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Very dissapointed, no new grad job.

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Author Very dissapointed, no new grad job.

nursekellie1

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  • Joined: Jun 2011
  • Location: Sydney
  • Posts: 10

Sun Oct 30, 2011 2:10 pm

Hi, Im just about to finish my degree in nursing, but I am very dissapointed that I have not been offered a new grad position. How am I supposed to get a job with out any post grad experience? Even aged care wont accept new grads unless they are running a program for new grads. I have applied to NSW Health, and the new grad programs offered through aged care companies and private hospitals, but no luck. I just feel like giving it up all togeather and feel like nursing is against me. I cant believe all these years studying and training, which still makes me unexperienced. Where is the support and were do I turn to now? What chance do I have when I am told by these companies that there were 350 applicants for one company and only 5 to 10 positions available, its just like winning the lotto.

jerri007

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  • Joined: Mar 2011
  • Location:
  • Posts: 5

Oct 31, 2011, 11:13 am

Hi, yes I know how you feel. I am just about to finish also with no grad offers. The hardest part is that I have excellent grades excellent prac performances, a lot of hard work went into that and nothing. Its even harder when you find out the people who did get a grad offer!!! I know for a fact some people failed subjects, had to redo them failed pracs, hopeless in handing work in on time and they get the offer! I just dont understand it. What do we do now? No one wants a new grad without experience but how do you get experience if no one will have you? Have I just wasted 3 years of my life, have to pay off a degree I can't use by working in some coffee shop? I have been applying for jobs everyday and i get knocked back weekly because I have no experience. The universities need to start capping places as to the amount of postions available at the end. I am at a total loss. The very first day of uni, they welcomed us saying 'welcome to nursing, a vocation where you will never be without a job unless you choose to leave it'. What a joke.

nursekellie1

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  • Joined: Jun 2011
  • Location: Sydney
  • Posts: 10

Nov 02, 2011, 05:44 pm

I totally agree Gerri, I know students who have failed at subjects and are always in trouble with something, and they got an offer. It is very disheartening. I now think my future lies in retail or something like that, which is not bad, but I have a degree that will go to waste if I dont find something. We may have to wait until next year to reapply.

Schizo

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  • Joined: Jan 2009
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  • Posts: 239

Nov 03, 2011, 09:31 am

If you don't mind me wading into this thread. I noticed that most grad programs are offered to younger students..i.,e. mature age grads tend to loose out. Maybe its because mature aged grads have little lesser to offer in terms of how long they can continue to practice before retiring and as such would be a better bet to invest in younger grads.

Don;t loose heart, it if you have been networking during your clinical placements, now is the time to push those buttons. Apply directly to specific wards that you have worked in. You need to keep knocking on doors. Most public hospitals will accept nurses without experience. Age care homes is an alternative but the scope of knowledge and experience is terribly limiting. Give it a go nonetheless. Agencies are usually willing to accept fresh grads.

jerri007

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  • Joined: Mar 2011
  • Location:
  • Posts: 5

Nov 03, 2011, 02:38 pm

Thanks Schizo, I hope your not right about the age thing, as I am a mature age student and I thought it differently as I have had my kids done all my travel etc. I am thinking the young ones will eventually leave, have kids or want to do the travel. I won't be needing maternity leave thats for sure!!!

With all due respect, most hospitals I have come across in my area anyway do not accept nurses without experience. The one big public one its actually policy for them not to hire anyone even for casual pool work without at least one year experience. I talked to the the NUM where i spent eight weeks internship full time at a private hospital and its their policy too. No experience no job. Agencies in my area require 2 years experience before they put you on their books. This is what I mean, believe me I have knocked on a lot of doors in the past fortnight and this is why I am so disheartened. I would take aged care I don't care but they too want experience. No experience=no job no job=no experience.

nursekellie1

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  • Joined: Jun 2011
  • Location: Sydney
  • Posts: 10

Nov 03, 2011, 03:30 pm

I agree with every thing you say Jerri, I really dont think it has any thing to do with age though, I mean, I am far from retirement at the age of 40! Geez....Ive also tried every where, and as previously stated I have applied every where, so its not like I have not tried. We may have to wait again to apply next year, nothing else we can do.

Schizo

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  • Joined: Jan 2009
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Nov 03, 2011, 03:33 pm

About the age thingy, its just an observation plus some feedback from my mates. When I graduated (as a mature a student) with good marks and excellent references, I failed to even get an interview. Like you I was a bit jaded and asked around, those who were fresh out of school or in the mid twenties got multiple interviews and even offers. Now I know that they did not score as well because we are in the same classes. On the other hand, my mature age mates were struggling to get interviews and eventually a number of them missed the boat. I am one of them but I knocked on doors from Cains down to Tasmania (now that's what I meant by knocking on doors...lol). I called hospitals up in Tassie and got to know whose who in the various wards an applied directly with them. One of my mates got an offer in Tasmania (we are in Qld here, so its a long way from home). Others got offers in regional areas.

I am one of the lucky ones, I did very well during my clinical placements and made absolutely sure that the NUM knew that I wanted to apply to join her ward. I dropped in and pestered the crap out of them. Fortunately the NUM did some background check on me during my placement and was happy enough to keep me in file. Long stroy short, I got the job 1 week after grad positions started and was thrown into the deep end. Rather than looking like a fool, I made sure to turn up early to learn about the ward and practices as much as I could, so that I did not fall behind. I basically hit the floor running and did not have the luxury of being "eased" in as would a grad program entry.

