Congratulations! You’ve been promoted…well almost!
So, you just graduated nursing school and passed your NCLEX, but haven’t found a job. Don’t worry! This article will discuss how to find a job as a new graduate nurse.
Compared to other professions, nurses are in demand! People are always sick and there are never enough nurses to take care of the masses, however finding a job without experience can be tough. You may feel like you’re in the cycle of not having enough experience for a job, but in order to get the experience you need a job! Frustrating, right?!
The good news is there are starting points for new graduate nurses so that they can safely and confidently transition into the profession. Nursing school equipped you with the knowledge of patient care, but now you need the real-life application!
But first,
How Much do New Graduate Nurses Make?
According to ZipRecruiter.com as of April 2024, new graduate nurses make a national average hourly wage between $26.92 to $30.53.
Average Yearly: $59,000 – $64,499
Average Hourly: $26.92 – $30.53
For reference, when I started in September of 2020, I made $26.75/hr as a cardiac medical-surgical nurse. This is an important reference to set a realistic expectation of how much new graduate nurses with little to no experience make. Other factors to consider include type of degree, location, and previous healthcare experience. With this in mind, you can use this as negotiation knowledge to determine if your potential offer is according to the national averages.
You can also search the salaries of new graduate nurses in your specific location to get a closer prediction of the pay expectations in your area.
How to Land a Job as a New Grad Nurse:
1. Do Some Research.
Decide what type of nursing or specialty you would like to explore first! I want to emphasize the word “first”! Nursing is so vast and what you may think you want to do forever can change. So do some research and self-reflection, but most importantly just think with the mindset of “What do I want to do first?”. First doesn’t mean forever!
In researching you might realize that most new graduate nurses start on a medical-surgical unit. While this doesn’t have to be your journey, it is a great starting point for new graduates who don’t have any hospital experience. So if you weren’t a nurse extern, CNA, or medical tech before graduating, then med-surg can be a great starting point for your foundation as a nurse.
However, if you desire to start in critical care or outpatient right after graduation then don’t be afraid to seek out those opportunities. Ultimately you have to know yourself, understand the different types of nursing through research, and know that you can do anything you set your mind to!
2. Search for Nurse Residency Programs
This is my #1 recommendation for new graduate nurses looking to land a job and also how I got my first job as a nurse.
A nurse residency is a specific orientation program (usually a year long) for new graduate nurses looking to start within a certain hospital setting. Nurse residencies are tailored for new graduate nurses or nurses with less than 6 months of experience and are offered by the hospital facility.
These residency programs are typically offered during certain times of the year, usually after common graduation seasons for nurses. For instance, there are spring, summer, and winter cohorts for new graduate nurses who have just graduated. The residency programs are for different specialties, such as acute care, critical care, OR, PACU, outpatient, etc.
During a residency, you can expect an extended initial orientation (usually 12-16 weeks) with a preceptor as an experienced nurse who will work alongside you to care for the same patients. This is a great bridge for a new nurse so that you can bring the book knowledge into a practical and realistic bedside application. In addition to having a preceptor, the onboarding usually includes extensive learning modules specific to that specialty unit to help with the learning curve of the transition.
Depending on the residency program, an evidence-based project is usually included where you work with other new graduate nurses to implement some change in the hospital. My residency project involved working with other new grad medical-surgical nurses to improve medication side effects teaching hospital-wide.
Because the residency program included other new graduate nurses, this developed a safe community of other nurses who could identify with me and help with the transition. This was important because those who were going through the same experience offered great support during the tough transition.
Compared to the past when nurses graduated college and were just thrown onto a unit to start working independently (very unsafe), a nurse residency program offers a safe transition for new grad nurses.
How to Find a New Grad Residency Program?
- Search on Indeed for “nurse residency” or “new grad nurse”
- Search for Hospitals in your specific area and search on their career page for nurse residency programs
- Search other job boards for nurse residency programs
3. Create a LinkedIn Account
Many nurses believe that because they’re in demand, they will always have a job and don’t have to work on career networking. Although nurses are in demand, networking is a great opportunity to link you to the job that you desire. Networking is typically not discussed in nursing school compared to other majors like business, but nurses should value and consider it.
A great way to network, find jobs, and connect with recruiters is through LinkedIn. This is a professional platform that connects jobs to job seekers. You can connect directly with hiring teams and recruiters to help with your job search. This can open doors of opportunities and serve as a virtual resume for you. So if you haven’t already, I strongly encourage you to create a LinkedIn account.
4. Go to a Career Fair
Before I graduated from nursing school, my university hosted a career fair for upcoming nurse graduates. I spoke with different recruiters which was another great networking opportunity. I also learned about the job opportunities for new nurses in my area and surrounding hospitals/facilities that I didn’t know about. So, if your school has a career fair I would attend and network by getting the contact information of those recruiters.
If your school doesn’t have a career fair, then search the hospitals in your area and look on their sites for career fairs. These career fairs are often hosted by the unit recruiters for the hospital. My advice is to come prepared wearing business professional attire with copies of your resume and treat this like an interview.
5. Join a Facebook Group
There are plenty of nursing Facebook groups, many of which have nursing recruiters as members. Within these nursing Facebook groups, you can make a posting stating
“Looking for “x” job in “y” location as a new graduate nurse”.
Or you can make a post asking for the recruiter’s information for a specific hospital.
“Are there any recruiters for Health Hospital here?”
Utilize these informal Facebook Groups to your advantage! This is also a great way to network with other nurses and build community.
Here is a link to my Facebook Group.
6. Utilize the Career Resources at your University
Reach out to your school’s career guidance team and see if they offer resume or cover letter help. Your school may also have connections to the local hospitals and recruiters to help you land a job. So send them an email or give them a call and see what resources you have available.
Conclusion:
More than likely you WILL find a job although it may take a little longer than expected. Try to do everything within your power to stay positive and address what you can control. Things you can control include:
- Your resume
- Your cover letter
- Your Application Process
- Interview Prep
- Your Networking
Please remember that your first job doesn’t have to be your forever job, it’s just the first step. Many new graduate nurses transition to other roles after their 6 month or 1 year mark, which can come in no time.
There may be some sacrifices that you have to make to land your first job like accepting a night position, working on a unit that wasn’t your first choice, a pay decrease, relocation, or working for a hospital that you may not prefer.
Sacrifice can be temporary, but a part of the process. Stay encouraged and happy job searching!