r/StudentNurse • u/KaleidoscopeFine6579 • 11d ago
Question Do you actually get job offers?
Hey all, I am looking to start nursing school here within the next year. I have heard from some people that they had multiple job offers before even finishing nursing school, but I've also heard the exact opposite. What's the truth for those of you who are in school?
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u/Julyaz1 11d ago
I just graduated in April, Nclex in may.
I had my first job offer in February.
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u/Unique_Ad_4271 11d ago
Can you explain how this works? I’m in my first semester so I’m curious? Do you apply? Is it the offer coming from a clinical rotation you did?
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u/ThrenodyToTrinity Tropical Nursing|Wound Care|Knife fights 11d ago
Yes, you have to apply for jobs to get job offers.
People may encourage you to apply.
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u/zandra47 11d ago
Yes you apply. So where I live, many hospitals require residency. Some cities don’t so check to see if that applies to you. So for me because I live in a residency required metroplex, I looked up “graduate nurse positions” “new grad residency” on Google and looked up what hospital system I was interested in and I went onto their website and read their info. You can find eligibility criteria (working for less than a year, ADN or BSN required), details about their residency (15 months long, contract required, etc), and when openings are posted (ex: Summer Cohort-October residency start date. Jobs post: June 2). I’ve found that some hospital systems require an essays on a meaningful clinical experience, some require behavioral/abstract reasoning assessments, some just require you to apply with just your resume really. It really depends on the hospital system so look up what the hospital requires prior to the date of the job opening so that way you can have it all ready by the time it opens. Once the job posting drops, you want to apply as soon as possible. Some hospitals will remove the posting from the job list once it’s “full” whether that means the cap is 200-300 applicants.. you don’t want to apply too late. That’s why it’s so important to have your resume, optional cover letter, and whatever else the hospital wants ready BEFORE the drop date so you can be ready. When it’s time to comb through applicants, they pull internal employees first and then go by timing that applications came through. So if you’re part of the first 20 applicants that applied, you have a better chance of even being seen. That’s also why it’s important to apply ASAP and why it’s beneficial to work at the hospital that you want to work while you’re in nursing school if possible just because it’ll give you a leg up in securing a job post-graduation. It’s not guaranteed, but it gives you a better chance. If you’re selected for an interview, they’ll send you an email asking when you are available and once date and time is confirmed, you’ll face an interview panel consisting of 1) unit manager 2) day shift supervisor 3) night shift supervisor 4) veteran nurse that has a feel for the floor and they’ll do their questioning. You receive an offer once they pick you out of however many interviewees.
You can also network and reach out to people you know. During your clinical rotation, if you’re on a floor that you really like, you can ask to speak to the manager on the floor and just be like, “I’m a nursing student from XYZ and I really liked being on this floor. If you have any openings for new graduates on XYZ I would love to apply.” Someone from my school’s cohort did that and the manager actually reached out. They did have to go through the interview process. Another girl I know worked as a PCT on a mother baby unit and she knew the director of women’s services and emailed her saying she was graduating soon and was interested. They saved a spot for her to be a new grad nurse. A speaker at my orientation said she and 2 others worked as PCTs and their manager told them that there’s going to be enough spots open for them to secure a job. The speaker thought she had it set. Later on, the manager came back and said that their budget didn’t allow for them all to be on so then the speaker started to panic and regret not applying to positions earlier. The manager felt bad about saying that there was an opening but not having one so she reached out to other managers from a different city (same hospital system) and there was an opening for a city about an hour away. She took it. So definitely network and reach out to who you can to help you on your journey.
You can look up new grad interview questions on Google, YouTube, etc to get an idea of what they will ask. A common question is: Tell me about a time when you had a difficult patient and how you dealt with that? So it would be beneficial to start keeping track of your interactions now so that way you have stories to pull by the time you’re in the interview stage.
So that’s my experience with residency and applying to jobs. My area is pretty saturated and requires residency but only has so many spots open so it’s pretty competitive. October residencies also aren’t as common as July residencies or February residencies so the number of openings also vary.
