I just got my RN license Jan 8th and I am having a heard time finding a job in Minnesota, although i do have a few leads. I can't believe what has happened to the job market for RNs.
I did apply for a RN position in Texas, and they called me the next day and offered to fly me down at their expense for an interview, so mabybe there is still a big demand in Texas. However the starting base pay for me would be 22.00/hr, which seems a little low for a hospital. Anyway, good luck

try travel nursing. i doubt that with america being short nearly 1 million nurses that contracts will go away.

Are you joking????
No. Failing economy doesn't make people less sick! I am a "casual" nurse, and I get called to work EVERY DAY. I could seriously work 365 days a year, plus overtime If I chose.

i worked 5 days last week got called all 7. sooooo no problems in florida. that is until april when all the old people go north.

I own a business with my husband from home now, but there will ALWAYS be jobs for Nurses. Think outside the box! There's legal nurse consulting, medical auditing, reviewing claims for insurance companies, working with self insured businesses, case management.. and on and on!

See what I mean?!? Don't limit yourself to looking within the hospital setting!

Linda/CMAS, BS. RN
AOL and YAHOO IM - TxBiznurse

decrease in available nursing jobs/market saturation
I live in Sacramento, California and I have been a nurse for two years. I currently work registry, but unfortunately the hours just aren't there anymore. I have spoken with nursing from other registries and they are experiencing the same thing - an inability to pay the bills. I am perfectly willing to go permanent part-time or full-time but those positions are not available either. One manager noted that they had over 400 applicants for four positions. Many posted positions have already been promised to LVN's, students, or others. I am very frustrated as I have searched nursing markets in other areas in California and other states. It does not seem much better anywhere else. Has anyone else noticed a nursing overage?

Re: decrease in available nursing jobs/market saturation
Yes, registry nursing has been tough. Census has been low at many hospitals (high unemployment rates and a failing economy affect the rate that people come into the hospital).

Things will turn around. I think its going to take a few more months. If you are able to leave the area, you may want to consider working registry in a place like San Diego or another part of Southern California.

If not registry, maybe try working in a clinic or other perm position in Sacramento. Yes, competition is tough, but people are still looking to hire.

economy meltdown
The economic slowdown has hit the healthcare industry here in the state of
PA. Graduating class of 114 new GN's and only 12!! have a job in nursing!! LTC which is notorisly begging for help has been unindated with applicants! Hospitals with a "revolving door will always have positions...other smaller hospitals have been on a hiring freeze since January. PRN positions are never called... Thats the state of affairs here from the PA. surgical arena (my specialty)

Re: Nurses experiencing decrease in hours/ layoffs?


i haven't seen any decrease in hours at my job, but i'm the only mental health nurse in my facility (corrections) and i'm rarely caught up. they did cut back recently on staffing levels on evening and night shifts.

i think the nursing shortage still exists. it's just that no one will hire for this short season. i expect it to turn around by the end of the year. people need health care, and the baby boomers are aging, and all that.

i'm not so sure about nursing wages going down if we are nationalized. i think they will lower the wages of all the specialists and surgeons and highly paid administrators. but nurses don't make that much money in comparison to the ones i listed, and nurses are generally considered to be solidly in the middle of the working-middle class. i think a nationalized system would actually protect people like us.

[quote="2542Daniel7] However the starting base pay for me would be 22.00/hr, which seems a little low for a hospital. [/quote]

that's about where RNs start here in rural Ohio. but think about the fact that our 4 bedroom houses sell for under 100,000 (in a normal market, not in these odd times) and that average rent for a similar home is $600 a month ... and $22 an hour actually is ok. the places where you get paid $40 an hour often have triple the housing costs, and in the end you have less money left over than you would in the midwest.

i only spend 18% of my income on the house payment. and then my husband earns money too. so we have it pretty good here in Ohio on those lower wages, as compared to the urban centers.