Only one nursing job opening at my local hospital!

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Oct 1, 2005

I appreciate your sharing your thoughts and concerns with us. I will pray for you and that job you want/need so badly.

Please do not think I am meddling, but I have been in your situation recently, I worried, cried, paced the floor, and prayed. I had to wait on my answer. It was really there all of the time for me to see but I was too stubborn and blind to see it. Finally, He gave my daughter a word or two of advice and love to share with me and it became very clear what I have to do. I too am job hunting, and if things go anywhere near the plan, I will be relocating to a different part of my home state. That is really a big deal for me and hubby, but it really is the only workable answer for our situation. Could this be a possible answer for your problem?

I do not mean to meddle, push unwanted advice, or seem uncaring to your blight, but sometimes we need to look at situations in a little different light.

Anyway, I wish you good luck on a new job, I will pray your need is met and soon, and please, keep us informed of how things are going. Have a blessed day. :flowersfo

OC_An Khe · Oct 1, 2005

I seen similar situations recently. One thought is that some hospitals have decided to freeze hiring, but not be public about it. The only way to tell if that is true is to talk to the RNs currently working at that hospital(s) and see if their patient to nurse ratio is continuing to grow. If all the hospitals in the area are doing the same thing then some collusion is going on. On the other hand it maybe that these are great places towork and they have little or no turnover.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Oct 1, 2005

ocankhe, I have known people whom have worked there, and they tell me working conditions are bad. I have quit several hard-to-come-by and low paying jobs in this town, as working conditions are pretty bad everywhere, but they get really bad when there is a nursing surplus.

barefootlady,

Thank you for the prayers and your sweet reply. I have looked at the situation every way I can. Dh loves his job- he has the job of a lifetime here. Our home is wonderful and affordable. I have been looking at going back to my home state, there are lots of nursing jobs there- that's where I've been traveling. But, real estate has gone through the roof there. An old trailer on a dirt road is literally over $100,000. If dh does get an offer there, it would have to be about double what he is making now for us to have the same standard of living, and I don't see that happening.

So far, the only thing that's seems feasable is for me to do travel nursing 6 mos out of the year. Dh and I have a wonderful marriage. I really hope that the traveling won't negatively affect it. It has been a bit of a rough readjustment since I returned from my 3 contracts- we are getting used to living together again.

I have said a prayer for you too, Barefootlady. I hope that your job situation is resolved soon.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 1, 2005

Have you actually had a sit down meeting with the Nurse Recruiters (or managers) of those hospitals? It sounds from your posts that you are getting your information from websites, friends, etc. Sometimes they do not have all of the facts.

Sometimes it helps to have an "informational interview" with a recruiter or manager. The purpose of the interview is not to actually apply for a job ... but to talk with them about career issues and possibilities that might be available in the future. They may know of some opportunities that are not being advertised (but being filled quietly). They may also be able to give you information about future prospects that your friends don't know about. Finally, they are familiar with the local nursing job situation and might be able to give you some information/advice that would help you find something in your area that you may not have thought about and explored.

Also, once you meet them, you are on their radar. If they like you, they might make room for you. They might not be advertising for an experienced nurse, but they might help you find a spot somewhere if they like you.

You also might consider "re-tooling" yourself a little. Is there some education you could get ... certification... etc. that might qualify you for something locally? Could you branch out to a different specialty? etc. Is there someone you could talk to who could help you do some serious career planning/counseling?

Good luck,

llg

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Oct 1, 2005

llg,

I went to my local hospitals, hospices and nursing homes to apply for jobs before I became a traveler. They will not even accept applications from nurses. The recruiter I did manage to speak to spent 10 mins complaining about the facility and her job before telling me they had a hiring freeze for nurses. The hospice interviewed me for 2 hours, everything went great. They emailed me afterwards saying the dir. of pt care services wanted to meet me, then I never heard from them again. They would not return my calls or emails. My current speciality is chronic dialysis. I left the unit where I was working locally because they were doing a lot of highly illegal things. I was expected to play along, and I will not break the law and risk my license so that a couple of docs can get rich. And yes, I did report their illegal activies to the BON (anonymously), but that was nearly a year ago, and things are still the same there; no action has been taken.

My dh has a co-worker whose wife is an RN. He says she was in a similar situation and hated it here. She quit several terrible jobs (as I have) and couldn't find anything else.