Don't be disheartened, be prepared to move, even if it is for one year into regional hospitals.Apart from this current job position, I did get another offer but in a regional hospital after all the knocking. So it can't be all that bad. Good luck and I hope you'll find something soon.

Schizo

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Nov 03, 2011, 03:42 pm

@nursekellie - I hope that I am wrong but just out of curiousity, you might want to check the "age" thingy. When I warned my mates who graduated later than me, they laughed me off. Now only 1 out of the 5 mature aged mates of mine got a grad offer. The others are still looking. They also agreed that the younger ones in their class got multiple interviews and even offers. they have no life experience, no relevant work experience and scores that does not distinguish them, yet they seem to have no trouble. If its an age discrimination, then we know we are up against a system. Those of us who are mature aged and got jobs in public hospitals, got inas regular RNs and not on programs. And the common dinominator was we applied directly to the ward or hospital.

jerri007

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  • Joined: Mar 2011
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  • Posts: 5

Nov 04, 2011, 11:39 am

Schizo, you know the more I think about it and find out more about the people who got interviews and jobs, I think the age thing is true. I was talking to a uni friend yesterday and she found out the majority of people who got them were in their 20's. Which is even more depressing. I am 39 and and have 2 small school age children, unfortunately I am not willing to relocate even for a year, I am not about to put my children through a new school, new friends etc just for one year and I do realize its to my detriment. So no, your door knocking I have not done. But something will come up I not going to give up that easily!!

Schizo

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Nov 04, 2011, 01:26 pm

Hey Jerri,

Hope you and kellie would find an opening soon, and one that would be to your liking. I was prepared to move out regional for a year, leaving my kids and spouse to manage without me for a year. My plan was to get the illussive 1 year experience and then try to relocate back to Brisbane.

Have you considered hospitals or positions 1-2 hours away from home? It allows you to be back on days off or it you don't mind...drive the long distance. Anyways, don;t give up and all the best.

annedoxia

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nursing
  • Joined: Nov 2011
  • Location: NY
  • Posts: 1

Nov 24, 2011, 03:46 am Last edited Nov 24, 2011, 03:46 am update #2

For those who are having trouble finding their first job, there are a lot of job opportunities try to look here:
nurse jobs ny

modified: Thursday 24 November 2011 3:51:24 am - annedoxia

sally1961

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  • Joined: Dec 2011
  • Location: Bundaberg
  • Posts: 2

Dec 09, 2011, 12:21 pm

Well, I am 50 years old and about to transition into my first year as an RN instead of an EEN. I gained two post grad interviews, one for mental health and one for Queensland Health alone. I missed out on a position with Mental health, but was accepted into Queensland Health, which I start next week. Queensland health said they were overwhelmed with the interviews because we were 'awesome', and so out of the 20 post grad positions they had available, and out of the 26 of us they interviewed, they employed all of us.

Don't be disheartened, everything happens for a reason ... remember nothing is going to simply land in your lap. A lot depends on how you answer the application questions, so perhaps having a chat to others who got through and what they wrote may help.

Debb

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  • Joined: Jan 2010
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  • Posts: 22

Dec 13, 2011, 10:33 am

Sally, that is fantastic, congratulations!.

Your post has given me hope, I love your positive attitude.

I am starting uni next year to do RN, after completing Diploma of Nursing in July this year, and, as I am nearly 44, I need to know that it is possible to find a grad program at the end. I have heard talk about the 'age' thing, and was allowing it to influence me.

I'd love to know how you go with it. Good luck!

Schizo

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  • Joined: Jan 2009
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  • Posts: 239

Dec 21, 2011, 05:57 am

Latest news is that some hospitals is trying to absorb as many grad nurses as possible despite having their budget for grad nurses cut. So instead of cutting down positions, they are reducing the number of hours per grad and spreading this, hence their ability to pick up as many grads as possible. Some of my colleagues workings as AINs and graduating end of this year have been offered 0.6 hours part time permanent which translate to 6 days work per fortnight.

Congrats sally for securing a position, always nice to hear good news.

RichardAshcroft

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  • Joined: Aug 2010
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  • Posts: 8

Jan 11, 2012, 05:19 pm

I guess one issue is that some hospitals and locations are going to be very popular for grads to apply to.

If you do miss out on a graduate position in a big city, maybe it is worth looking to go regional.

Hospitals and aged care homes are crying out for people to work for them in regional places - even if you didnt get a graduate position you could still find people willing to mentor you in a regional place.

In return you may have to give a number of years service back to the facility that takes the time to employ you. Not just getting your mandatory 1 year experience under your belt and then cutting and running back to the city.

All in all, you really have to be prepared to move anywhere.

enigma

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  • Joined: May 2009
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  • Posts: 72

Mar 18, 2012, 06:39 pm

I'm an older EN graduate in my 40's and didn't manage to get into a grad program. However, I have managed to get 3 jobs - one with an agency, one in an acute setting and one in an aged care place. Don't give up, keep your options open, there's heaps of jobs out there, you just have to apply and not give up.

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