Why are nursing jobs so hard to find right now?any advice?

evolvingrn, BSN, RN · Sep 14, 2011

Do you have experience besides the on-call position? i think the jobs are out there but it depends on where you live and of course people need to accept that they might have to start in an area that they maybe hadn't envisioned when they started school. good luck!

adoglover · Sep 14, 2011

i agree with evolvingrn and also the fact that everyone is jumping ship into the nursing profession because of "good pay and job security."

DizzyLizzyNurse · Sep 14, 2011

It took me 9 months after graduation to find a job (and I've been an LPN for 7 years!). Phone calls helped, and I applied for anything. I start my subacute job next week. Dream job? Nope. But it will hopefully open up some doors for me. Good luck!

ICU, RN, BSN, B.S. · Sep 14, 2011

It's very simple. The economy isn't great. Older RNs are staying at work instead of retiring bc their husbands can't retire either. Need income. That is why. They are saying in 5-10 years, everyone should be retiring and there will be a huge surge of RN openings.

gaylarn4 · Sep 14, 2011

It's very simple. The economy isn't great. Older RNs are staying at work instead of retiring bc their husbands can't retire either. Need income. That is why. They are saying in 5-10 years, everyone should be retiring and there will be a huge surge of RN openings.

Great! By the time I find a job, I surely will have lost all the weight I need to lose!!!

luvazsun, RN · Sep 14, 2011

I've been in the same dilemma. There are tons of posted jobs, but I have yet to have a face to face interview from any of the many online applications I have submitted. Yes, I have 20 yrs of hospital experience, but the last 3 have been in aesthetics, and hospitals don't consider that "real nursing", so they say I don't have "recent experience". I am starting not to trust the online application method, when a computer rejects your application for answers you chose for a "character assessment". I received an email that said they don't hire new grads for this position - did any human even look at my resume?

So it's really not that simple.

I think I'll start working retail - I do have recent shopping experience.

:confused:

commonsense · Sep 14, 2011

hi everyone!Its been awhile since the last time i logged in to my account.Can anyone help me?I am currently working as on-call RN.I reall want to have a stable job.Ive tried applying online and ilve already sent tons of application but no luck.I dont know where to start now.I am so depressed.Any advice?It would really mean a lot to me.

I would recommend going further than the online application. Send one in, but also find out who the nurse manager/nurse supervisor who is actually doing the hiring is. Either send them an application directly or stop by their office and drop one off. I believe being a new grad in a tough job market the best way to find a job is to set yourself apart from the pack. If you take the initiative to meet the supervisor in person and make a good impression I think your chances of landing the job will increase dramatically.

P51Mike1980 · Sep 14, 2011

I don't know your whole story, but this is why I think nursing students should volunteer in at LEAST one hospital even before they begin to apply to nursing schools. First it gives them an idea of what nursing actually entails. Secondly, one of the most important tools in finding a job after school is finished and boards are passed is NETWORKING! I'm not even in nursing school, but I volunteer in one Emergency Department and am going to start volunteering in another. Most nurses just see you as a tool to help them clean rooms, direct patients, answer phone calls, etc; however there two nurses at my hospital that pull me aside, talk to me about nursing, answer questions I have about procedures, etc. In talking with a lot of my pre-nuring friends, only a handful volunteer and when it comes time to apply to nursing school AND after graduating, I think we're the one's that are going to be ahead of the curve over those that don't volunteer. The most important thing is to just network and get your face out there. Make people know who you are rather than having them ask who you are, it shows enthusiasm for what you want to do.

kathy dean · Jul 10, 2012

hi everyone!Its been awhile since the last time i logged in to my account.Can anyone help me?I am currently working as on-call RN.I reall want to have a stable job.Ive tried applying online and ilve already sent tons of application but no luck.I dont know where to start now.I am so depressed.Any advice?It would really mean a lot to me.

It is hard for me to get a job,I only have a diploma and long term care experience,no acute care experience for 7 years,I am having a difficult time and I am a veteran nurse of 37 years,what can I do to bump up my skills?