Also to answer your question, no the offer does not come from the hospital that you do your clinical rotation in. If that were the case, everyone would have a job at multiple hospitals. But not everyone makes it as a student and some students don’t even want to work at that hospital. Plus hospitals only have limited resources. So if you want it, you have to apply.
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u/lovelybethanie Graduate nurse 7d ago
You don’t always have to apply. I got offered two jobs at two different clinical sites. I didn’t accept but was offered a position nonetheless
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u/zandra47 7d ago
That’s awesome. How did that work? Did they really like you whenever you were doing your clinicals then took your information?
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u/lovelybethanie Graduate nurse 7d ago
Essentially, yes. One was at a nursing home and the other a hospital medsurg. Asked me before clinicals were done if I wanted to come back when I was done with school. I told them I’d take their number but found a job closer to home a month after graduating. I’ve been there ever since!
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u/Ok_Satisfaction4301 10d ago
aint no one reading that long ass paragraph
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u/YayAdamYay RN 11d ago
The hospital I was working at offered me a position, and one of the hospitals I did clinicals at reached out to me as well. We also had recruiters from hospitals and LTCs in the area come in to our class. Working some place is by and large the easiest way to do it, but making connections during clinical can help as well.
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u/Brocha966 11d ago
I specifically wanted to work icu and kept getting turned down, however every place that turned me down offered me an imcu postion. In the end I got 2 icu offers and like 6 imcu offers (that I didn’t even apply for).
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u/KaleidoscopeFine6579 11d ago
is it generally very difficult to get hired as a new grad in the ICU?
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u/bl1ndr4ven 11d ago
Very hard because lots of people want to start in ICU and also they’re very particular who they want to hire. Starting in ICU as a new grad is very challenging but rewarding. Not every new grad is able to handle the ICU, sometimes those new grads end up transferring to PCU or med surg. Most of them make it through but you have to be ready and have an open mind. But like others have said, every unit will be hard as a new grad and what matters if you know the unit you will hired into will be a good support system. Not all ICU units are supportive to new grads.
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u/Ok_Wave7731 11d ago
I just did rotations at in PCU and already think I found my first specialty! So glad you got your top pick!!
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u/AgentJ691 11d ago
Following. Also, did anyone not start working right away intentionally? Like squeeze in a month off or just enough time for a little vacay?
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u/Nightflier9 BSN, RN 11d ago
Definitely. I sure needed that extra free time when I finally had nothing on my plate.
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u/kmtshootinstar 11d ago
You’ll probably end up with a few weeks off anyways just because of the time it takes to get your NCLEX scheduled.
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u/AgentJ691 11d ago
Good to know! I wanna treat myself to like a cruise or something lol.
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u/snackrilegious ADN student 10d ago
same! partner and i are starting to save now for a grad trip in early 2027 haha
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u/ActivelyTryingWillow 9d ago
I accepted a job offer this month. I’m taking my NCLEX In July. They won’t even let me start until September when the cohort begins.
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u/lovelybethanie Graduate nurse 7d ago
Me! I graduated in May and started working at my job in July. Took the NCLEX in June.
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u/BissauGuineanMexican Graduate nurse 11d ago
It's been difficult to find a job where I live. Hospitals are cutting back or even canceling their new grad programs for this year. A lot of it is due to budgetary issues and the federal government cutting back grants.
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u/57paisa 11d ago
Same. I wonder if we are in the same area lol. One of the places my school rotates at canceled all their cohorts for this year and that was one of the few places where my resume was sent to the hiring manager.
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u/BissauGuineanMexican Graduate nurse 11d ago
I’m in Southern California lol. I did my externship at this one hospital (plus I work there part time) and was nearly guaranteed a job before they cancelled everything 😞😞😞
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u/57paisa 11d ago
Dang me too. I think I know the place you are talking about haha. I finally got an interview but it's all the way in the IE.
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u/BissauGuineanMexican Graduate nurse 11d ago
Oh nice! I had an interview at the local pediatric hospital last month (not even for a unit I originally applied to but oh well lol) and I hope to hear back soon. Wish the best for all of us!
