Massachusetts Nurses

[PediNurse]

Is anyone having difficulty finding a job? I'm a new graduate RN with aspirations of working in the NICU and not only can I not find a NICU position, I can't even find a med-surg position. I'm really panicking and I know a lot of May grads are too. Many nurses have said this is the worst they've seen it. Almost every Boston hospital has a hiring freeze for external applicants. Lahey Clinic has a big posting on its website that they are only considering internal candidates at this time. B&W hospital only has a 2% nursing shortage at this time. One nurse recruiter I talked to told me hospitals on average have roughly 340 applicants for every one nursing position posted. It's so scary to think I may not be able to get a job in the field I've worked so hard to get into. Even LTACs and nursing homes don't need new grad help. I feel like I have a disease when nurse manager/recruiter finds out I'm a new graduate. I talked to one nurse manager at Children's Hospital after applying for a cardiac ICU position there. She asked me which position I was interested in because she had several. I told her I was a new grad and her tone completely changed and she told me she was sorry, she had nothing open for me and she knew that there were no openings in Children's at all right now. I've called the recruitment department every week for almost 8 months and they have never called me back or picked up the phone. Not once. I wonder how we are supposed to become the coveted experienced nurses if no one is willing to train a new grad to become one. Anyway, just wanted to commiserate with any fellow new grads/nurses who are experiencing what I am right now, especially in Massachusetts.

 

[OceanAnnie]

bumping.

I'm sorry and surprised to read this. I hope something opens up and you find something soon.

 

[kpm76]

Come to RI.....W & I is a great hospital with a NICU. There are lots of nice incentives to work here, including some potential options to have student loans forgiven.....good luck

 

[PediNurse]

KPM I would LOVE to work there, but they don't have anything for a new grad in the NICU. I would absolutely commute to Providence from Boston to work in a NICU.

 

[kpm76]

Oh, that's too bad. What about another hospital that has a special care nursery? Kent County in RI is one of them but there may be others closer to you (unless you want to take advantage of the student loan incentives in RI). You could get some experience which would make you more marketable, still work with babies and then move on to a NICU? Just a thought....I had DD at W & I and had a wonderful experience....all the nurses were awesome!!! They really are the ones who get you through L & D....

 

[bigbabyblues]

The hospital I work in (no NICU) requires nurses (I'm not one) to start on the medical floors before they can go to nursery, ER, surgery, etc.

 

[Tinkerbelle'sMOM]

Are there positions on peds or postpartum? You can start there to get your foot in the door to NICU. Also, call the unit managers of the NICU's and ask to shadow and tell her you are interested in working there. Sometimes there are positions that have not been posted in HR yet because they are waiting to see if there any lateral or internal moves. Most NICU's do not require med surg before coming into there...actually we prefer it, it is totally different than adult nursing. Most places that want people to start on med-surg only do it because they can't get people to work on those floors any other way.

Good luck in the job hunt!

 

[Mermaid02]

Come to Maine- there are plenty of nursing positions here.

 

[Just Jan]

I'm not a nurse, but this site may help.
http://www.healthcaresource.com/
good luck to you.

 

[Goofycampers]

I wouldn't panick. I've been a nurse for 24 yrs. and when I graduated it was the same way, very few jobs avail. I was lucky and was hired at a large teaching hosp, but a friend of mine had to take a part time night shift position. Fortunately within a relatively short period of time things turned around. That's sort of the way it's been over the years with nursing, an ebb and flow of jobs. But overall, nursing is one career that can almost always count on available jobs. Good Luck

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

That is just amazing for me to hear. I live in Pittsburgh and have been a nurse for 19 years.

There are pages of nursing jobs here, for new grads as well as experienced nurses. Some places will pay off your loans if you committ to work for a couple years. I know quite a few places hiring new grads into the units. Our Childrens Hospital here is desperate. There is a new one that is going to be complete soon, They have taken billboard and radio ads out begging for nursing applicants.

