collegexbound11

I'm a High School Senior and i'm going to be majoring in nursing as my pre-med degree. But before I apply to medschool I want to work as a nurse. Anywho, has anyone else seen how bad the job market is for nurses? No one is hiring new grad nurses AT ALL it really worries me to go into a career that isn't hiring. the nursing shortage is not true. go to allnurses.com Graduate nurses section. A lot of the new grads have no jobs and some are even working as waitresses. It's really upsetting seeing how nurses are really important

Does anyone else share my worries?

cecilturtle

Anyone in pursuit of employment in any field shares your concerns. Do not take the hyperbole on allnurses (a great site albeit with the requisite forum for chicken little sky is falling vibe) as gospel truth. Nursing unemployment is lower than any othe profession. It is challeging in nursing and all the moreso in any other profession. Sent from iPhone so pardon misspellings.

Lakemom

Im sure you will find work after you graduate, but it will likely be on night shift or rotating shifts. I recommend working as a nursing assistant if you can while in school or during vacations either through a registry (which sends you to a variety of hospitals) or at one hospital in particular you think you want to work at. You are more likely to be hired with that experience under your belt and a recommendation from the charge nurse of that unit.

Neonzeus

You'll see some warnings about nursing as a premed degree in the forums. Many people have opined that nursing programs don't prepare applicants for the med school boards. I don't know personally whether that's true or not, but it's something you may want to research further.

greenwitch

It's best to get as much experience as possible while still a student. If you can't find a paying job, work as a dedicated volunteer. This way you'll also have a relationship with a potential future employer.

I've heard that hospitals can hire foreign nurses who are new to the US for the same salary as they would have to give recent US grads. The foreign nurses come with years of experience, so the hospitals often choose them first.

gingerlemon

That's interesting because I have done a couple job searches online for RN and nurse-midwife (what I hope to become) jobs in my area and I've found a lot, and there were a couple that said they would consider a new grad. Maybe I live in a nurse needy area but you should try doing a monster search and seeing if there's anyone in your area looking. Obviously those jobs won't still exist when I go out into the workforrce but it's still good to see that in my area there is demand.

Kiley(:

I'm definitely worried as well! I'm hoping the job market improves by the time I graduate. Almost all the main hospitals in my area weren't even offering new grad programs this past year. And the ones that were had hardly any spots available. /:

collegexbound11

Kiley: You are seriously the first person that agrees with me about this situation. All the hospitals in 100 mile radius from my house are hiring nurses but in their websites it clearly states under the requirements ONE YEAR OF EXPERIENCE or NEW GRADS NOT CONSIDERED. But when I tell someone else about it they look at me like im delusional and tell me "as a nurse you are basically guarenteed a job because of the nursing shortage."

My friend is a new grad nurse and she hasn't found a job. She graduated 8 months ago and she says that for the 80 spots in the new grad programs there are about 1000 applicants. I'm just hoping that 4 years from now the market will be okay again.

SingDanceRunLife

All the hospitals in my area are constantly hiring, and I go to a hospital based nursing school, so I'm not worried at all. If all else fails (i.e. I don't get a job in a doctor's office or clinic and don't end up volunteering upon graduation), I'll work at the hospital my school is affiliated with since if you graduate from there, you're pretty much guaranteed a job. It might not be on the unit you want, but a job is a job.

BRUINnursing

I agree, I'm very worried. However, I've heard and read in several articles (although don't quote me on this) that in California at least, which is where I live and plan to live after graduation, that 40% of the RN's will be eligible for retirement by 2020. Not sure what this means for me because I'll be graduating in 2015, but I'm hoping it means that for at least the distant future, I'll have a job.

I do hate the "one year of experience required" thing though. How are we supposed to get a year of experience if everyone requires it?

ilovemyblacklab

I don't necessarily agree with you. Most hospitals are going to BSN-only in my area, and are laying off all RNs and LPNs. My friend's mom was told if she didn't finish and get the BSN she would no longer have a job as of 2015. While I feel for these nurses who have been in the profession for so long, this really works out for me, as that is my graduation year.

downtoearth

I work in a major teaching hospital in a city. It is true there are hiring freezes, and jobs are not as plentiful. It is also true that established nurses are not as interested in leaving their jobs, so there are more openings for new grads. I work in an ICU and the majority of our hires are new grads. However they tend to be nurses that have worked on co-op for them as CNA. They also have ahiring commitee that interviews them, looks at their GPa's etc.. I have been anurse for 30 years, and have seen these cycles. My daughter will be appling next year and I am not concerned. She eventually wants to be an NP.
I dont think the sciences in nursing are the same for pre med, or perhaps geared the same way, you may want to check this out.

BRUINnursing

Sorry, I know this is off topic, but a couple posts above me, someone mentioned BSN and RN. What's the difference? I thought once you earned your BSN and passed the nclex, you became an RN. Is this not true?

Lakemom

After you complete your BSN you have a degree in nursing but cannot practice until you pass your boards. The reference to RNs is that some RNs do not have BSNs only AA degrees. They have been talking about phasing out AA degrees for over 30 years, since when I went to nursing school, however with the many nursing shortages, they never have.

ShanghaiMom

Article in todays "Daily Pennsylvanian"

Nursing grads face tough job market | The Daily Pennsylvanian

With the recent downturn of the economy, the number of Penn Nursing students with full-time jobs by graduation also went down. For the class of 2010, 73 percent reported having jobs, showing an 8-percent drop from the previous year.