Can't get a job as new RN

Is it safe to assume you are referring to new grads with zero experience? If so, could you give some examples or leads, to shed some light of hope for those who are getting nothing but closed doors because they lack experience?

Have applied to every LTC there is - they want experience

Regarding Mayo clinic (in Jax)... I spoke to Ms. Lineburg last year, after I graduated. I applied for a new RN position at Mayo. When I received the standard "there are more qualified applicants, you were not selected" letter in the mail, I called and asked for feedback. Was it my resume? My letter of recommendation? No, that wasn't it. She stated that there were 7 positions, 24 applicants, and other new RNs were better qualified because they had done their clinicals at Mayo.

With regard to volunteering, I tried that last year, too. I called Volunteers in Medicine, but they didn't need help in any clinical areas, just in the back office (recordkeeping) area. Ditto the homeless shelter's new medical clinic. It's been almost a year, and not even an interview. Pretty depressing.

I spent many a day speaking with Ms. Lineburg, too. I got the same reasoning - I ended up doing my clinicals at Baptist Beaches rather than Mayo since the spots got filled too quickly. I am glad, however, that she told me why, I guess. But they would LOVE to have us back after we get a year of experience! Yay :/

I actually talk to HRs around town often. I think the woman from Baptist Downtown summed it up best: No they are not hiring GNs, yes they are hiring new RNs, but only if the jobs do not require experience and right now all of them do. That's Jacksonville for you in a nutshell.

What schools did all the new RNs graduate from? Are some schools better than others as far as attracting employers? Is there a trend related to schools or not?

I would love to hear replies to that last post? Are we talking community college grads or Kaiser grads or USF BSN grads or UF grads, etc. I know where you go to school, by reading the newspaper, that some of the private RN schools do not get decent clinical time/hours but just get the "minimum by definition" of clinical; St. Pete Times did an article on such a school; one of their clinicals was spending a day with a kindergarten class!! The school was not a priority to the hospital; other schools got clinical time.

Now I'm glad I'm not applying til Spring; maybe by 2012 there will be jobs?!

I do have a question too; were any of you CNAs or PCTs that still were told you had no experience for the position/hospital requirements; I'm thinking about challenging the CNA to just get my foot in the door over the next few weeks, but I really did not believe even a year of CNA experience would count for anything, but now it seems it might; if I have a job at a hospital, maybe I'm more likely to be hired upon RN graduation? My hesitation is I have a job at home, very flexible, work when I can, study when I need to, etc., and would take a pay cut as a CNA; however, experience to me is priceless -- but will CNA be considered expereince? Any info is greatly appreciated.

And very curious about the schools.

You don't happen to have a link to the article you refer to regarding clinical time in a kindergarten class do you?
I have spoken to grad nurses from UCF who had bachelors degree, Valencia community college, SCC, as well as Florida hospital's own nursing school recently. They all seem to be having problems landing a position. In fact none of them have a job. The one girl from UCF said that none of her classmates had found any hospital position.

I will try to find a link. My mom, being the mother she is, sent me the article, some of these private schools . . . these poor people, one had $40,000 in loans, starting somewhere then going the private route, to get it done faster. It was just recently in the St. Pete Times and I will try to see if I can dig it up; this was not a community college or university, it was a private RN "fast track" technical type of school; but boy the students they interviewed were upset, wanted to switch schools, and no comm colleges or universities would accept their credits; that's why I was curious where these RNs posting were graduating from.

That's so frustrating for any RN graduate, no matter where you went to school, really, you passed the darn NCLEX! I cannot imagine what they must be feeling and I wish everyone the best. After reading that article a couple days ago, then reading this, I was just curious if it had anything to do with the program from which these RNs may have graduated.

Here it is.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/busines...cle1015632.ece


This is that particular section:

This surge of interest in training the next generation of nurses is bumping up against constraints. One is the limited number of clinical sites where students can get hands-on experience. One class of Everest students earned clinical hours by teaching kindergarten students to wash their hands.

"It was a teaching exercise," said instructor Darlene Mention. "That's what nursing is about."

Nesbeth, the Jamaican who was one of four students the school selected to talk to a reporter, said, "The administration has had a problem securing clinical sites. I've always gotten good sites, but being a new program, we're limited." (Hundley "Nascent nursing schools charge high costs while building credibility")

Catching up from the last few posts:
Yes, I was a PCT at the very hospital I was mentioning. Since I am not a PCT there NOW or in the time I was applying, it means nothing. All of the new GN jobs at Baptist, for instance, were only hired internally. If I knew that (and got enough hours - which is why I had to end up leaving), I would have made sure I stayed. I was always told I would have no problem coming back, but of course that was before the economy went the way it did.

I graduated from a community college just that turned into a State college. I got plenty of clinical experience. It doesn't seem to change much.