Why are there no nursing jobs available for new grads? What is going on??

[vab229]

I just graduated from an ASN program in May and I am about to take the NCLEX next week. I do currently have a temporary new grad license...

But I just want to know why are there no jobs available? I live in Rhode Island and the employment here is horrible. Almost every single hospital that does have positions available wants at least 1-2 years of med-surg experience. How are we ever supposed to get experience if we can't get a job?? Even the few and far between positions for nurses at clinics and doctor's offices want 3-5 years experience, plus specialty experience. It is downright depressing.

One of the reasons I chose the health care field was because "there would always be jobs available." That is such a lie. Whenever I tell people that I just graduated and will be an RN they always say, at least you will never be without a job! That is so false.

When I spoke with the nurses at the hospitals where I did my clinical rotations, they said they felt so bad for us and how back in the 80's hospitals were begging them to take positions and even offering sign on bonuses.

I just feel like it will be so long before I ever find a job that I won't remember half of the stuff I learned

[mplowe1]

ADVANCE Heathcare Jobs a great job board for nurses and healthcare professionals in general. I know some companies do still hire new grads but they are definitely hard to find. I personally think hospitals need to realize how much we need new grads to build a future generation of healthcare professionals. Of course we we need the experience too so it's a difficult position for everyone. Hope you find something!

[graduateFNP]

I graduated 7 years ago, and there were a ton of jobs out there. I recently had to change jobs within the last year because of FNP school and it took much longer to find a job. I know nurses around here are staying with their current job and there are a bunch of cut backs at the big hospitals bc they are losing money... Like others said its the economy all around

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Oh. My. Goodness.

I had some idea of what I would write to you, vab229, to help you understand why you are in the predicament you are in and what (if anything) you might do about it now. However, after reading through the rest of the posts in this thread, it's obvious to me that you have already received some VERY sound advice---and a sound thrashing, which, I admit, is needed as well.

You wonder why you can't find a job since there is such a nursing shortage, yet have done no research to find out there IS no nursing shortage. Your response upon learning this information is to suggest that all the experienced nurses be forced to retire early so that you can have their jobs? Not very realistic, reasonable, legal or moral, is it?

I submit that you are not going to find employment easily if you are not a qualified and highly competitive applicant, regardless of your desire to no longer be an albatross to your mother.

The best candidate wins the job, not the one who demands it. And who are you, anyway? Just another shiny new graduate who must be taught so VERY much before being considered a competent nursing professional. You are far from that now, as you've indicated yourself by saying you've not yet even passed the NCLEX.

And, as a bit of advice going forward....the best HUMAN wins the race, not the one who seeks special accommodations just for being, well, special. A legend in her own mind.

Too many "Special Snowflakes" in this new world, I'm afraid.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

I just don't understand why someone would invest money and time into four years of a BSN program without researching the employment realities of the area they live in.

"Mary Sue down the street is a RN and makes $35 an hour at Xyz Hospital" is not research. It's really, truly not that difficult for even a casual inquiry to reveal that most hospitals simply are not hiring new grads off the street.

But even if you did enter nursing school with such a misconception, why wouldn't you at least try to lay the groundwork for your dream job? Why don't more nursing students get jobs on hospital floors as aides? Or be more agressive in making connections? If you want it so bad that you'll poo-poo LTC as beneath you, I guess you should have tried harder.

[notallwhowander, MSN, RN, APRN]

Granted: job markets should not be the only thing you think about when you go into school for anything. It should be a factor, but you should do what you're passionate about. I didn't want to discourage any current students or new grads (like myself) who went into this because they have a passion for nursing and want to pursue that - that's awesome! There are ways to make that happen, and there are jobs for new grads - they're just not easy to get (like ANY OTHER JOB out there right now).

I'm just sick of a.) hearing people saying they're thinking about or going to nursing school because "I'm guaranteed a job for life!" and b.) all of my family and friends thinking I'm off my rocker when I say I still don't have a RN job because the job market is poor for new graduates ("really? I always heard there were signing bonuses right out of school!").

[goldeeloks23]

Granted: job markets should not be the only thing you think about when you go into school for anything. It should be a factor, but you should do what you're passionate about. I didn't want to discourage any current students or new grads (like myself) who went into this because they have a passion for nursing and want to pursue that - that's awesome! There are ways to make that happen, and there are jobs for new grads - they're just not easy to get (like ANY OTHER JOB out there right now).