Would you consider moving away for a couple years to get experience, then move back? Not sure how much family committment you have in MA.

 

[Cup Cake]

I'm not in your state, but even here (where there are tons of nursing positions open) a new grad doesn't normally land a job in the NICU.

You may need to take a job and work your way into a better one.

 

[minkydog]

I wouldn't panick. I've been a nurse for 24 yrs. and when I graduated it was the same way, very few jobs avail. I was lucky and was hired at a large teaching hosp, but a friend of mine had to take a part time night shift position. Fortunately within a relatively short period of time things turned around. That's sort of the way it's been over the years with nursing, an ebb and flow of jobs. But overall, nursing is one career that can almost always count on available jobs. Good Luck

Same here when I graduated in '77 it was very hard to get a job, then all of a sudden things opened up again. For awhile, it was a "buyer's market" for nurses. What goes around, comes around.It's cyclical.

I suggest you 1) consider a non-specialty first and 2) consider moving to a different state. Most hospitals are under the gun these days to provide excellent, experienced care and it can be very hard to get hired as a new grad. But if you are willing to be flexible, including possibly moving south for a year or so to get some experience, then eventually you'll be in a position to command the job and pay you deserve.

Very few hospitals are going to put a new grad in NICU where the most fragile infants in the world reside. Would you?? Try getting on with a peds hospital in any capacity, then after a year or so transfer to NICU. You may even have to do something else, like adult med/surg, just to get your foot in the door.

Incidentally, congrats on graduating. I've never regretted being a nurse. There is no other career in the world that is so flexible, portable, and diverse. Hope you love it (the first year is hard, but eventually you get your sea-legs-- hang in there!)

 

[WebmasterAlex]

MGH has postings for new grads, have you tried any of the suburban hospitals?

 

[HelenePA]

When my DD was in the NICU I did not see a nurse there under 40 please don't take this the wrong way, but I would have been VERY VERY nervous about leaving my newborn with a nurse who was just out of school, yes some of those nurses could have just gone back and graduated but most told me they had been doing nursing for 15+ years to calm my fears I did see a few "younger" nurses over in the PICU section after my dd had heart surgery could you try there first?

Congrats and Good Luck on finding a job!

 

[PediNurse]

Are there positions on peds or postpartum? You can start there to get your foot in the door to NICU. Also, call the unit managers of the NICU's and ask to shadow and tell her you are interested in working there. Sometimes there are positions that have not been posted in HR yet because they are waiting to see if there any lateral or internal moves. Most NICU's do not require med surg before coming into there...actually we prefer it, it is totally different than adult nursing. Most places that want people to start on med-surg only do it because they can't get people to work on those floors any other way.

Good luck in the job hunt!

There are no positions, at all, anywhere. I just interviewed for a non-NICU position that isn't even posted yet because I was persistent and kept in regular contact with the nurse manager. However, I have very little chance of getting it since it's a union position and gives internal candidates first dibs. I can't even get a hold of nurse managers. Another hung up on me today and told me I can't talk to the nurse manager about positions, I have to go through HR...the nurse recruiters NEVER answer their phones. I've called every nurse manager at every hospital in a 100 mile radius from where I live...and I'm still here posting about not being able to get a job. It's really brutal. I couldn't even get a foot in the door as a tech in a Boston hospital. You really have to know someone, and now that I do there's a hiring freeze and they cannot help me. I'm feeling extremely discouraged.

 

[PediNurse]

That is just amazing for me to hear. I live in Pittsburgh and have been a nurse for 19 years.

There are pages of nursing jobs here, for new grads as well as experienced nurses. Some places will pay off your loans if you committ to work for a couple years. I know quite a few places hiring new grads into the units. Our Childrens Hospital here is desperate. There is a new one that is going to be complete soon, They have taken billboard and radio ads out begging for nursing applicants.

