I have gone through the RN refresher course and I guess I had not thought it was going to be so difficult to find a job. I have applied for 118 jobs in the last 3 weeks and I have only spoke to 2 places. I have applied for externships and for the few RN level I jobs, but I am not getting any results.

Anybody have any ideas? I am about ready to just give up on the whole process and start looking outside of my profession. I really thought that being a nurse was something I would be able to put down and be a stay at home mom and come back to later....was I completely wrong?

I need advice!!!!!!!

I am sorry you're having so much difficulty resuming your career. I don't have any solutions to offer - just empathy and support.

Our industry and profession have changed so rapidly over he years that the transition back into the work place is nearly as bad as the new grad transition. That's probably why hiring managers are reluctant to take a chance on you. Maybe if you could provide clear evidence that you are up-to-date in current practice issues and challenges??

I wonder if you can work as an LPN or medical assistant just to get your feet wet and later transition into nursing? Just a thought. Good luck.

I have gone through the RN refresher course and I guess I had not thought it was going to be so difficult to find a job.

How long did you work as a nurse, and how long have you been away?

Marisette....LPN's are nurses too.

Marisette....LPN's are nurses too.

Not to mention that an RN cannot work as an LPN without an LPN license. Each of these types of nursing has its own licensing requirements and scope of practice. It's like saying that maybe she could work as a respiratory therapist until something comes along.

OP, I was out of nursing for just over seven years to stay home with our kids. I did the refresher course too, and found that even though all of my experience was in inpatient Med/Surg nursing, I couldn't get anyone to consider me after being away for seven years, partly because in the interim a bazillion people went to nursing school to try to recession-proof themselves, so employers could be much more picky than they were previously because of having such a huge pool of potential employees to choose from.

I ended up applying at, and getting hired by, an inpatient hospice facility. At first I was like, "Hospice? Oh, no!", but guess what? Turns out I found my true calling when I took that job. Now I am a happy hospice nurse who wouldn't go back to inpatient Med/Surg for anything.

I guess my advice is to think outside the box and apply for something such as hospice, dialysis, home care, LTC, etc. that you maybe would have never considered before. You never know, you might end up loving it!

this is thabi from india.i am doing my final year b.sc nursing. i would like to work in singapore without any experience.kindly pls help me to get a job in singapore.my id is [email protected]

i have gone through snb but i couldn't able to understand.can u pls xplain me?

CNPalmer, when you went for your nurse refresher course, did you go with the understanding that you would be hired upon completion of the course? It seems strange to me to offer a refresher course and not tie employment to it. Did you take your nurse refresher course through a hospital or some other entity? I am aware that hospitals are making cutbacks, but why offer or sponsor a refresher course if you can't guarantee employment for graduates within a reasonable period of time? Have you contacted that nurse refresher program to let them know you're having difficulty finding employment? If not, please do so. Best wishes to you.

Nursing refresher courses are just like any other type of work-related education in that they provide you with a certain set of skills or knowledge base in exchange for money. You take the course to benefit yourself and make yourself more marketable after being out of the field for an extended period of time, but they don't promise employment after you complete the course, it is up to you to find it on your own, just like with any other type of education. Think of it like this: if you go on to get your BSN, do you expect the college or university to guarantee you a job? If you take an ACLS certification class, do you expect the instructor to promise you a job in ICU or ER?

These are all just tools to improve your chances of finding a job.

Thank you Westieluv for the feedback. I thought that the RN refresher programs, particularly if sponsored by a hospital, would give a nurse what is needed to get a job just prior to or upon graduation. It appears I assumed incorrectly. I guess I would just make sure that I did well in the program and get letters of recommendation from those teaching the course. I am also aware that in order to be given any consideration for clinical work, that an RN who has been out of the clinical arena for a while needs to be willing to work full-time starting off. Also, one needs to be networked. What I mean is that nurses need to consider joining their nursing associations so that they can have a network of associates who will be familiar with them and their knowledge and expertise in the nursing profession.

FYI: It may vary from different states, but I am a RN working in an administrative LPN job. I was told by the state (SC) I am licensed in that as long as I present myself as a RN, it's ok to work in a LPN role. I am only doing this because I am living overseas and it is the only job I could find on a military base.