Top 5 Jobs For New Nursing Graduates

So you’re a brand new nursing graduate. First of all, massive congratulations completing all of the intense work this required. Second, let’s get you on the right path for finding your healthcare career instead of just another job. The entire goal of this piece is to quite literally give you peace of mind when it comes to picking a job position that will be the start you need in your brand new nursing career.

Nursing Job Search

As soon as you graduate, it’s important to hit the ground running and get on your job search. You see, by not taking time and placing a gap on your resume, employers will understand your willingness and excitement to get started on your healthcare career journey, which is only a positive thing when it comes to hiring.

Starting your healthcare job search might be daunting, but breaking it down into small and digestible pieces will make it way easier. If you look at each thing you need to do as a small item on a list and cross them off as you go, you’ll feel a lot less overwhelmed and more in control. With that said, most nursing schools do happen to have placement help and job fairs to introduce you to healthcare organizations that could help you with getting your new graduate nursing job.

But the real move, that’s niche healthcare job boards such as Healthcare Consultant. You see, niche healthcare job boards are truly the way of the future. With job boards being the second biggest source for receiving jobs (behind referrals) how can you let an opportunity like this go to waste?

The advantage of a niche healthcare job board over a regular one is that it has more direct jobs from people who actually know what they’re doing in the connected industries. With a normal old job board, you may be spammed with tons of irrelevant jobs and dealing with people who are unfamiliar with the healthcare industry.

Go With The Flow

Now I know after working hard in college and in your training you think you’re ready for everything and anything nursing. But the reality of the situation is that, although you’re ready on paper, you aren’t actually ready to tackle everything in the field. This will come from experience, so dip your toes in lightly and don’t burn yourself out. So with that said, when looking for that first job to get started, go with the flow. Now, you’re probably wondering what I mean. Well, your first job in reality probably won’t be your dream job. It’s through this hard work and opportunity you get at your first job that you start to form your own expectations of where you’d like to be in life and who you’d like to work for. Get a year or two in and move onto another brighter path with the help of a niche job board.

Where do I start?

Well, there are a lot of options of places or organizations to work once you have finished your nursing degree.

Types of facilities willing to take in nursing graduates frequently:

• Nursing Homes
• Doctor’s Offices
• Health Care Agencies

The above are awesome for gaining some fundamental experience in a not too aggressive or demanding environment such as an operating room.

Another thing you can do is be open to a nationwide job search. You’ll have more of a say in salary, and get to experience what it’s like somewhere else. It does come with its downsides of course, but if it fits into your lifestyle, you can really take advantage of this with travel nursing.

You can take internships or volunteer if you want something a little extra to pad the old resume.

Salary: $62,472 on average annually.

Best Jobs For New Nursing Graduates

Medical-Surgical Nursing (Med-Surg)

This is the most commonly thought of specialty when it comes to the nursing specialty that people think new grad nurses start in.

As a med-surg nurse you will be primarily caring and provide services to adult patients with a very wide range of conditions. Granting you invaluable experience that can take you all the way to the moon.

In this position you could be dealing with someone who hasn’t had surgery, or just had surgery. The options are practically unlimited along with the actions you’ll be performing for your patients such as bedside assistance, medication dispersal, and handling family visitation.

Operating Room Nurse

The surgical procedure team. Likely the team known for having guts of glory and the ability to tackle the toughest decisions at the drop of a pin. These are some hardcore people and without them we wouldn’t have the care we need. So if you were to join the surgical procedure team as an operating room nurse, what would you be doing?

• Supplying the surgeon with equipment that is both sterilized and precise.
• Helping to prepare and clean the room before and after surgery.
• Prepare the patient for recovery in the recovery room.

So what makes this a great choice for new grad nurses?

Well, you see, a lot of nurses get flustered if they’re thrust into an exhausting environment like the emergency room with several patients. But having one patient can help to keep a nurse on task and focused without feeling the drain from overwhelm.

Salary: $66,713 on average annually.

Emergency Room Nurse (ER Nurse)

An emergency nurse is key to working with the team that handles the emergency cases at the hospital. Typically, when a patient freshly arrives at the ER a team will be waiting to evaluate and stabilize patients who need medical care. Many scenarios actually work with life-threatening injuries, wounds, and ailments. But what will you most commonly be doing?

• Giving medication to patients
• Looking over patients while doctors make their rounds
• Patching and cleaning minor wounds

But in my opinion, out of all of these on the list, this is the very best one for new grad nurses. The reason is because you will get a good assortment of experience without having to dive into the most nitty of the gritty, so to speak. This job also helps you to improve your time management skills because time management in this role is critical. You’ll learn to make the best out of fast-paced situations.

Salary: This role brings in $65,470 annually on average.

Labor and Delivery Nurse

In this role, you will be the helping hand that obstetricians need while actively on duty. Basically, you’re bringing new life into this world and your job is of the utmost importance. You help the obstetrician to make the process go smoothly and act as a sort of patient advocate when coaching new mothers to a successful birth. Before the delivery you’ll likely be talking to expecting parents about the process of birth and all of the prenatal actions needed before going into delivery.

• Educating parents on newborns and risks
• Coaching expecting mothers to a successful delivery
• Teach vital care skills
• Check and monitor babies health and vital signs

This is a good role because it challenges much of the stigma in the industry. You’re able to do something that most nurses are never able to do. You have to use your empathy and compassion for people to really look out for them during an incredibly vulnerable time.

Salary: The expected annual salary for this role is about $55,426 annually.

Intensive Care Unit Nurse (ICU Nurse)

Welcome to one of the most insane environments in all of the medicine world, the intensive care unit. All nursing careers can be a bit tough, but this one, this one might just be in competition to take the cake.

As an ICU nurse, your role in many cases is quite literally life or death. You learn how to help patients and other staff during medical emergencies and attempt to slow down any negative effects they may be suffering from. Other than this, you may be keeping close tabs on patient conditions in an attempt to keep them stabilized.

So as a whole, working in this one as a new graduate nurse can be incredibly rewarding and build up a ton of character for you. You’ll have to learn how to pay attention to the closest and sometimes the most minute of details.

• Practice good time management and efficiency while caring for patients
• Learn some methods for specialized care
• Use next-generation equipment properly
• Care for patients as health declines

These are just some of the skills you’ll pick up as a new grad ICU nurse. But as a whole, this position will be amazing for setting you up for a transition to another specialization of nursing in the future if interested.

Salary: The average annual salary expectation for someone in this role is $64,764 annually.

The Future For New Nursing Graduates

Well, after reading this, you should have a good idea of what kind of roles you can obtain in healthcare as a new nursing grad. The best nursing jobs for new nursing grads will likely always be these five as they give diverse, important, and impactful career experience. In any case, we wish you the best of luck in your nursing endeavors and remember to set yourself on a nursing pathway that works for you and your career goals.

Article was written and published by Healthcare Talent Link. Visit their website with the link below.