so you will know:

1. All NYC hospital Human Resource contacts. From hospital Web sites investigate special programs for new grads.

2. All job fairs in the area and attend them EARLY in the day. The lines for the major hospitals build up to 1 block long within minutes of the Exhibit area opening. Have your resumes ready to go with a cover letter that reads as an enthusiastic potential employee.

3. Find out about hospital Open Houses and attend as many as possible so you will start to meet people at the hospitals.

Be willing to work anywhere to get that all-important first year experience. Also, as a new grad you should also stop talking about salary...just concentrate on getting a job and the salary will follow.

Have you seen the Lenox Hill Hospital Web site?

Nursing Programs | Lenox Hill Hospital

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Jan 2, 2011

Maybe not what you want to hear, but the job market for new RN's is much better in NC than it is in NYC. Maybe consider staying put for a year or two until you have some experience, and then make the big move.

akanini, MSN, RN · Jan 3, 2011

I love when people say this. Arguably, aren't most of them in the long run?

I know, right???? Noone really gives cares where you graduated from, as long as you have that LICENSE!!! POINT BLANK

But back to the topic, OP, don't even think about moving here UNLESS you have a job lined up and now it's all about who you know and who knows you!

stereotypical · Jan 3, 2011

The problem with who you know and who knows you is that there are a lot of us out there at the moment.

Right now when someone tells me they "know someone" I smile, nod, and move on to another subject.

For the OP, I'm with the other responses of not moving here unless you have something lined up. Not a "maybe it will happen" but a sure thing. Not only are you up against new grads from the spring, but the new grads from the winter... on top of the experienced nurses from hospitals that recently closed.

Would you be willing to work outside of NYC? Perhaps New Jersey (depending on where, transportation would be doable - bus, train, boat, etc)? If that's the case, look into NJ reciprocity. The last job fair I went to, one of the recruiters told a classmate and I flat out that our best bet was to look anywhere but NYC. The market is super saturated.

DoGoodThenGo · Jan 4, 2011

Don't know how true this is, but went to Lenox Hill last night (took a friend to the ER), and the nurses and PCAs stated they were hiring.

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Jan 4, 2011

I have a classmate (new grad) who was just hired into Lenox Hill ICU... no idea how.

zolow · Jan 5, 2011

I love when people say this. Arguably, aren't most of them in the long run?

The reason I mentioned this is because I have always believed that the school one graduated from influences their chances of employment. Who is more likely to get hired: a graduate from Harvard University or one from the University of Phoenix?

I don't mean to sound like a snob, but I was hoping graduating from a well known and highly ranked university will increase my chances of landing a decent nursing job.

I do believe it will be wiser for me to stay in NC at least until I get some experience, but I need to be in New York within a year for personal/family reasons.

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP · Jan 5, 2011

The ranking of your school will be weighted differently depending on the market where you're applying. For example, in NYC they may not consider a UNC graduate to be superior to a graduate from a local school, especially since NYC has no shortage of top-ranked schools. Also, when you go to school you do clinicals in your local area and get a good sense of how to meet the needs of that community, but that knowledge may not cross over well when you move to a different state. So NYC hospitals may prefer NYC grads even if the out of state grad comes from a higher ranked school.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Jan 5, 2011

The reason I mentioned this is because I have always believed that the school one graduated from influences their chances of employment. Who is more likely to get hired: a graduate from Harvard University or one from the University of Phoenix?
I don't mean to sound like a snob, but I was hoping graduating from a well known and highly ranked university will increase my chances of landing a decent nursing job.
I do believe it will be wiser for me to stay in NC at least until I get some experience, but I need to be in New York within a year for personal/family reasons.

In some circles, yes .. this is true. I was in the legal profession and this is undoubtedly the case. I frequently say that the bottom of the class @ Harvard will always get the interview before the top student @ Brooklyn Law. I myself was denied an interview years ago because someone else came along from a top 25 school and they blatantly told me that the firm has to keep up its image of prestigious schools. My school was a Tier I school but not top 25. Unreal.

I don't find this to be as important in nursing however. Your experience speaks more volumes than your school once you're out there. That would be a valid claim of prestige. If U.S. News & World Report starts to rank BSN programs, I would not be surprised to see the industry go the way of law. And I hope it does not happen. They already rank grad nursing, but not sure how much of an effect that has had on hiring of NPs or educators.

Your plan to stay in NC and get experience before coming to NYC is wise, because Jeanette73's post rings with some truth. NYC is saturated with local new grads, and when you include those in the metro area with Westchester / Long Island / NJ / CT who will readily commute, imagine the numbers. Hospitals are generally more familiar with the caliber of local schools and are more inclined to hire new grads from those as opposed to ones fresh from out of state. As you probably have guessed, however - in this economy the experienced nurse irrespective of where he/she went to school is getting the edge in the marketplace, however slight an edge that may be.