How Hard Is it To Find Nursing Jobs?

Question:

My son is studying nursing and has a few semesters to go. He’s getting his bachelor’s degree and he’s doing very well. How easy is it to find nursing jobs these days and where are the best places to be for nursing jobs? Are certain areas more popular than others?

Thanks, Concerned Mom

Answer:

Dear Concerned Mom,

It’s great to hear your son is studying to become a nurse. Nursing needs more men and it’s only when more become nurses that the stereotypes will go away.

Now, let’s address your question about nursing.

Some parts of the United States are experiencing a nursing shortage, while others have too many. On one hand, we do hear complaints of people who have just obtained their nursing license and are unable to find work. This is quite discouraging after working hard to get through nursing school. On the other hand, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says the need for nurses will only continue to increase.

Geography Matters for Nursing Careers

An increase in nursing jobs makes sense because the North American population is not only aging, but people are living longer because of our medical and health care advances. That is encouraging for future nurses, but not so much for nurses now who are having trouble finding work.

Geographically, you can expect to find more nursing jobs in areas that are highly populated, as well as areas where there are many seniors. Some parts of the United States are more attractive than others for retirees because of the nicer weather. So this is always something to look into.

Specialties within Nursing

Is your son interested in any particular aspect of nursing? Interestingly, although men and women make the same nursing salary (hourly wage) in the same nursing jobs, men tend to be drawn to the higher paying specialties, such as anesthesiology. And, as with all nursing jobs, there will be more need for nurse anesthetists within the next few years.

Teaching

Would your son be interested in continuing in an advanced nursing degree programs and becoming a nurse educator? There is a desperate need for nursing teachers in colleges and universities across the country. As the need for nurses will continue to grow, without more nurses to teach new nurses, there it will be difficult to meet the growing demand.

A master’s degree in nursing (MSN) also can lead to a fulfilling career as a nurse practitioner. This is yet another field of nursing that may interest your son.

Continued Studies

If despite extensively searching after your son obtains his nursing license, he doesn’t find a job that suits him, there are alternatives. He could take a less-than-ideal nursing job and continue to search for this dream job or he can take courses to further his nursing knowledge while working and make himself even more employable.

If your son doesn’t want to commit to a specific nursing degree program, he can take courses towards certificates, specializing in certain areas. He doesn’t even have to go to a physical school if he’d rather not. There are many online nursing courses available to him.

Finding the Nursing Job that’s Right for You

The best thing for your son to do is write a list of what he wants from a nursing job:

- What area of the country does he want to live?
- Does he want to live and work in a rural or urban setting?
- What type of nursing specialty, if any, interests him?
- Does he want to further his nursing education?

If you discuss this with your son, keep in mind the best thing he can do is not wait until he has his nursing license to start looking for a job. If he wants to stay in the city or state, he should keep his eyes and ears open for opportunities in the places where he is doing his clinicals. As well, he should speak to his nursing instructors about where they recommend he apply for nursing jobs. They may even write a recommendation for him.

The nursing jobs are out there – they’re just not always easy to find. Good luck to your son.

Tags: advanced nursing degree programs, become a nurse, masters degree in nursing, MSN, nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner, nursing jobs, nursing license, nursing school, nursing shortage, too many nurses

Filled Under: Nurse - Nurse_Marijke @ October 7th, 2010 Comments (4)

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