New Grads A Few Words of Encouragement

I'd like to encourage other experienced nurses to share their stories of struggles and successes. It's always nice to hear others went through the similar situations and prevailed.

Brian ((((Thank you))) for your perspective. I graduated from an ADN program in 1983 and took a job at a small med-surg hospital in DC. It was a group interview, 5 of us hired at the same time and very unglamorous. I laugh because today, none of the pts I had would even be in the hospital- they're all done day surgery or laparoscopically. So, I tell my students today that the pts in long term care were in the hospital when I got out of school. The pts on the floors- would have been in the ICU's. And our ICU pts? They wouldn't have survived. We have such incredible technology. Don't be so quick to shun the LTC, rehab or "nursing homes". Those pts are sick and have complicated treatments- heparin drips, IV antibiotics. It's a different world. I agree too- the average age of a bedside nurse is 47- that last I read. Corrections anyone? There will be a shortage again, just no crystal ball as to when. Not if.

I have said as much myself. I have seen something similar to this more than once in the past. Each tight labor market and each glut is slightly different than the last but so far all did one thing and that was "CHANGE". I also said that I didn't know if the jobs would come back in a trickle or a flood but I do expect the nursing shortage to return. When I got my LPN in '67 jobs were easy to get. Between '67 and '83 when I got my RN I believe there was one slightly tight job market. I wasn't working at the time but I remember something about it but I can't give details because I did not experience it. In '83 when I got my RN, we were the last class that had our pickings of jobs, it got a little tighter for '84 grads and I believe '85 and '86 had a very tight job market. Then the nursing shortage came ROARING back. I remember in late 1980s early '90s it was so bad that wages went up like a rocket. Then the tight job market came that Brian talks about, the one toward the middle 90s. I experienced a series of wage freezes and wage cuts. I was doing agency work at the time and I remember getting sort of caught up the creek without a paddle. Fortunately, this one little hospital where I worked liked me and I was taken on part time at a HUGE pay cut. Lots of people, especially new grads were not working at all. OK, that is the tight job market that produced that latest horrendous nurse shortage. Why you asked? Because nurse abuse became institutionalized like it never had been before. Nursing as a profession lost any power it had over it's own fate. It was so bad that everyone just got up and walked away. Personally, I even took 3 years off at the time. I don't think working conditions, benefits and compensation ever really recovered. I doubt if the people in charge now even remember what the legacy of the abuse of the 90s brought and I doubt if they care, but the should proceed with caution.

Hello there,I just decided to join AllNurses today because I'm feeling a bit lost. I'm graduating May 6th, and having a very difficult time finding a job in a hospital (as is everyone else). I've sent out tons of applications, and haven't gotten back a single phone call. I would like to specialize in the ER, but am willing to begin anywhere. I live in CT and want to relocate. I'm willing to move pretty much anywhere, but I'm not sure where the biggest nursing shortage is. Has anyone heard of any places that still have shortages?I would appreciate any advice. :icon_rollThanks for listening,~ Jaime

Brian: thanks for the encouragement...and for more ideas for the game plan. I knew that I wouldn't walk into my dream nursing job the moment I graduated. I accept that I'll probably have to take something I didn't like, with hours I didn't like, at a place I didn't like, just for the experience. And that's cool.I haven't considered LTC because the problem is that most of the LTC places in my area don't want to spring for RNs when they can have LPNs for less. Oh well.

I am also graduating in May. I was offered a position at the Mayo Clinic and then had my position taken back at the last minute. Now I'm heartbroken and looking for a job. I have been working as a nurse for the last six months in a hospital on a medical/surgical floor. I did a full-time internship @ the Mayo Clinic during last summer. I am very intelligent and experienced!!!! I am a fast learner and interested in moving anywhere. I have been involved in research projects in the clinical setting. I have also been having trouble finding a job. Anyone interested in hiring me??? I am up for anything, let me know!

oncnursemsn, thanks for your feedback and sharing your feedback with your students. I agree that todays patients are far more acute than they used to be. I didn't mean at all to shun LTC at all, I just wanted to give a frame of reference of my naive mindset as a new grad with high expectations of getting into the hospital settings After re-reading my article, maybe I was not as clear as I should have been. I have the utmost respect for LTC nurses

If you are serious about moving, they are hiring New Grads including ER at Blessing Hospital in Quincy, IL. Very countryish but a great place to live if you like peace and quiet and small towns. $20.00 to start plus $3.00/hr for night shift (mostly everyone starts nights 7pm-7am 3 shifts per week then you transfer to days later on). Oh, did I mention you get a $3,000 sign on bonus. So if you are serious, go to their website at blessinghospital.org

I am so taken by reading all these different posts. (#1) That new grads are having such a hard time finding jobs in the hospital arena. I myself applied for a FEW positions and wasn't called back but WAS called for the one that I feel I needed! It isn't something I even thought about but now my appreciation is more than I can express and I just recieved the call today. (#2) I thought the area of the country I live in (Louisiana) pays so little for nurses but I am seeing that we are right there in the median so I'm actually glad & relieved by that. (#3) I'm sad for my fellow new grads. If this profession runs through you the way it does me & you all aren't landing positions, PLEASE look & think outside the box. Every career, or job for that matter, is set where the new babies "have to put in their time" before landing what they dream of. Please stay encouraged & don't give up.

I'm a 'late-bloomer' just now enrolling in nursing school @ 45, living in western Arkansas. Like everyone here, I'm concerned about whether I can even get a job after graduation...does anyone here know how the nursing job market stands in Arkansas or Eastern Oklahoma?

Quote from scrappymomI'm a 'late-bloomer' just now enrolling in nursing school @ 45, living in western Arkansas. Like everyone here, I'm concerned about whether I can even get a job after graduation...does anyone here know how the nursing job market stands in Arkansas or Eastern Oklahoma?

There are ample jobs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin! I am also graduating this May and have a job lined up in an ICU. Good Luck!