I want to work in the NICU, even though I've been an RN several years and my only experience is with adults (I never had the opportunity to work with babies.) Now, I'm to the point I'm willing to relocate to find the job I want. I heard that Mcallen, TX will take anyone, yet the recruiter just called and the more she talked to me the more disappointed she sounded. There were even periods of silence while she tried to think of a way to get off the phone without being rude. She said next week she would send me more information and maybe we could schedule a phone interview, but I know what that means.

That won't stop me from trying to get my foot in the door elsewhere, but for anyone who feels like a total reject just remember yours truly sitting over here, can't even get one of the worst hospitals in the country to give me a chance.:imbar

if the "worst hospital in the world" won't even take you, that just means that a much, much better facility out there WILL give you a chance. i know how cliche it is, but keep your head up. if you are willing to relocate, you will find something. HANG IN THERE!

I am so sorry that you are having such a terrible time. I am in the same boat as you are in and it stinks. Nobody wants me either.

What makes you think that it's you (and not the economy)? For instance, what made you think that the recruiter was disappointed in your telephone conversation?

It may be that she saw your exprience and had really wanted to get you for an adult position , don't hang your head yet!

That's unsettling. Even when I'm employed I feel like my employers never really want me. They don't like me. They never do. Oh, well, one of these days I won't have to convince some employer to like me. I will settle for just leave me alone. Don't even act like I'm around. Forget about me. Ignore me. But send the check.

What has happened to employers . In the past nurses used to be able to readily move from one area of nursing to another , but now postings are always . X job , 1 - 2 years experience in it required . It appears we are all pidgeon holed by pur present experience !.

I want to work in the NICU, even though I've been an RN several years and my only experience is with adults (I never had the opportunity to work with babies.) Now, I'm to the point I'm willing to relocate to find the job I want. I heard that Mcallen, TX will take anyone, yet the recruiter just called and the more she talked to me the more disappointed she sounded. There were even periods of silence while she tried to think of a way to get off the phone without being rude. She said next week she would send me more information and maybe we could schedule a phone interview, but I know what that means.

That won't stop me from trying to get my foot in the door elsewhere, but for anyone who feels like a total reject just remember yours truly sitting over here, can't even get one of the worst hospitals in the country to give me a chance.:imbar

It most likely isn't you, Treehugger. The fact that the recruiter a) called you and b) stayed on the phone longer than she needed to probably means she did like you!

Caliotter, I'm with you on the supervisor thing. One reason I like Home Health, relative independence.

nursel56

I'm talking about home health. Two DOCS and one supervisor have respected me as a worker. The staffing coordinators talk to me like I'm dirt beneath their feet and I'm old enough to be their mother or probably grandmother. I'm fed up with it. I can't imagine how they talk to the clients, doctors, and others in the business community this way and manage to keep their jobs.

Please don't be so hard on yourself.

As you know, McAllen and the surrounding communties are winter destinations for senior citizens. They do not experience a surge in demand for maternal-child services in the winter like they do with adult/geriatric/ICU. The recruiter, while lacking in tact, was probably not reflecting on your qualifications as much as his/her desire to fill adult-health positions.

I have relatives in the area and went to visit last Spring. It was the depressing, unappealing area I remember from my youth. Unless you have a burning desire to locate there, please don't do so for a job. You may find yourself miserable.

Your best bet for a NICU position is a large, inner-city teaching and maternity referral center.

Good luck to you!

It may not be that she doesn't like you...a lot of the time the person doing interviews is just as nervous as the person being interviewed. Don't discount it until you know for sure. Either way keep up the great attitude and you will certainly find the job you want. Never let them get you down :)

It's not that I think she didn't "like" me, I just think she was expecting to hear about more impressive work experience. As for how I know she was not interested, she would say, "oh..." and there would be silence. She was nice, I just wasn't what they were looking for. I love adventure, I thought maybe Mcallen would be an adventure. We didn't even talk about NICU. The actual positions I applied to were adult CCU and pediatric ICU (they didn't have any NICU positions open, but my thinking is that it would be a way to get my foot in the door.)

Oh well, on to plan B. Don't know what I'll to after I get through the alphabet.

Has McAllen been named the "worst" hospital? I thought it was more that they spent more money for no better outcomes and were inefficient.

McAllen wouldn't really be an "adventure." I'm from there. I mean, I think of it as "home" even though I haven't lived there in a long time, but I can't really think of anything to particularly recommend it. It's HOT, humid, flat land that is polluted with pesticides and defoliants from farming. Or at least that's the way it was when I was there. Maybe they've got some better farming practices now but I don't know. Nobody ever talks about it. Just about every place has some kind of pollution, I guess, but I don't care to smell defoliant ever again.