You’re probably aware that many hospitals (and other healthcare facilities) across the country are not hiring new graduate nurses or are hiring very few. This has resulted in the newest members of our profession being forced to work in non-clinical settings right out of school, not finding any employment in health care for over a year after graduation, or leaving the profession entirely. Hospitals cite that they do not have the funds, the personnel, or the desire to hire and train these new nurses. But, while as much as half of the current nursing workforce is poised to retire en masse and the healthcare system is increasingly stressed by the aging population, this trend will likely result in a catastrophic lack of experienced nurses over the next decade. (cont.)
Read more from my latest guest blog post at American Nurse Today and weigh in on this important topic http://ow.ly/5YAKA
4 thoughts on “Are we jeopardizing healthcare’s future by not hiring our new grads today?”
I agree very much I am one of the new nurses despite my clinical rotation being in nursing homes dealing with actual client, no one wants me and I have a 3.0. I am poor and yet try to scrape money together to attend PESI conferences to keep my mind fresh and in the know. None of it matters and I am continuing my education towards an RN degree BUT after I am done with my A7P classes I have a prerequisite to fill to apply for the Rn second year I have to work as a LPN for 6 months …. is everyone blind to the fact our schooling g doesn’t matter now??? How am I supposed to even feel good about it now?? I can;t even provide for my teen sons as a single parent and I just wanted to do something I loved taking care of others,been called to do, get paid for it and take care of my sons is that to much to ask? I even stated I would work all weekends and third shift and all holidays I would do the shifts no one wants! I got 4 or 5 interviews and no offers is it because I am a new graduate fro Dec. 2010 and 44 yrs old??? It is so very unfair and waste of my time my sons have needed me and we had to make a lot of sacrifices for what??? I will continue schooling I will pray that i get into the RN program at MATC and I will really pray that I find A RN job as a new grad then…….please forgive typos!
I feel your pain. I graduated LPN July 2010. I have had two opportunities to work LTC but the 30:1 patient/nurse ratio killed me. I could not give the kind of care that I wanted to give. It was not a nice experience. I loved the patients. I am now unemployed, single, have a home and scared. I can’t even get an Administrative job which is my old career. I am a little older than you. I don’t understand why they are still putting nurses through LPN school when its impossible to get work. I pray that you get into the RN program and that things work out for you. I just don’t think its in the cards for me. I don’t want to lose my home. Best of luck to you.
what about ALL the nurses who HAD long careers, took time off to raise a family or care for a aging parent who are demd ‘ineligible’ for hire due to being out too long?? it’s a pathetic reality across the country. even after taking a refresher course with a clinical rotation-we are passed over and not hired
Thank you for bringing this to attention. I graduated in 2009 and became an RN and NO hospitals would even talk to me. Being a new grad is such a catch-22. They don’t want you if you don’t have experience and you can’t get experience without being hired to get the experience! I ended up having to take an office RN job at a GI clinic where, I did learn a lot but my clinical sills fell by the wayside. 1.5 years there then on to an occupation health RN positing at a distribution warehouse. It has give me a little more practice with some skills, but mostly in first aid. By some lucky fortune I have now been hired onto a med/surg unit at a good hospital, but I am scared out of my mind because most things I will be doing there I haven’t had a chance to practice since nursing school 3 years ago! I also heard that a lot of RNs that are supposed to be retiring aren’t able to because of the economy. So sad, I am hoping for a better future for nurses!
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