Hello Degreeinfo members, I've lurked and learned a lot here since finishing my BSN in May. I was finally prompted to join after reading the thread about the girl who wants to sue her college because she can't find a job. Of course I'd never sue my school but to be honest I do feel my nursing class was somewhat mislead or misinformed about the availability of jobs for RN's. The shortage of nurses and jobs aplenty we heard about is nonexistant. This is especially true for new grad RN's. Now I'm considering an MPH degree. I don't know how competitive it is to get into one of these programs or if there is a waiting list. -Nursing school was by competitive admission and even then I had to wait 10 months after meeting my prereqs to get in. Since I can't find work I figure if I take classes full-time do the MPH in less than a year. But now I'm wondering if it's like the nursing situation...So many B&M as well as online MPH programs make it look like the field is wide open. But idk if that's true.
Hi Matt - I don't know where you're located but where I am there are lots of nursing jobs available. As for post-MPH positions, around here they seem to be research positions that happen mostly in large teaching hospitals. You might be able to get a feel for it by looking at some online employment sites like monster.com or careerbuilder.com. You can plug in different cities and see where the jobs are. Good luck.
Matt, If there is a large foreign language speaking community in your area then learning that language might be a boost in landing a job; in my area for example Spanish is spoken widely. With the aging of USA population nurses will be in demand at some point. I had a friend who left the army and worked as a job shopper (agency?) nurse - she says less politics and higher pay. Ian
Matt, If you are open to moving, the Kansas City/St. Joseph area is crying for RN's. You may want to check it out on one of the online employment search sites. Rich
A quick review of the help wanted ads in today's paper here in OKC shows 100+ openings for nurses. A MSN appears to be a definite plus. There are zero ads that are looking specifically for somebody with a MPH.
RN Jobs The thing that people forget to say about the nursing shortage is that isn't affecting hospitals. They are talking about the doctor's offices, nursing homes, etc. MPH wouldn't help in my area (SC). Another suggestion would be an MSN program. There are a lot of MSN and DNP programs online. A lot prefer new BSNs. This would put you as a nurse practioner in just a year or two. NPs typically command salaries of 85K/yr. Willingness to move to a rural area would likely get the government to pay off your student loans. Good luck with the job search. I am sure something will come up.
Or Oregon. Our middle daughter, who has worked at Oregon Health and Science University Hospital for the 3 years since getting her RN there, says the number of letters she gets from "desperate" hospitals--Oregon and elsewhere--grows every month. Six-figure salaries are often mentioned. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing's says, "...in July 2008, more than 19,400 RN vacancies exist in long-term care settings. These vacancies, coupled with an additional 116,000 open positions in hospitals reported by the American Hospital Association...bring the total RN vacancies in the U.S. to more than 135,000. This translates into a national RN vacancy rate of 8.1%."
I'm just adding to the chatter, but I think you are ready for industry experience before adding another degree. Applied trades highly value experience. If there isn't a job in your town, get a job in another town.
If you can stand a climate change and a new country experience, move to Australia. They are screaming for RNs here for hospital work. If you work in a hospital as an RN you get all sorts of tax breaks that other workers cannot get. This is purely because of the shortage. I see some RNs from the states here now. The government is trying to entice former RN's back into the system by cash incentives.
This is the first time I've ever heard of a RN glut. The only jobs that are being advertised in my local newspaper right now are RN jobs. If there truly are no RN jobs where you are, I would recommend two things. First, move. You can literally throw a dart at a map and find a place that will gladly and quickly hire RNs. Second, enroll in a MSN program.
I know in my area of NC hospitals are laying off, due to lack of patients and people going to the ER, but many doctor offices, private care nursing facilities, traveling nurse agencies, and hospitals in larger cities, all have shortages of nurses.
Here is my 2 cents worth: with 25 years of nursing experience, from bedside to upper management. Forgo the MPH and if anything do as others have already suggested, go for the MSN. In regards to employment, your situation appears atypical, especially if you have a BSN. Anyway, go to the VA Medical Center…they are always on the hunt for RN(s).
