r/newgradnurse

Hi everyone, I'm in my last semester of nursing school and I graduate in May. I've been applying to jobs/residencies for months and all my applications keep getting denied. I've gotten my resume looked over so that it is suitable for nursing. I submitted an application for the floor I currently have clinicals on (I also work at that hospital in a different unit) and was denied because I "don't meet the minimum requirements". It's very discouraging to constantly be told no. I'm not sure quite what to do going forward. Does anyone have any advice or tips?

Hi, I’m a senior nursing student, and I just got a rejection letter a week after my group panel interview for a med-surg unit. It’s a high-acuity surgical floor, and I felt like the interview went overall pretty well. They recognized me from clinical, we laughed a few times, it was conversational, the main interviewer spent the first 15-20 minutes just selling the unit, and I asked them around 7-8 thoughtful questions, which made the interview go on past the time slot.

But in the second half of the interview, I might have been too honest. I talked about a clinical experience I had on that unit that I’ll never forget. I mentioned that at one point I was stressed because of finals, which made me cry while talking to my nurse. She gave me a pep talk and just thoughtful advice on how to keep going. I told the manager I appreciated that talk because it showed me how supportive the team was, and it was just a helpful talk for a stressed student. She also asked why I transferred schools 2 years ago. I explained that at my old school, the huge class sizes weren't good for my anxiety, which hindered my learning. I made sure to say I’ve matured a lot in the last two years and could handle it now if I were to go back.

But now I’m wondering if mentioning the crying was a big red flag to them, or if my answer about transferring was just not good. In the rejection letter, she said that despite my clear enthusiasm and potential, she has concerns about me being overwhelmed if I start my nursing career in a fast-paced environment.

Overall, she was very kind and said she wants to set me up for success on a slower unit first, but would love to see me return in the future. I know that this is probably the best for me, but should I be less honest in future interviews? I don't really know how else to explain the transferring situation, and I might be asked about it again.

Any feedback or support would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: I also just feel like a failure, because even if it is a high-acuity unit, I thought I still had a chance because it is a med-surg unit. I avoided all the units like ICU because I knew it wasn't for me. Everybody told me I would get the job without a doubt. I did ask the manager if she has specific recommendations of where to look now, so I hope I get a response soon.

So, this is my second career path. I worked mostly med surge for my clinical placement an I honestly really liked it. There is this “thing” about working med surge, and I don’t get it. It could be because I’ve never worked med surge, but I start my new position next week and I’m excited. I really hope I don’t hate it, but even if I do, bills aren’t going to pay themselves, ya know? So, what tips would y’all be willing to share with me? I’ll be working night shift as well. Any must haves, tips, advice…anything.

Hey everyone 👋

This one's for the students and new grads who are staring down a really hard path and trying to find a reason to keep going. They're reading this sub too, and sorting through the heavy and dark aspects without much to balance. I just want us all to see the other side exists too. (Right!?)

So if you have a minute, tell me:

-- What's your specialty? How long have you been nursing?

-- What do you genuinely love about it?

-- How long did it take you to find your place after graduating?

-- What would you tell your first-year self?

-- When was the exact moment you thought, like "okay, I actually belong here?"

No toxic positivity required. Just good stuff, however small. So the incoming new gen of nurses might have something to hold on to.

Let's make a hopecore thread y'all.

I’m applying for an L&D and mother-baby residency, which are dream specialties for me. Part of the reason I feel so drawn to them is because of my own personal experiences. As someone who has been on the other side of it I’m really passionate about maternal health. Is it a bad idea to mention this in a cover letter, though? If so, how else can I stand out and convey my interest without sounding generic?

I have been struggling a lot with my current job, I’ve been there for 10 months now. I have really bad anxiety and this job makes it 10x worse. I’m miserable there. I hate going every time. It’s not even the job itself, it’s the environment. It’s unsupportive. The management isn’t supportive. I have panic attacks, I cry all the time. I’ve made everyone around me miserable because all I talk about is how much I hate the job. I’ve lost myself within this process as well. Lost who I thought I was as a nurse. I actually don’t even think the 3/12 schedule works for me, I feel like I need more consistency. I’m also on a rotating schedule which sucks within itself. Anyways, I think I’m going to quit, and I have a few interviews lined up for new jobs, but is it terrible if I quit without another job lined up immediately? Like will that ruin my chances of another job if I quit and have to tell new jobs that I quit? And if I don’t finish my new grad residency program will that ruin things for me in the future? I am very turned off to the hospital setting right now so I don’t forsee myself getting back into that setting but in case I do, will not completely my new grad residency program hurt me? I’m so so lost, please help me. I am miserable and I can’t sustain this. Please help.