Would you consider moving away for a couple years to get experience, then move back? Not sure how much family committment you have in MA.

Boy, another reason to make me hate living in Massachusetts. I'm unable to relocate to do my husband's job commitment. Relocating is not an option for him. Huge bummer, but it is what it is.

 

[PediNurse]

Same here when I graduated in '77 it was very hard to get a job, then all of a sudden things opened up again. For awhile, it was a "buyer's market" for nurses. What goes around, comes around.It's cyclical.

I suggest you 1) consider a non-specialty first and 2) consider moving to a different state. Most hospitals are under the gun these days to provide excellent, experienced care and it can be very hard to get hired as a new grad. But if you are willing to be flexible, including possibly moving south for a year or so to get some experience, then eventually you'll be in a position to command the job and pay you deserve.

Very few hospitals are going to put a new grad in NICU where the most fragile infants in the world reside. Would you?? Try getting on with a peds hospital in any capacity, then after a year or so transfer to NICU. You may even have to do something else, like adult med/surg, just to get your foot in the door.

Incidentally, congrats on graduating. I've never regretted being a nurse. There is no other career in the world that is so flexible, portable, and diverse. Hope you love it (the first year is hard, but eventually you get your sea-legs-- hang in there!)

I definitely see what you're saying, but luckily I live in one of the strongest teaching areas in the medical field. There are ALWAYS slots for new graduates in just about every specialty, but they are competitive and always fill up quickly. I don't think it benefits nurses to work in med-surg before a specialty like the NICU because there is so much learning to be undone. At this point, I can't even get a med-surg job to pick up the bad habits that need to be unlearned! Thank you so much, I'm looking forward to being overwhelmed.

 

[PediNurse]

MGH has postings for new grads, have you tried any of the suburban hospitals?

Hi. Can you please direct me to the new grad postings? I've been checking the partners website daily and haven't seen anything for a new grad for MGH, B&W or Children's Hospital in months. I've tried ALL the suburban hospitals! Beverly, NSMC, Anna Jaques, Amesbury Child Health, Addison Gilbert, Bay Ridge, Melrose-Wakefield/all of Hallmark Health, Lawrence, Lowell, Saints, New England Hospital for Children in Billerica, and sooooooooooooooo on and so forth. I've only gotten a call back from one place and don't think I got that job. I've repeatedly applied. It is a very tough market right now.

 

[PediNurse]

When my DD was in the NICU I did not see a nurse there under 40 please don't take this the wrong way, but I would have been VERY VERY nervous about leaving my newborn with a nurse who was just out of school, yes some of those nurses could have just gone back and graduated but most told me they had been doing nursing for 15+ years to calm my fears I did see a few "younger" nurses over in the PICU section after my dd had heart surgery could you try there first?

Congrats and Good Luck on finding a job!

Hi there. I understand what you're saying, but I truly believe the NICU is a calling. You have to know you always wanted to be there, and most have a special reason for choosing that career path...it's not just because they love babies - if you love babies you work in a newborn nursery and postpartum. It goes so far beyond that, and every NICU nurse is specially trained and certified in several areas. There is also a lot of support - you're never on your own for at least six months to a year. I bet a lot of those nurses have been there since they started nursing or at least shortly after. Working with neonates is so different from every other type of medicine - you can have twenty years of med-surg under your belt, but it's like being a scared new graduate all over again when you step foot in a NICU. Not many people have confidence the first few times they hang HAL on a 28 weeker who is fighting for his life on an oscillator, no matter how many unstable adult patients they've dealt with. It's definitely a passion. I think you shouldn't be able to tell how many years out a nurse is who takes care of your child. You should feel safe and have as much confidence as possible in the person who literally holds your life and future in their hands, in the form of an infant. If you don't feel comfortable, that's not the nurse you want caring for your child...regardless of whether they have two years of experience or twenty. Just my two cents for all it's worth. Hope to hear your DD is a bright bouncing toddler now.