Job prospects for recently graduated nursing students aren’t nearly as plentiful as they were a few years ago, according to recent reports.

Economic hardships are prompting many would-be employers of new nursing talent to turn to older, more experienced nurses for their recruitment needs, the Star-Telegraph reported. Hospitals and other healthcare entities are also forgoing usual expansion projects, which tightens up the job market even further, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Despite the dearth of nursing jobs currently available, the overall nursing shortage still looms, with some estimates still placing the number of nurses needed at 250,000 over the next 15 years.

As recently as 2008, the job market for nurses was dramatically different. Signing bonuses, flat-screen TVs and job-satisfaction guarantees were de rigueur for many healthcare facilities looking to attract new talent. (McKnight’s, 9/16/08).