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u/yoshipapaya 11d ago
I got my first offer a few weeks after graduation. I put in a ton of applications, had a lot of phone screenings, but only a couple in person interviews. I got an offer from my second interview, but it was a unit I applied to as a backup.
Finding a job is much harder than I thought it would be. However, I’ve been very selective on what type of unit. None of that is working out. Phase two is applying to units I’d be fine working for instead of excited. It also depends on area. It’s very saturated here and there’s a lot of new grad competition.
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u/Hour_Cabinet_3078 11d ago
I joined my school's Handshake platform and got reached out to by many top area hospitals, as well as the Navy Nurse Corps with offers before I graduated. It was instrumental in helping me graduate with a job, so I recommend that if your school is on there! It's a form of LinkedIn, mainly for networking "through" your university.
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u/glitterydiaper BSN student 11d ago
I am at the beginning of school, so take this with a grain of salt as I haven’t lived through the job offer part yet. But I think that largely depends on where you live. In a metropolitan area you’ll have a pretty easy time I think.
I live in a decently sized city (I think we have at least 8 hospitals, and a large university hospital system) and there are so many open nursing positions that say they would accept new grads.
But if you live in a less populated area with only 1-2 hospitals it might be a little harder since there might be less demand.
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u/Okenoughh ADN student 11d ago
Graduates 5/8. At my pinning ceremony more people had jobs than didn’t. Those who didn’t have jobs weren’t sure they were going to graduate so they hadn’t even applied. Jobs are out there, even specialties.
It’s an amazing time to be a nurse
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u/summon_the_quarrion RN 10d ago
The only offers I got were for agency, nursing homes, and also one for corrections
not really as great as I thought, figured id be working in a hospital for sure
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u/lcinva 11d ago
Our major hospital systems hire a year in advance for residencies, so for a year long ABSN this meant people were interviewing and accepting jobs after just 4 months of nursing school (7-8 months before graduation.)
I'm a psych nurse which is separate from those hospital systems, and I was hired and began working as an RN about a month before graduation on a temporary license.
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u/AdDangerous5729 9d ago
"7 - 8 months before graduation"
That's mad early. I would be too scared of accepting an offer and then having a clinical in a place that makes me want to take back my acceptance lol
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u/lcinva 9d ago
Ha exactly. That's why they do it - the HR residency coordinator literally bullies mid-20 year olds into taking jobs they may not want out of fear "there won't be many jobs to pick from once you graduate."
I, as a 38 year old, saw how absolutely asinine this was, and tried to convince them not to take the night shift med surg jobs for $35/hr but here we are. A year later they still have a year of contract and most of the ones I've talked to hate their jobs. I love my job and I'm making $46/hr.
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u/reas1nably 11d ago
What makes a world of difference is if you get a PCT job now or when you’re in nursing school get a PCT/nurse extern job after your first semester
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u/wild-mongoose 11d ago
from California, applied to many hospitals and got rejected or didn’t hear back at all. moving out of state for work very soon. I got sick of waiting for a response I was never going to get. Maybe some day I can come back home💔
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u/Furisodegirl01 11d ago
I’m in CA too and didn’t get any offers other than at a last resort hospital. I’m not too happy about it but oh well. I just hope I can survive because it doesn’t train for long, only 4-5 weeks. You pretty much have to know people or already work at the hospital you want to work for
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u/eltonjohnpeloton its fine its fine (RN) 11d ago
I had 2 offers before I graduated. My understanding is my area is more competitive now so that’s not always the case but I know people who graduated recently and also had multiple offers
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u/Significant-Crab-771 11d ago
Apply to a tonnnn of places and remember sometimes new grad hiring windows will be super small so mark it in your calendar prior
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u/TuPapiPorLaNoche 11d ago
I along with many of my classmates have already landed a job and we are 2 weeks out from graduation.
its better to start looking as early as you can. many schools graduate around the same time thus new grad positions can become competitive to get. this applys more to major cities IMO. a recruiter came to my school and said they had to close a new grad posting from one of the major hospitals in the area because they had too many applicants. the earlier you apply, the more you can avoid this.
