Hello,

I am a new graduate RN with my BSN (December 2009). I took my boards in Feb 2010 passed and I of course like all the new graduates out here in sunny California have applied to many jobs with no luck. I relocated from the mid-west for personal reasons. But anyway, In March I finally got a call back from an outpatient surgery center went to the interview and I got hired. little did I know what I was getting myself into .

( Little background about this place...There are only three RNs that work for two of busier days, and small facility)

I was hired for part-time work so I only worked on the busy days...So my first day I was given no orientation!! This is a fast-paced place. Therefore you can imagine me trying to orient as a new grad. The RN that i was following had only been there for a month herself! So I was learning from her how to do things. My boss was no where to be found..there were patients backed up needing to admit..while I am trying to learn all the process...my boss would make nasty comments about how slow I am or how stressed out she is because patients are backed up. Mind you its my FIRST day...I have no experience... This job was a complete nightmare I had no support or leadership from my boss because again only three RNs including me. Also I witnessed "pre-charting, the RNs signing consent forms without the patients presence to "save time" I know I am new but I am not stupid...I know that's a big no no. The list goes on and on. But already this is a long post.

But honestly I am not even telling you the whole story of my experience.

The owner of the facility is notorious for "firing" people for random reasons. Well yup you guessed it.. I no longer work for this facility....I was not fired but i was "Let Go" I asked why and He could not give me a clear response. He said my RN skills were excellent on site...but he needed me as a PRN nurse. I was shocked because I worked my butt off trying to learn and worked hard, stayed late....provided great customer service to my patients. But believe me I will not go back there.

But I am back to square one. NO job!! I have gone to several hospitals talked to nurse managers, no luck...started calling nursing homes today...none are hiring can you believe it??? I live in the San Fernando Valley so If any of you live in this are can you give me advice?? I am so discouraged I feel worthless.. am I really an RN? I can't believe how invaluable I feel right now...I feel like I'm getting depressed. Everyday I get up to look for jobs and have not found one.

Thanks for reading this long post. I am open to all comments/ suggestions they are needed and will be appreciated! thank you :redpinkhe

If you dont have a lot of ties or reasons to stay where you are, then I would start looking in other areas/states. There are jobs out there! But you might have to relocate to get a good one.

You might see if your area has LTACHs, Kindred is a big company that has LTACHs throughout. These are Long Term Acute Care Hospitals and take complex patients. It's not a nursing home. These places do ten to have high turnover but their not really that bad. These places saved me over the last couple years when I couldn't find a hospital job. Good Luck.

You are better off not working, than working in that crazy place! Here in North Florida getting a job as a new nurse is difficult as well. Some of my friends who just graduated are working PRN in nursing homes. Some are driving an hour and a half to get to a city where they are hiring. Don't give up. Keep applying. Don't be afraid to be unconventional. I got an interview by sending a list of the "Top Ten Reasons to Hire Me Instead of a Younger Nurse With More Experience". My boss told me the one that got me the interview was "I have no interest in transferring to L&D." She liked that one because all the new nurses right out of school tell her that in the interview, believe it or not. Another top ten reason is "I think working on holidays is a great way to get out of having the family at my house for dinner." I worried that my "list" would not go over well, but I figured I had nothing to loose. It worked for me. Besides being unconventional, be open to the night shift. There seems to be more opportunity for the night shift. Best of luck to you.

You are better off not working, than working in that crazy place! Here in North Florida getting a job as a new nurse is difficult as well. Some of my friends who just graduated are working PRN in nursing homes. Some are driving an hour and a half to get to a city where they are hiring. Don't give up. Keep applying. Don't be afraid to be unconventional. I got an interview by sending a list of the "Top Ten Reasons to Hire Me Instead of a Younger Nurse With More Experience". My boss told me the one that got me the interview was "I have no interest in transferring to L&D." She liked that one because all the new nurses right out of school tell her that in the interview, believe it or not. Another top ten reason is "I think working on holidays is a great way to get out of having the family at my house for dinner." I worried that my "list" would not go over well, but I figured I had nothing to loose. It worked for me. Besides being unconventional, be open to the night shift. There seems to be more opportunity for the night shift. Best of luck to you.

I love that! Most girls in my class want to work L&D.. no thanks! Haha. Glad it worked for ya!

Just keep applying.I graduated on may 2009,got a job in another state around february 2010,was "let go" after two months now I'm back to the beggining.Yes,I understand how you feel-a huge dissapointment in the job market,lost hope and everything else,nevertheless I'm still looking for a job,maybe not intensly looking but still sending resumes now and then.Recently,I landed an interview for a nurse residency program..I found this program by accident,I typed in all the hospitals in the state I used to work and the long list popped out.So I started applying to each hospitals alphabetically (2-3 hospitals per day) So I came across this hospitals (letter C heh) and on its website it offered a nurse residency,it is rural one but impressive,so I purchased a big brown envelopes and send my resume in it with printed out application.few days later I got a call back for an interview.I dont know why I got invited maybe because I send it my info in a nice big professional envelope-could be that,make sure to impress someone with your creativity. Also a month ago I applied to another hospital (starting with letter b on the alphabet) and to my dissapointment i received a rejection letter couple days later.I totally forgot about this hospital.Few days ago the director send me an email stating that she has a RN full-time position for overnights on med-surg floor and if I'm interested in interviewing.So when the hospital says they keep your resume on file for a year,they really do.Please dont give up your search,there is something decent for you out there.

Thank you sooooooooo much for your support and wonderful advice!!! :hug:. I will try all the suggestions! I really love the TOP 10 List! that is so creative!!! Thanks again I knew I could count on the wonderful nurses on this site :)

LOL RN's signing consent forms, well i suppose it's better than Obama forging the signature

REALLY? I'm asking for support and advice not your sarcasm...ALSO its wrong for RNs to sign the witness portion of the consent forms if they didn't actually witness and they were pre charting to save time