Why many new grads don't find jobs....

Nursing Students General Students

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While eating breakfast at a local diner in my scrubs, my waitress was excited to share the news that she, "finished my CNA clinicals yesterday!!"

"Great! How was it?" I asked. She starts nursing school soon.

"Depressing," she said. "It was so sad. Those people hardly have any visitors. My client didn't even have a pair of socks. Just two unmatched ones."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, I worked in a nursing home for two years. Are you going to work as an aide while going to school?"

"NO WAY!" she answered. "They don't make any money and that job looks terrible!"

I nodded, "Yes, it can be hard, but you really do learn a lot. I wouldn't have my med surg job today if I hadn't started in a nursing home."

"I don't know about that," she said, shaking her head. "I had surgery at a clinic the other day and the aide got her job right out of CNA school. Monday through Friday and no weekends!" She continued, "I think she had a really good hookup there."

"Yeah....but that's kind of like winning the 'CNA with no experience' lottery," I told her. There was nothing I could do to convince her that experience in healthcare would help her find a job after graduation. She is going to graduate, apply for jobs, get no offers and blame everyone else for, "Not giving her a chance."

There is absolutely no reason for hiring managers to choose new grads who never worked in healthcare over those who have.

Students, get to work. I know other jobs pay more, but if you really liked those jobs, you would not be going to nursing school.

Specializes in Mental Health, Hospice Care.

I have no problem if people want to be a CNA first and won't discount that it helps some folks. But you do not have to do it to be a good nurse.QUOTE]

once again, I agree...Thank you....maybe we have the same mentor :thankya:

Specializes in Mental Health, Hospice Care.
Haha no problem! That does sound rough! It's a pretty tough program though- we've already lost over twenty students, but I think the clinicals are a lot more spread out because it's longer. Most BSN programs around here only have two years of clinical nursing classes. I believe we will have to do a preceptorship our last semester similar to the twelve hour shifts you mentioned, which I'm excited about!

well be excited!....I like to bi*ch and moan about the clinical schedule, but in reality I love it....you just never know what you are going to get or see when the doors swing open....and that is what attracted me to nursing in the first place....best of luck to you!!

I have no problem if people want to be a CNA first and won't discount that it helps some folks. But you do not have to do it to be a good nurse.QUOTE]

once again, I agree...Thank you....maybe we have the same mentor :thankya:

She's in Connecticut . . . moved all the way across the country. I miss her. :redbeathe

Specializes in Mental Health, Hospice Care.

She's in Connecticut . . . moved all the way across the country. I miss her. :redbeathe

I am lucky then, I will see mine on Wednesday/Thursday for classroom instruction....she really has been my mentor and inspiration....I am proud to have her do the honor at our Pinning Ceremony....mentors are hard to come by, so we should consider ourselves blessed....

I just finished up my first semester of NS, which means I qualify to take the CNA written exam. I have been debating the idea of get my CNA and working as one in school just for the experience. However, it is hard to take a possible pay cut and loose my medical insurance. I still don't know what I am going to do.

well be excited!....I like to bi*ch and moan about the clinical schedule, but in reality I love it....you just never know what you are going to get or see when the doors swing open....and that is what attracted me to nursing in the first place....best of luck to you!!

Thank you! Congratulations on graduating, Valedictorian is a huge honor, especially in nursing! :p Good luck to you in your nursing career!

I took a job as a nursing assistant while in nursing school and while I was eligible for a nurse extern position. The NA position was at the hospital, in the unit, I wanted to work at after I graduated. So, I agree. It's good to get your foot in the door! Plus, (my hospital, at least) the hospitals are REALLY REALLY good about working with you regarding your schedule while you're in school. They WANT you to stay there & work as an RN after you graduate!!

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

This whole discussion makes me sad. it makes me sad cause it's proof that the false and self serving "nursing shortage" propaganda has worked. For most of my nursing career hospitals had to be NICE to nurses and nursing students. If they weren't nice they would quickly find themselves severly short staffed. The idea that a new norse could be discriminated aginst for something as silly as wether or not they were a CNA first didn't exsist. Obviously this being nice to nurses and students wasn't the very best thing for bottom lines so something had to be done, hence the false "nursing shortage" propaganda. The idea being that by creating a fantasy of a severe shortage of nurses we can recruit many people into nursing who otherwise wouldn't have considered it until we have a glut of nurses. Then there is no reason to be be nice to them, no reason to create safe working conditions, no reason to increase pay.

I sure would love to get back to the days when hospitals had to sell themselves to new nurses, not the other way around.

That's a very good point. I agree.

Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.
"I finished CNA clinicals".

I didn't even know there was such a thing as a CNA clinical.

"There is absolutely no reason for hiring managers to choose new grads who never worked in healthcare over those who have."

This is a rather radical statement. Imagine a nursing grad with a BSN from a reputable university with a 3.8 GPA, extensive clinical rotations and superb faculty recommendations and another nursing grad from an obscure community college with a 2.2. GPA who failed several semesters and is on her 3rd attempt at the NCLEX but has 3 years of hospital experience as a tech. Who would you hire if you were the nursing manager?

There are CNA clinicals in MN.

I thought it was inferred that the prospective new grads had similar backgrounds other than healthcare experience. But if I have to come out and say it: Sure, I would rather hire a 4.0 student with no healthcare experience than a junkie ax murderer who took the NCLEX 14 times.

Specializes in Forensic Psych.

Sure, I would rather hire a 4.0 student with no healthcare experience than a junkie ax murderer who took the NCLEX 14 times.

I HAVE A CHANCE! :)

I remember plenty of days of job hunting for a CNA job when I couldn't get hired. The job market hasn't been that peachy keen for me at any time. If I had only known then, what I know now, I would have made different choices and things would be different for me now.

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