Would you consider me?

Make sure you send in a cover letter and a follow up to your application!

In addition, not all posted 'job openings' are legitimate. The hospital will post the jobs due to HR policy; however, they have absolutely no intention on hiring anyone. In this sluggish economic climate, many facilities would rather be short-staffed than spend the money on hiring and training full-time nurses.

Wow that's interesting! I did not know that.

I'm pretty familiar with the system and their job openings are accurate. It didn't allow me to submit a cover letter. I will follow up.

I got excited the other day when i applied for a position with a NH right by my daughter's day care for continuing educaiton RN, and infection control which is right up my alley. They called me back the next day.... to tell me, "OOpsies, they were supposed to take that job down, it has been filled, but would you like a nights per diem position in our acute rehab. Ummmm, No.

I need a break here.

No, get your BSN (NJ)

I guess it depends how bad you need a job. If your husband is working and your not the main breadwinner, then you can afford to be fussy and wait and hope for a better job to open up. The rest of us out here in the real world need a job to pay the bills and keep a roof over our heads!

Wow, 2 years ago, everybody wanted to be a nurse because they were pretty much sure it will be easy to find jobs. Now, even the new graduates are having a hard time.

A friend needed a job very badly and very soon, and LTC seems to be the one who's hiring. LTC can be very difficult, but luckily, she found a facility where the acuity is low and they use med techs to help with passing meds.

You would be hired in an instant at my hospital. We are short ICU nurses.

In our hospital system many applications are automatically kicked out, then HR screens, then it finally gets to me and the manager. I highly recommend if you are well qualified, find out who the manager is, and leave them a message. 'This is so and so, I just applied for your full-time RN job. I am very interested in this job because of a,b, and my experience with c. Please consider me as a candidate. Thanks.' This can trigger a manager to hand pull your resume. It can't hurt, and it has gotten people I know interviews.

Sorry to hear you're having a difficult time finding a job. I agree that many times jobs are posted simply because it's HR policy to do so - but they already have an internal transfer who's applied and will get the position. I understand that it's frustrating.

Keep at it though! Something will come up. Try networking with other nurses - word of mouth is a wonderful thing. In Wisconsin, there's a gathering of nurses on a fairly regular basis (I think quarterly, and it's all set up by an outside agency). They meet in Milwaukee for dinner and cocktails. This would be a fantastic way to network. Check to see if your area has something like that. You could also attend a conference or continuing ed classes where there may be other nurses.

Best of luck!

Amanda Tillema

I'm pretty familiar with the system and their job openings are accurate. It didn't allow me to submit a cover letter. I will follow up.

I got excited the other day when i applied for a position with a NH right by my daughter's day care for continuing educaiton RN, and infection control which is right up my alley. They called me back the next day.... to tell me, "OOpsies, they were supposed to take that job down, it has been filled, but would you like a nights per diem position in our acute rehab. Ummmm, No.

I need a break here.

I am saddened to hear so many stories about unemployed nursing graduates. The hospitals and nursing schools need to collaborate and work together to resolve this issue soon. I laugh to myself when I read that the nursing profession wants every RN to have at least a Bachelor's degree and encourages nurses to advance their degrees. It's obvious who has a hidden agenda. The idea of going deeper and deeper in debt does not appeal to me. Been there. Done that. Still have loans from nursing school and an advanced degree to pay off. I am living below povery level right now. This dream has become a living nightmare. Even Master's degree prepared nurses are experiencing the same difficulties finding employment across the country.

I really wish the nursing school and colleges would be honest with students PRIOR to enrolling in nursing school about the job outlook. I think that they should require ALL nursing students (LPN, RN, MSN, PHD) sign something like an informed consent before surgery. It would state someone FULLY understands the financial risks completing a nursing degree in the current economic situation. If someone with a deep yearning passion to become a nurse who has resources to help them survive after graduation, then proceed with caution. Otherwise, the students that have families to support or other major financial obligations will have the opportunity to change their major before embarking on a degree that could lead to financial difficulties upon completion. At least, their eyes would be wide open before entering this profession.

Personally I know several new graduates that are really struggling right now. A couple have requested public assistance to survive or have to ask family to help them with their bills. Is this the "dream" many graduates worked so hard for 2-4-6 years? Hundreds of nursing graduates could have save themselves the money and stress of going to nursing school and attend a trade school instead.

It really angers me to see the nursing schools allowing this to happen. I am certain they are aware of the poor job outlook. Are they located in a vacuum? All universities and colleges have access to media like the internet and TV. Graduates may call professors asking for a recommendation for the 100th job they've applied for with no success. I am certain the nursing schools heard about the poor economy in the US.

Has the entire nursing profession really become so calloused that we are allowing thousands of students to graduate, only to be given a weak handshake and worthless diploma at their graduation? Nursing school is stressful and hard. People have sacrificed so much of themselves to become nurses. Their families suffer too. Many students have children to support. They believed the dream that nursing was job security. Meanwhile, the college and universities are collecting millions of dollars from these students and drove off in their BMW or Lexus laughing all the way to the bank.

With good conscience, I implore that nursing schools tell people the truth about the job outlook. How can they teach nursing ethics to students and then allow this to happen? It is a very serious and tragic situation. Why does the nursing schools keep cranking out hundreds of new grads across the country with few jobs available?

I feel like a horse before an earthquake....This situation reminds me of the recent mortage industry collapse. Thousands of people were given mortage loans and experienced difficulty making payments. I am certain these unemployed new grads are experiencing the same problems with their student loans.

I really do not know what is happening in this country with our values and morals. It seems to me many industries are driven by greed in this country. I like to believe that the nursing profession still has values like integrity, honesty, and compassion. From what I am seeing, these values appear to be eroding.

When is nursing going to realize that having a dozen initials and titles behind your name does NOT define a profession like medicine or psychology. A true profession demonstrates that they care more about human lives than the pursuit of money. If Florence Nightingale was alive, she would ashamed of the nursing profession. I am.