Where have all the nursing jobs gone??

Where have all the nursing jobs gone?!?

I don't know if it's some horrible combination of the economy, the affordable care act, general panic or what... but the hospitals around here are just plain not hiring. Or at the very least not hiring new grads.

I don't know if this is widespread but in my, large midwestern, city there are few RN jobs to be had for new grads. The hospitals have been laying off nurses for months now. They're rarely posting new jobs and the ones they do post are not for new grads.

When I got into nursing school everyone assured me there would always be jobs! "Oh you're going into a career where you'll always have a job!" "Oh there's always a shortage of nurses!" HAH. Yeah, sure.

Until now apparently.

Veteran nurses, my instructors, and pretty much everyone keeps saying, "Don't worry. It'll turn back around. Nursing does this all the time. They try something new. It doesn't work. They'll hire more nurses again. It'll only take 12-18 months."

12-18 MONTHS! Because I just have that kind of time to sit around unemployed.

Needless to say I'm quite perturbed. I got into nursing, yes because I actually like it, but also because... they always need nurses! Always! You can't get rid of us. And yet...

I'm hoping that the situation is not as dismal as it looks. I'm hoping that things will turn around by the time I take the NCLEX and start looking for jobs.

In the meantime I'm considering moving to other states, doing some certifications to make myself look more appealing... and well.. praying.

How long did it take you to get a nursing job after you graduated? Does the nursing job market suck everywhere??