A nursing degree does not necessarily guarantee the prospects of a job after graduation. Times are tough for recent new graduates searching for a job in Southern California. After spending countless hours studying and writing care plans on various disease processes, you want to be rewarded for your hard work with a good paying job. Long gone are the days when hospitals wined and dined prospective new graduates to entice them to work for their company.
How Do I Get a Nursing Job?
Hospitals are looking for nurses with experience to cut the costs of training a new graduate. They usually require a minimum of one year’s experience. This makes it difficult for new graduates to land their dream job at the hospital of their choice. The lack of experience hinders their chances. Remember though, you DO have experience; in the form of student clinical experience. Use that experience to your advantage and talk to the nurse managers at places that you have rotated through.
But How Do I Get a Nursing Job as a New Grad?
This is a difficult question to answer.
Many times it is by networking and making good impressions at your clinical sites. Nurse managers look at the student nurses and they can easily see who will fit into their department. And with good timing, hopefully a position opens up when it comes time for you to graduate.
There’s this saying that it’s easier to find a job when you have a job. If you can get your foot in the door at a hospital that you like, go ahead and take the position even though it may not be the particular unit or specialty that you are fond of. After working there for a while there may be a position that opens up and since you are already part of the organization, you may take priority in getting the position.
Sometimes it takes some determination to get a job in this tight economy. Nevertheless, there are plenty of nursing jobs out here in Southern California so do not worry about not having a job when you get out of school. Just focus on studying and passing the NCLEX! Good luck!
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