Being a pre-nursing school student, I have been reading and reading and reading about the horror stories of people searching for jobs. I have to thank you [COLOR=#003366]notallwhowander for reminding me that this is something I have passion for and need to pursue regardless of the current job outlook. The difference that I hope reading these posts will do is better equip me with the determination to become a sponge in every setting I encounter - in the internship I hope to begin in November, in my pre-reqs, in nursing school, in clinicals, etc. Think of how many people we meet in each of these settings. It is our job as the newbies to make every effort and look at each situation as an opportunity to learn something new and maybe make that one connection needed.

Being a member of that 20-something year old generation that is becoming known as an entitled bunch, I hope that I can be one of the few that can give hope to our wiser, more experienced generation. I think humility is one of the characteristics that our generation is lacking and I can only imagine how a single bad experience with a patient can crack that entitled, new grad RN and teach them the importance of this trait.

[Aircraft Tech]

A lot of good advice here....

Being a member of that 20-something year old generation that is becoming known as an entitled bunch, I hope that I can be one of the few that can give hope to our wiser, more experienced generation. I think humility is one of the characteristics that our generation is lacking...

From someone of your parents' generation, careful of the stereotype. I know many, many 20-somethings who are hard working, honorable people. Calling yourself "one of the few" smacks of the very lack of humility which you previously decried.

Good for you for choosing to work hard and do what you need to do in order to achieve your goals but be careful that you don't decide that that makes you special somehow.

[Sushilover127]

It took me a little under a year to finally find a job after nursing school. Surprisingly, the hospital that hired me is very open to hiring new grads and prefer them over experienced nurses. Their philosophy is that it is easier to mold a new nurse into "their nurse" rather than changing the ways of an experienced nurse to fit their expectations. I was very lucky to have to have found this current job and will never take it for granted. I am very well paid as a full-time acute care employee with an additional sign-on bonus (I thought these were the thing of the past!). So it's not entirely true that there are no jobs for new grads. The jobs are there, but the hiring managers and directors have certain preferences over whom they hire. Right now it's about your luck, network, and experience. Good luck.

[jlautier]

But even if you did enter nursing school with such a misconception why wouldn't you at least try to lay the groundwork for your dream job? Why don't more nursing students get jobs on hospital floors as aides? Or be more agressive in making connections? If you want it so bad that you'll poo-poo LTC as beneath you, I guess you should have tried harder.[/quote']

Damn dude that's some harsh words. Looks like you took a long time to find a job.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I just don't understand why someone would invest money and time into four years of a BSN program without researching the employment realities of the area they live in.

How do you know the OP didn't research the field? There's lot of old data and "nursing shortage" propaganda out there. As a 2008 nursing grad, I know first-hand that a field with a large number of jobs when you start a degree program can have none when you finish. Job markets can change at the drop of a hat, no matter how much you research. Ask anyone who graduated into the 2000 tech bust.

But even if you did enter nursing school with such a misconception, why wouldn't you at least try to lay the groundwork for your dream job? Why don't more nursing students get jobs on hospital floors as aides? Or be more agressive in making connections? If you want it so bad that you'll poo-poo LTC as beneath you, I guess you should have tried harder.

Again, how do you know she didn't? When I was an ER volunteer (which did not help me land a job), a lot of the techs and aides were nursing students. Unfortunately, the hospital did not allow nurses to work below their license. If you graduated nursing school and you hadn't secured a nursing job at the hospital, the day you passed the NCLEX was the day you lost your tech job. In 2008, a lot of ER techs graduated nursing school, passed the NCLEX, and lost their jobs.

If you read any of the LTC threads, you would see that LTC can be a very dangerous place for new grads. When things go wrong, the Board of Nursing doesn't care if you're inexperienced or overwhelmed.

All I can say is that the job market will turn around someday, and the nurses who are still standing will be absolutely mercenary.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Oh, I don't necessarily smell troll. Just total frustration.

How many RNs including the one the OP knows well are totally unaware of what's happened to nursing. A Lot. Those nurses encourage their children to jump off the cliff too.