This is stupid but I just wanted to rant. I’m a recent nurse graduate and I’ve been working for a couple of months now and I’m just saying that the schedule is seriously something to get used to. Like I had never worked 12 hours before I got into healthcare let alone being on nights, and it is a huge adjustment that they don’t prepare you well enough for in school. I really think that there needs to be a complete change of the nursing schedule requirements because I feel like that’s a big reason why we get burnt out so quick. Everybody is not made for 12’s let alone a mandatory 3 a week. This adjustment leads us to struggle for SO long after starting our career and it sucks. I mean I’m fairly new and I’m definitely struggling.Idk if it’s the path I chose (not the floor I wanna be on) or the fact that I still feel like the 12 hour shifts and the promise of work life balance is not truly that great. I feel tired and miserable most days regardless if I’m off for a bit or not. I was talking to an older nurse and she said that nursing shifts used to be only 8 hours and I was shocked. How?! I’m not sure how that would’ve worked, but that made me wonder. Did anyone ever think about making it standard for our schedules to be contingent or even part time for all nurses? Like what if contingent was the standard and you could schedule yourself as much or as little as you want? You want full time hours? Schedule yourself full time. You want part time you can do that too, or if you truly want contingent you still have that option. As long as you meet the criteria for so many shifts a month. The mandatory every other weekend is beneficial to who exactly? I feel like it’s fair if you have to work at least one weekend a month,that way certain people are not forced to work EVERY weekend if they don’t want to. As far as flexible hours, I haven’t thought about that yet. Nurses do so much for hospitals, the least they could do is be more flexible with when we can work.It’s so frustrating. There could be a designated nurse schedule manager on the floor to kind of over-see it all to make sure staffing is good, or that could even be done in some kind of scheduling app.As far as insurance and benefits go it would be the same, if you are consistently working full time or part time you’re able to get benefits…seems simple enough or am I crazy lol?? This was kind of all over the place but I truly just wanted to get these thoughts out.Thank you for reading if you made it this far!! Anyways, with all of that being said, do any of you have any other schedule ideas or nursing “standards” that you feel are outdated and that should be changed? I’m really curious to know if this is actually a thing anywhere in the world.

Hey everyone! I'm graduating with my MSN in December and trying to plan out my first couple of years as a new RN. I have two areas I'm really passionate about critical care and women's health and I'm trying to figure out how to pursue both without burning out.

My current plan is to start full time in the ICU (I've been a nurse tech in an ICU for a while so the environment is familiar), and then after I feel settled probably around 6–12 months in to pick up a PRN or part-time OB/L&D position on the side.

Has anyone worked dual specialties early in their career like this? Is it realistic to add a PRN OB position after your first year in the ICU, or is that too much too soon as a new grad? Would love to hear how others have navigated loving more than one specialty.

That’s all… I graduated nursing school, before school I worked as a ED tech at small hospital that’s kind of far from me now that I moved to the city and have worked in a different healthcare career (patient facing) for years. I had a preceptorship but that floor was overstaffed.

I’ve had really good feedback from my preceptor that I was safe and vigilant. But I feel like I’m not good at networking. I always wanted to have a relationship with a professor I admired but I just couldn’t think of how to strike up a conversation without coming across as annoying. Then, I wanted to created relationships with the management on my preceptorship but I never knew what to say. At job fairs I just can’t seem to make any sort of meaningful connection.

I’m just feeling super disheartened hearing others are getting offers and I can’t even get a phone interview. I’m sure I’m doing something wrong but idk. I’ve had multiple resume reviews but idk!!!

Anyway sorry I’ll prob delete this I just got into a severe depression tonight over this and wanted to vent.