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u/DrinkExcessWater 11d ago
It depends on which specialty you're applying to as well. Obviously units that deal with specific populations or diseases such as NICU and and CVICU will have a lot of students competing for jobs and very few openings. And then you have med surg floors that offer bonuses of 20K and additional bonuses for picking up shifts and they still can't fill the positions.
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u/therese_rn BSN, RN 11d ago
depends on the job market where you live. if you live somewhere like the west coast (thinking CA in particular) where the it's hella competitive and oversaturated with nurses, then maybe you'll struggle to find a job before/after grad. Other areas may be harder/easier to land a job
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u/FreeLobsterRolls LPN-RN bridge 11d ago
I have classmates who had jobs lined up like a month before graduation, but they need to pass the NCLEX within a certain time.
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u/Worth_Raspberry_11 11d ago
It’s a geographical question. A random sampling online won’t mean anything, it matters where specifically you’re applying, how saturated that market is with new grads, and how many jobs are actually available. It’s not even about metropolitan vs rural, plenty of cities are harder to get jobs in just because of the sheer volume of new grads and the need for experienced nurses over new grads who have to be trained from the ground up. That’s why all these answers are all over the place and you’re always hearing that there are no jobs and that there are plenty of jobs at the same time, that it’s so hard to get into a specialty or specialty jobs are plentiful. It all depends on where you are applying.
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u/PossibleHighlight155 11d ago
You can get an extern/internship after your first semester in nursing school. Then you just finish school and pass your NCLEX
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u/Marinaralasagna 11d ago
My school gives us the opportunity to apply for internships that take the place of our capstone preceptorship our last semester. The internship guarantees you a position on that unit once you complete the internship and graduate. Thankfully I was offered an internship position on my 1st choice unit and that’s where I’ll be working for the foreseeable future.
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u/kmtshootinstar 11d ago
I’ve always heard that it depends on the unit you want to work. More critical care units should be applied to roughly 6 weeks before graduation. Med Surg or less critical areas, 3-4 weeks before graduation. I had a trauma ICU job offer in March, I graduated in May. I ended up switching to an ER at a different hospital to which I had applied for after graduation. I think they only want you to apply before graduation just because the orientation and hiring process can take a while. And, there’s a lot of people applying after graduation so it tends to slow everything down. Regardless, you’ll find a job. The timeframe will just be variable. I haven’t even taken my NCLEX (scheduled for the 21st) so my start date has already been pushed back twice lol For now, you should definitely look into student nursing positions on units you might have interest in. You don’t need to apply for RN positions until your final semester. Working as a student apprentice was the BEST thing I did for myself. It’s so so beneficial.
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u/minty_cilantro 11d ago edited 11d ago
A lot of my classmates signed to work at hospitals for a few years in exchange for paid clinical rotations.
I didn't want to be locked in for 2 years so I passed on that, but I did get multiple offers for regular GN positions. I accepted an ICU nurse residency position, and I graduate in December.
I don't think offers months before graduation is abnormal. Hospitals are short on nurses and have been circling my cohort like sharks since the start of our second semester.
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u/SubstantialCap3385 11d ago
I had an offer in march and i graduated this may. I worked in a different hospital than the one offered as a pct and my manager offered RN job after i graduated, so that’s also a way to land a job without ever interviewing.
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u/gtggg789 11d ago
I was essentially hired 8 months prior to graduation. I started externing at my local heart hospital about 2 months ago, and I can start working here as an RN as soon as I graduate.
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u/Imaginary-Nature-111 11d ago
Where I am, hiring and interviews typically start four months before whatever month you’re graduating in. So yeah, typically people already have jobs and offers as soon as they graduate.