She did finally get on at the VA hospital here, and says it is great. We are all supposed to get together for dinner next week so she and I can meet and discuss the local job situation. I'm hoping she can tell me about jobs at the VA, and what the working conditions are like. I do have a lot of experience in various areas of nursing, but only a little hospital experience (surgical unit). I'm really hoping there is something for me at the VA. The only place around here that hires regularly is the prison, and I'm not interested in correctional nursing.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Oct 1, 2005

Helllllo Nurse,

Are there any county type nursing jobs available in your area? Even part-time ones. Could you perhaps work for an attorney? How about just doing some private duty/sitting type of work?

Believe me, I do understand the worry and hopeless feelings a person gets when this type of pressure exists. Do you do the average 13 week travel assignment? While away on assignment do you have at least an extended weekend to spend with hubby? Having a wonderful spouse is a blessing but it makes us miss them and home so much more when we have to be away.

I think "lig" gave you something to think about when she mentioned "retooling". I know I am going to take those last classes I need to complete my BSN.

I will keep you in my prayers. Showers of blessings to you and hubby.

nursing 101 · Oct 1, 2005

I am a travel nurse. One reason is because nursing jobs are scarce where I live. Well, I'm home from my last assignment, and not wanting to leave dh again to work, I decided to check out the local jobs again. I was hoping maybe the job situation had improved while I was away. No such luck! I looked up my local hospital's web site.
They have only ONE job opening for a nurse. And...it's for a "staff relief" critical care RN.
They have internships in a few areas, BUT they are for new grad RNs awaiting licensure only. I've been told they start at $15. an hr.
I checked another nearby hospital's web site, and there have been no RN job postings since June. No ads in the paper, either.
The job situation is terrible here. It is really disheartening to hear about the "shortage" all over the rest of the country, and all the job ops when it's a barren job wasteland here.
I like traveling, but it's so hard to be away from my dh and home for so long.
I just had to vent! :angryfire

Not to be noisy but in what part of the country are you? I would never think that I would hear no jobs in certain area of the country while there is a shortage... Tough it out and if you dh has a great job and you guys have a nice house maybe what you are doing is best until you can get something better. Because alot of place have vacancies but housing and living expenses don't commensurate with what you are getting paid... Hope you find a solution...

Town & Country · Oct 1, 2005

I left the unit where I was working locally because they were doing a lot of highly illegal things. I was expected to play along, and I will not break the law and risk my license so that a couple of docs can get rich. And yes, I did report their illegal activies to the BON (anonymously), but that was nearly a year ago, and things are still the same there; no action has been taken.

I could be wrong, but with your having that great interview and then not hearing anything, it sounds like you may be sort of "blacklisted" because of what happened at your former employment.

Where is your nearest large town or city?

Is there a city within a 100-mile radius of your town where you could work (get your shifts in blocks and stay overnight), you could do 3 twelves and then be home the next 4 nights.....I think that would be a good option....

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2005

I could be wrong, but with your having that great interview and then not hearing anything, it sounds like you may be sort of "blacklisted" because of what happened at your former employment.
Where is your nearest large town or city?
Is there a city within a 100-mile radius of your town where you could work (get your shifts in blocks and stay overnight), you could do 3 twelves and then be home the next 4 nights.....I think that would be a good option....

I never heard back from the hospice before I reported my employer to the authorities. I think I never heard back from the hospice because When they asked me what salary I was expecting, I actually requested a living wage, lol.

I applied to and have been accepted by TA&M and TX TECH in pursuit of my BSN. However, they each would require me to take 60+ more credit hrs, when I already have 120, all in nursing. I have been trying to find an online program that would require me to take maybe 30 cr hours for me to complete my BSN. I think what the other colleges want is way too much.

Plus, I need to take classes part-time and online in order to do travel work.

the area I live in in far north TX is very rural. I have looked into nearby towns and there is no work there, either. My travel recruiter keeps telling me he's trying to find me something local, but he's been unsuccessful. I told him that makes 2 of us.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Oct 2, 2005

barefootlady,

Yes, I take 4-5 days off in the middle of each 13 wk assigment to fly home and see dh, or he flys out to see me. I spoke to a traveler friend tonight who thinks he may have a lead for me on a part-time job. He is going to make a couple calls tomorrow and get some info for me. Ironically, he is from my local area, and we worked at the same unit here. He also left to become a traveler because of the poor working conditions, low wages and lack of opportunities locally. There are a total of 4 of us who have left my old unit within the last year and become travelers.