I’m in Boston, MA and I’m hearing it’s becoming more competitive each year but idk people are getting calls :/

Hey guys! Anyone have the ebook for ACLS Provider Manual and want to send it to me?🥺🥺 im planning to take the ACLS course soon and just want to review the handbook. I’d greatly appreciate it

I’m a new grad in the ICU on week 5 of 19 and I’ve started having chest pain from stress. It got bad enough that I went to the ED and everything was normal so they said it’s stress.

I can handle two vented patients and I actually feel like that part is doable. The issue is my preceptor. She is very type A and overbearing about everything. How I chart how I do skills even small things like how I hold a patient’s foot. If I sit to chart she pulls me up to do something else before I can even process what I just did.

Today I had two patients and she volunteered us for an admission but it ended up just being me taking it. That pushed me over the edge. I don’t mind learning but it feels like I’m being rushed past a safe pace.

My unit also doesn’t really have structured classes so I already feel like I’m trying to teach myself ICU while meeting her expectations. Even breaks feel rushed because I’m trying to keep up and not miss anything.

I called my educator today and said I can’t keep going like this. I feel guilty because I don’t want to cause issues or seem like I can’t handle ICU but I don’t think I can do 14 more weeks like this.

Has anyone dealt with this kind of preceptor and did switching help or am I overreacting?

I feel really discouraged right now. Yesterday I started my first IV ever and I was honestly so proud of myself—I got it on the first try, and the patient was a difficult stick. She ended up getting two bags of sodium phosphate through it.

I came in tonight for my shift and found out the nurse had to write an incident report because I inserted the IV in the wrong direction (toward the hand). Now I just feel stupid and really bummed. I went from feeling proud of myself to feeling like I shouldn’t have been proud at all.

I know I’m still learning, but this really shook my confidence. Has anyone else experienced something like this as a new grad? How do you move past it and not let it get to you?

Ever since I started my night shifts as a new grad I have obviously lost my appetite during the day but then when I eat, I get really nauseas. My bowels are less active and I hate the way this schedule has already affected my health.

For any of you who work nights, did you experience similar symptoms and did it get better? Or do I move to days .

I see there’s an upcoming recruitment event at Lincoln hospital. Does anyone have recent experience going to one of these? The flyer says experience preferred. Should I even try, or will I be turned away?

What is your pay and what is the tax situation like?

Hi everyone. I don’t have many friends in my position so I chose to reach out to this community :)))

I recently graduated, took my nclex twice. First go I got 150 and failed second I got 85 and passed. This week was really my first time on the floor and the first day I loved it, felt good a little slow to get the hang of things but after the day went on I felt great. Second day I caught a whirlwind of B*****!!! I’m struggling with identifying if I’m incompetent or if it was just a bad day and I’ve been beating myself up about it.

Nursing school dragged me through the dirt, I always felt stupid and knew less than my peers and this that and the third. However when I passed my nclex I finally felt like I could be a darn good nurse but after the second day I feel soooooo sooo stupid. Like I struggled with an IV, missed some context clues because I was flustered . To make matters worse, everyone at my job knew it took me 2 tries to pass my nclex and according to a coworker, people are judgmental about that and it’s all just hitting me hard. Btw I’m in the ER.

Everyone says that it’s normal to feel this way and one day it’ll click but I spent 4 years studying this.. I thought working would’ve finally gave me the confidence I needed to trust my decisions and perform the best I can as a nurse. Maybe I have too high of expectations.

What do you guys think.

Hi wonderful nurses! I’ve been lurking here for a while and finally decided to post.

I’m 45 and going back to school to complete my prereqs, with the goal of applying to nursing school. This would be a second career for me.

My partner is a bit concerned and keeps asking whether nursing will still have strong job prospects in a few years. From what I can tell, it seems like a very stable, in-demand field...but I’ll admit, he is starting to make me second-guess things.

For context, I spent the last few years trying to pivot into tech, but with how unstable that industry has been, I wasn’t able to find consistent work.

So I’d really love to hear from people in the field:

* How does the job market for nurses feel right now?

* Are you seeing strong demand where you are?

* What’s the general outlook over the next few years?

I’m based in NY (NYC area), but I’m also considering eventually working in South Carolina, where my parents live, so insight from either region would be especially helpful.

Thanks! I really appreciate any perspective you can share!