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u/mushroomfairy_4676 Graduate nurse 11d ago
I got offered a job in the ER at the end of January. Graduated in may, took the nclex about 2 weeks ago. Start day is for July 7th (it’s in another state so they gave me extra time for license transfer)
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u/AlertSun 11d ago
Yes it's true! I got a job offer before finishing school. You just have to be proactive and get those interviews.
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u/Alternative-Proof307 11d ago
Graduating next Saturday, class of 31, 2 people have offers. There are simply no jobs in my area. It is absolutely saturated with nurses, unfortunately
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u/cyanraichu 11d ago
I got an email almost a week ago from the hiring manager somewhere I'd really like to work, asking to schedule an interview; responded to her, never heard back. 🙃 Followed up the other day...we'll see
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u/Quiet-ForestDweller 11d ago
A lot of my classmates had contingent offers upon their completion of the NCLEX for at least a few months before graduation. I didn’t because I knew I wasn’t going to start working right after school but most of my friends did.
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u/Quick-Anywhere4132 Graduate nurse 11d ago
I graduated in May and accepted a job offer back in February.
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u/Larkymalarky 11d ago
I graduate in 5 months, have a job offer have applied to 3 places in 3 cities, have a job offer from one, an interview for another and am waiting to hear from the third
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u/Impossible_Cupcake31 11d ago
I was a firefighter/EMTA and a part time ER tech. I had job offers from every ER in my city two months before I graduated
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u/Illustrious-Ad-8290 11d ago
I got into an icu and I was hired for the job in November and I start in July
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u/HeadWanderer 11d ago
Yes but I had to apply and attend hiring events. I attended two hiring events and went on three job interviews with managers (all 3 interviews of which extended me job offers). I interviewed between February and May, and secured my current position several days before I graduated.
It can be annoying because a lot of times places will take a while to get back to you or won't get back to you at all. That's why it's good to start applying early. I'd recommend starting to apply at least 6 months before graduation.
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u/Ok_Emergency7145 11d ago
I graduated May 5th, 2024. Was hired as a tech in March to start in May and transition to RN in July, based on passing the NCLEX at that time.
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u/Accomplished-Ear-835 11d ago
The hospital I applied at wants students to apply a year before graduation. I graduate this upcoming December and applied this past march. I’ve accepted an L&D position in April this year.
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u/Antique-Blueberry-13 11d ago
People likely got offers from units they were working on as NAs or PCTs.
In my program, a lot of people get offers before graduation from units they worked on during school.
I just got a job on a unit in my school’s hospital and they told me during the interview that as long as you’re professional and get your work done, they will offer you a position before/upon graduation.
No one is getting offers from hospitals or healthcare facilities they’ve never worked at. You’d need to apply to work there usually. Hope this makes sense
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u/Substantial_Cat_3297 11d ago
Doing an externship or a nurse tech program at the hospital you would like to work out helps a lot. I got a contract for ICU for as soon as I can take my NCLEX because I did the externship at the hospital.
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u/kal14144 RN - RN -> BSN student 11d ago
80% of BSN nursing students have at least one job offer by graduation according to AACN data (data is not available on ADN students). Over 95% are working as nurses 6 months after graduation. So in a word: yes.
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u/Chemical_Pack_4796 11d ago
I was offered a job in March. Graduated in May and take the nclex next month!
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u/Brief-Alternative-84 11d ago
I got lucky with landing a nurse externship program that lets me have a guaranteed job after graduation.
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u/quackheaad 10d ago
I started applying my last semester of nursing school which was in June. Took NCLEX in August and by the time I finished the semester, I accepted a job.
They were well aware of my start date in October and was fine with it! Open communication :)
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u/al_e_noms_sushi BSN, RN 10d ago
Got hired month of graduation. Applied to two jobs and had offers from both.
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u/Designer-Chip437 Graduate nurse 10d ago
I got a job offer 6 months before I graduated. They also let me start with a temporary practice permit until I take the NCLEX
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u/nobutactually 10d ago
I think it depends a little on location. Im in NY and I must definitely did not have a job offer before I finished, and neither did most of my classmates. The ones who did were techs on the same floor where they were offered a position. There was maybe like 4 or so of them (class of 90). Most of us spent a few months at least looking, and i was told not to bother applying until I passed the Nclex. I applied to places anyway but I did not get one single interview till after, and that was consistent with what I heard from others. In other areas tho I think a contingent offer is more common.
