How come no one will call me?

Just because a department has a lot of ADN nurses on their staff now (hired years ago) ... doesn't mean they are looking to hire more ADN's today. Times change -- and they may be trying to increase their percentage of BSN's by giving them a preference in hiring. I don't know if that's what going on, but it might be a factor.

Also, ICU's may be giving a hiring preference to applicants who have certain things you don't have such as:
1. A recent student preceptorship in an ICU
2. Acute care med/surg experience in their own hospital
3. Recent step-down or some other type of intermediate care experience

What is the reputation of your ADN school with local hospitals? There are a couple of schools in my area that we rarely hire from. A person from one of the "lesser-respected schools" needs to have something pretty special in their background before we'll consider hiring them. Could that be part of the problem? If it is, be sure you are getting your BSN from a highly respected school to counteract that marketability "handicap."

I don't know if any of these possibilities explain your situation, but I thought I would put them out there in case they do apply.

i was told by a few hiring managers and nursing recruiters of major hospital systems that most job postings receive 100+ nursing applications for every real opening and hr recruiters are not reading them all.

is your reputation good at your current facility? do you actually know some
nurses that work for your desired facility? if so, ask him/her (or all of them)
to recommend you to someone who will land you an interview.

by the way, do not make it known to anyone outside of a few loved ones that
your dream job is icu because no hiring manager of a medical surgical unit is
desperate these days. none of them in his/her right mind will risk hiring a
nurse who has his/her eyes set on another unit.

fyi, med/surg is not a below icu; it is just different. in fact, you will get
patients that belong in an icu working on a med surg floor. if you have a good
clinical judgment, you will intervene quickly to save a life before transferring
the patient out. good luck!

Have you looked at alternatives or moving to use your degree? Some areas are saturated. If you have seen Nashville there are plenty of musicians on every corner. Sounds like in your are there are many nurses on every corner.

I agree a lot of areas are getting saturated I for see in the near future some nurses having to relocate. Here in East Tennessee there are dozens of nursing school pumping new grads out two or three times a year versus only X number of jobs. Nursing shortage my ______ .

I would advise 2 things....get on a MS floor in the hospital where you want to work. That is your foot in the door. Also, get your ACLS...you will need that to work in ICU.

I'm a newly certified CNA and I have found that showing up at HR with a copy of my resume, license and certs is getting me more first calls. I'm and older CNA (58) and I know that i have to work a little harder to get where I want to be. I'm also from the old school of applications (show up, fill out an app and include my resume). I have learned that combining the old school and the new computer age techniques work. You have to be proactive in your hunting. Good luck.

This may be a stupid question OP but why would you need a IV certification if you are a RN ??