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A FEW YEARS AGO, anyone getting a nursing degree had his or her pick of jobs, said Katherine Nugent, director of the School of Nursing at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Today is a different story. While a good percentage are able to find jobs within several months of graduating, fewer are able to find jobs right out of school.

According to the National Student Nurses' Association, new graduates may not be able to find jobs because the market is flooded with experienced RNs who have come out of retirement, delayed retirement or gone from part-time to full-time employment because of the recession.

While that may not be the exact case in Hattiesburg, nursing jobs - especially for ones without experience - are not widely available.

Nugent said she doesn't have specific numbers for recent graduates but said about 80 percent of the 2009 graduates found jobs within six months of graduating.

"That's different from before. Four years ago graduates had their choice of jobs, now it's taking them longer," she said.

Nugent said the program is stepping up teaching future nurses how to apply and interview for jobs to help them be more competitive in the tighter market.

Sandi Arnold, director of clinical education and training at Hattiesburg Clinic, said new RN graduates are now faced with the dilemma of "no experience" when seeking employment.

"Most local agencies are filling RN positions with experienced nurses due to the high cost of training new graduates," she said.

"I personally know several local RN graduates who are working in the Jackson area because of lack of RN position openings for new graduates in the Hattiesburg area."

Hattiesburg Clinic employs 197 RNs and hired 18 in 2009. It currently has six open positions.

Forrest General Hospital staffs 886 RNs and has 13 open positions. Wesley Medical Center employs 450 to 500 RNs and open positions are virtually non-existent.

Terry Trigg, vice president of human resources at Wesley, and Lisa Freeman, director of clinical risk management and nursing at Hattiesburg Clinic, suggest new graduates be more flexible when searching for work. They also recommend that graduates apply at other hospitals in clinics in the surrounding areas to gain that much-needed experience.

We certainly appreciate the fact that there are now more experienced nurses employed with our local medical facilities. And, while this may be a deterrent to those seeking employment, we also want to urge area nursing students and recent graduates to continue to pursue their career goals anywhere they can, because eventually Hattiesburg will need you as you become more experienced nurses.