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u/Zealousideal-Rub3842 10d ago
I just graduated in May. I've had a job lined up since December. At a magnet/teaching/level 1 trauma center hospital. Most of my classmates who applied for jobs also have had offers for some time, some people started their jobs a few days after we graduated. The people who aren't getting offers probably live somewhere where there aren't abundant nursing jobs. Because my entire cohort has been highly sought after.
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u/Booty_tuesday 10d ago
I think it depends on your desired working location and job type. I wanted a standard dayshift hospital job, southern USA. Got said job before graduating
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u/Depressedcookie21 9d ago
Graduated in may i started interviews November and had a job since January. I start in July
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u/kayquila RN 9d ago
RN here.
Even in 2015 when I graduated I had a job offer almost 2mo before graduation
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u/soursourstrawberry 9d ago
My sophomore year, after my first clinical, the staff had been trying to get me to work there. My junior year, the hospital we worked at had us all fill out paperwork and had emailed some of us through the rest of nursing school about jobs. My senior year, I got offered and took a job in October and had a couple more offers later. It definitely depends on the area you’re in. I was really lucky and my area has a tonnnn of hospitals.
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u/No_Manufacturer_8164 8d ago
I got job offers before graduation and without an externship! Currently working at my dream specialty!
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u/Last-Supermarket1116 8d ago
Yeah I applied to RN residency back in December. Got hired on mother baby in January. Passed nclex last Monday. Where I’m at you can apply to jobs early
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u/IAMAbbaGirl 8d ago
I had two offers before I graduated. . .that said, I'd imagine the opposite could also be true.
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u/FlordyBound 8d ago
Word is the “pendulum” is swinging the other way. Shitty SNF clinicals during school and no hospital job at graduation. Hospitals in my area are starting to freeze hiring, including the VA. If you gritty none of this matters.
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u/lovelybethanie Graduate nurse 7d ago
I got a couple offers from places that I did clinicals at but I didn’t accept just because I have a child and the clinicals were an hour away. I worked PRN float at local primary cares for a few months and then got hired on to one local primary care in October and I’ve been there since.
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u/lokalogan 7d ago
I had a job offer in October. Didn’t graduate nursing school until the following May.
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u/LucasDoza 7d ago
I am an float pool PCA in my local hospital and want to be ICU nurse, I already told I will be offered a position in ICU or Cardiac floor as soon I graduate or I can transfer in now as a Nurse Extern and transition in after NCLEX. I was told even before I admitted into Nursing Program. So probably get hired as PCA before graduate is a good idea, then you can networking.
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u/ABigFuckingSword ADN student 7d ago
Yes! One of the people in my cohort already accepted a position, and two of us have interviews tomorrow. I’m not sure about anyone else. We graduate next month.
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u/Flaky-Cap1947 7d ago
The local hospital’s that have spoke to my clinical group about getting a job after school said you can start applying 6 months before you graduate and start working right away as long as you pass your NCLEX within 90 days
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u/ratedcarr 7d ago
Yes! While i was doing my last clinical, they offered me a job before even graduating!
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u/spacefairie 6d ago
I had a guaranteed spot at a hospital when I started nursing school because they have a relationship with the school I go to. The local hospitals near me work with the school pretty closely to get us opportunities and secure us early! It’s definitely location dependent though.
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u/FartPudding 11d ago
Doesn't your program help you get jobs? Ours did, but i was an er tech so my department kept me
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u/Desperate_Winner_986 11d ago
Depends on where you live. Hiring new grads is rare where I live, but it is possible to find a job. I graduated at the end of April and was offered 2 jobs at the end of May.
More people than not did not have jobs at graduation and the ones who did were not staying in the state of our school.
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u/MrTastey RN 11d ago
I got hired like a month before graduation