1) The market is indeed tight, particularly in the areas closest to the AA schools. That's just reality and won't change that much in the near future. What will change is the number of places and states in which AA's can work - that will continue to increase as it has every year. Not everyone can get their first choice of locations. Flexibility is paramount, particularly with location. My practice has a STACK of applications.
2) Older AA's and CRNA's have delayed their retirement because of the poor economy and pension accounts that took a hit over the last several years. Most of those accounts have recovered somewhat, and those folks are now several years older than they were a few years ago when they WANTED to retire - so now they're thinking about it again.
3) You can be a stellar clinician and a lousy employee. Every group or practice has a "feel" to it. Some people just don't fit into a given group. It could be personality. It could be that you made a bad impression as a student during a rotation. Maybe you don't come off as professional, either in action or appearance. There are tons of reasons people are hired or not hired, but know that simply being good with patients is not enough.
4) I can tell you that we've hired more than a few people in my group that turned out to have an absolutely crappy work ethic. Kids come out of school and get that $100k+ salary and honestly, some actually seem shocked that they have to work for it. Remember that some of these kids that go straight out of college to grad school have NEVER EVER worked a full time job in their life. They have no perspective on how to act as an employee or coworker.
5) Every student should remember that EVERY rotation you do people are evaluating you as a potential employee, even if they're not hiring at present. I remember great students - and I forget the marginal ones quickly. If you're really interested in working at a certain place, make sure you get a rotation there if at all possible, and make formal contact with the person who does or is involved with the hiring. Don't wait until three months before graduation to start planning where you want to be when you finish up. We're already looking at our hiring for 2012 - most groups plan far ahead, not last minute.
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