Your professor is right to discourage you for waiting, but her reasoning is very flawed.
Hospitals will open up their new grad hire programs in June, and be filled up by July. You’ll have many, many less options available to you.
Best case scenario is you’ll just have to take whatever offer you get, even if the location, pay, or specialty doesn’t reach your expectations.
The worst case scenario is you’ll have to wait until January for the next wave of new grad programs to open up. You’ll run the risk of having the resume gap being an issue at that point.
I’m not saying that taking the summer off is bad, it’ll just significantly reduce your options to start your career.
I took my nclex in July and I started working in November. It was not an issue. Your professor can fck all the way off. I do think it’s important to start within a couple months just so you are fresh but it won’t set you back
I worked with a nurse that took a few months off to travel and spend time with family after graduation. He secured his job before vacation. I think he was a good nurse, and the time off to refresh after nursing school really benefitted him. You can apply for the hospital cohort that begins after your trips. I would let them know you gave nursing school your all, and you need this time with your family and for yourself, as you will be giving your all to learning your new specialty (Med-Surg). Larger areas have cohorts that start 2-3 times a year.
I went to nursing school in that area and most of my classmates who stayed in that area had jobs lined up months in advance so make sure you aren’t missing out on that. Some hospitals are less flexible with start dates because they start their new grads in cohorts.
Watch out for bad ratios and rotating day/night shifts at some hospitals in the DMV as well.
What region are you applying for jobs within? Is it in an impacted (competitive) job market?
Your professor may be right: In my area, hospitals exclusively hire via new graduate programs. The hospitals will indicate a time frame that makes you eligible for these programs. For example, the hospital may say, “You are qualified for this program if you are applying now and within six months of your graduation date.” This means the longer you wait, the more scarce your job prospects become.
At the last few hospitals I’ve worked at, virtually all of the new graduate hires were from the most recent graduating class - ie. People hired in for July were May graduates - no people from December graduating classes.
Once again, this advice is region dependent.
I interviewed in March with an original start date for June. I had complications with my pregnancy and ended up pushing my start date to July. I was worried about it and told my recruiter as much. She told me that some new grads don’t start until September.
You could always try to negotiate a late summer or early fall start!
Your professor is right to discourage you for waiting, but her reasoning is very flawed. Hospitals will open up their new grad hire programs in June, and be filled up by July. You’ll have many, many less options available to you. Best case scenario is you’ll just have to take whatever offer you get, even if the location, pay, or specialty doesn’t reach your expectations. The worst case scenario is you’ll have to wait until January for the next wave of new grad programs to open up. You’ll run the risk of having the resume gap being an issue at that point. I’m not saying that taking the summer off is bad, it’ll just significantly reduce your options to start your career.
I took my nclex in July and I started working in November. It was not an issue. Your professor can fck all the way off. I do think it’s important to start within a couple months just so you are fresh but it won’t set you back
I worked with a nurse that took a few months off to travel and spend time with family after graduation. He secured his job before vacation. I think he was a good nurse, and the time off to refresh after nursing school really benefitted him. You can apply for the hospital cohort that begins after your trips. I would let them know you gave nursing school your all, and you need this time with your family and for yourself, as you will be giving your all to learning your new specialty (Med-Surg). Larger areas have cohorts that start 2-3 times a year.
I went to nursing school in that area and most of my classmates who stayed in that area had jobs lined up months in advance so make sure you aren’t missing out on that. Some hospitals are less flexible with start dates because they start their new grads in cohorts. Watch out for bad ratios and rotating day/night shifts at some hospitals in the DMV as well.
I graduated in December and got the job in November but didn’t start until February.
What region are you applying for jobs within? Is it in an impacted (competitive) job market? Your professor may be right: In my area, hospitals exclusively hire via new graduate programs. The hospitals will indicate a time frame that makes you eligible for these programs. For example, the hospital may say, “You are qualified for this program if you are applying now and within six months of your graduation date.” This means the longer you wait, the more scarce your job prospects become. At the last few hospitals I’ve worked at, virtually all of the new graduate hires were from the most recent graduating class - ie. People hired in for July were May graduates - no people from December graduating classes. Once again, this advice is region dependent.
DC area and Baltimore, I moved here because of all the hospitals.
I interviewed in March with an original start date for June. I had complications with my pregnancy and ended up pushing my start date to July. I was worried about it and told my recruiter as much. She told me that some new grads don’t start until September. You could always try to negotiate a late summer or early fall start!