The California Institute for Nursing & Health Care conducted a survey of employers of nurses from March to May of 2009. The results: 40% of new nursing graduates may not find employment in California hospitals, as only 65% of hospitals indicated they were hiring new graduates, and many said they were decreasing the amount of new hires. In June, a series of meetings were held to discuss these finding and find possible solutions. The survey...  Read More »

Our Last Semester columnist Chelsea is now mere days from graduating and entering—gasp—the real world. During the past several months, she has taken us on an exciting journey through the end of her college life. She’s shared the 10 things she’ll miss most about college, offered her nursing philosophy, explained her difficulties with the job search, and showed us a behind-the-scenes look at her clinical experience as a student....  Read More »

After a tough time with the job search, I have an offer in a NICU in a community hospital in MA and another interview for a transplant unit at Johns Hopkins in MD! I am so excited! Part of me wants to move and the other part of me wants to stay close to home. I wake up every morning with a little bit more anxiety about the upcoming days. It is crazy how fast my time here at college has gone by. I never thought that I would be this sad to...  Read More »

After all the tears last Friday, I have come to the realization that I am not a nursing student anymore. What a weird feeling! This has been my identity for the past four years and, all of a sudden, I am without that title. I wouldn’t want to stay behind for another four years or anything, but I will miss nursing school. What am I going to do for the next four weeks? It’s time for me to really start my job search. Things have...  Read More »

The end of last semester is slowly creeping up on our columnist Chelsea. With less than two months to go, the thoughts of walking across a stage and saying goodbye to college (for now) are becoming very real. Last time she wrote, Chelsea talked about her desire to land the nursing job of her dreams near her home in Boston. Today, she shares her thoughts on two more crucial upcoming events: the NCLEX and graduation. So, spring break during...  Read More »