What's up with this? Interview denied....

lpnflorida · Jul 24, 2009

This is only a guess on my part. It looks from what you have written that your last worked acute care back in 1999. I realize you have since worked both outpatient and inpatient dialysis since then , but that might be the problem. Is there anyway to work prn on an acute care floor to regain recent experience?

Yes, you are also correct, it is rough out there right now. More potential new hires than jobs available.

good luck

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Jul 24, 2009

Wow! My guess is that they want someone with more recent bedside experience?

I can't believe they didn't even interview you to see what you're all about!

metal_m0nk, BSN, RN · Jul 24, 2009

Did I read your post correctly in that you're reapplying to a hospital that you left in '08? If so, is it possible that they're concerned that you might jump ship again?

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 25, 2009

hi, all,i guess i'm just wondering what's up nowadays with hospitals. i applied for a position on med/surg floor 3 weeks ago. the ad sounded great and experience required was "none - but 2 years recent acute care preferred". ok, so this is my experience in a nutshell:
09/98-08/99: med/tele/pcu (at another hospital)
09/99-01/05: outpatient/chronic dialysis in a clinic
11/06-04/08: acute/inpatient dialysis (at the same hospital where i'm currently applying)
i got a denial letter 2 weeks ago but noticed that the job is still posted (supposedly, "another candidate was hired"). so i called the nurse recruiter today and asked if i could reapply for the job. he told me, "yes, it's still open, but the manager was not interested in interviewing you." i was too stunned to ask why.... what's up with this?
*and that for a prn job with no additional pay and no benefits! it's bad out there...

yes, it is bad out there but it is even worse in small towns like the one i live. i noticed that in small terrible towns some hiring directors are just bold and hr is the same. from your experience it looks like you do not have recent acute care medical surgical related work experience so that may be a valid excuse to exclude. on the other hand, you might not qualify because of reputation.

if you have a bad reputation (earned or not), directors who have caught wind (they gossip in my hospital like a bunch of 7th graders), will have decided not to hire you before you even applied. if you have a good reputation with your current floor... your director does not want to lose you so he/she may have told the other directors “hands-off”. in short, because of a bad economy there maybe many reasons that limits your options at this time and so you may not be able to transfer to another floor.

are you lucky and there is another hospital nearby where you can gain additional training and possibly work? i am sorry you have experienced this... i used to be surprised by such behaviors but after working for my current hospital for two years i am shocked by nothing. talented people are stuck in positions because hiring directors choose to keep them where they no longer want to be or they develop a reputation and they have no choices. i plan to leave this place (move far away) as soon as i earn my bsn. until then, i am keeping my head down and wanting for nothing aloud. i cannot wait for the economy to get better and witness a mass exodus of nurses from one area to the next, where directors and hr have to go back to kissing our butts for a change and not the other way around!

DeLana_RN, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2009

Did I read your post correctly in that you're reapplying to a hospital that you left in '08? If so, is it possible that they're concerned that you might jump ship again?

Yes, I did work at this same hospital in inpatient dialysis where we did a little bit of med/surg work for pts while they were with us or we on their floor or unit (of course, this does not compare to the responsibilities of a med/surg nurse, especially the pt load). I only left because I had a PRN job with no minimum hours required or guaranteed and when the census of dialysis pts dropped I got no shifts for six months (their census has not picked up again, but that's not the only reason why I wouldn't want to work in that department again).

But thanks for the feedback!

DeLana

allnurses Guide · Jul 25, 2009

You actually have quite a bit of experience overall as an RN; maybe they don't want to hire you because they don't want to pay your for your experience; they would rather have someone with less experience that they can pay less? Dunno...

Christen, ANP · Jul 25, 2009

Why don't you talk to HR (and this manager if you can) and ask them what you can improve on your resume to make yourself more marketable?

BabyLady, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2009

Hi, all,I guess I'm just wondering what's up nowadays with hospitals. I applied for a position on med/surg floor 3 weeks ago. The ad sounded great and experience required was "none - but 2 years recent acute care preferred". OK, so this is my experience in a nutshell:
09/98-08/99: Med/tele/PCU (at another hospital)
09/99-01/05: Outpatient/chronic dialysis in a clinic
11/06-04/08: Acute/inpatient dialysis (at the same hospital where I'm currently applying)
I got a denial letter 2 weeks ago but noticed that the job is still posted (supposedly, "another candidate was hired"). So I called the nurse recruiter today and asked if I could reapply for the job. He told me, "Yes, it's still open, but the manager was not interested in interviewing you." I was too stunned to ask why.... What's up with this?
Yes, the economy is dreadful, and online RN ads at this hospital are 1/4-1/3 of normal, sign-on bonuses are history, I know all that - but do they have so many highly qualified RN applicants that they don't even care to talk to an experienced RN? I'm not a new grad, after all, and desperate enough to consider night shift now. But I also don't want to humiliate myself and beg them to hire me! (Not that it would do any good.)
I was thinking about calling back on Monday to at least ask if there is something wrong with my application/resume*. I should have done that today, but I was just too surprised.
Any feedback/input/guesses as to what's going on? Thanks for reading this.
DeLana
*It can't be totally wrong, since I did get an interview for a PRN position on another floor (oncology); however, the manager told me she has several more interviews before making a decision. And that for a PRN job with no additional pay and no benefits! It's bad out there...

It's lack of bedside experience.

I'm a new grad and I got similar rejection letters right off the bat from some hopitals where I applied for "new grad" positions.

One recruiter was kind enough to call me back (because I too, thought something was seriously wrong)...and explain to me that many hospitals have had to add additional criteria to positions and could be more selective due to the economy.

scared'o'needles! · Jul 25, 2009

Could it be relating to any positive discrimination policys?

Lacie, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2009

I recently left dialysis myself and finding it's the "lack of recent bedside hospital experience". I've been told I have great references and qualifications but since been out of bedside/hospital nursing for more than 2 years they want me to wait and apply for thier next "Internships". I found it rather insulting as I'm ACLS and have 30 years experience overall with only the last 3 years away from bedside. But it's the same story pretty much everywhere now. Hang in there and ask the hospitals when thier next intership programs are. For the moment I went ahead and accepted a seasonal immunization position until the next intership comes up.

DeLana_RN, BSN, RN · Jul 25, 2009

I recently left dialysis myself and finding it's the "lack of recent bedside hospital experience". I've been told I have great references and qualifications but since been out of bedside/hospital nursing for more than 2 years they want me to wait and apply for thier next "Internships". I found it rather insulting as I'm ACLS and have 30 years experience overall with only the last 3 years away from bedside. But it's the same story pretty much everywhere now. Hang in there and ask the hospitals when thier next intership programs are. For the moment I went ahead and accepted a seasonal immunization position until the next intership comes up.

Hi, Lacie,

I guess we found that dialysis - even hospital based, acutes/inpatient - is a one way ticket to nowhere.... But no, even if DaVita (the only game in town) were to hire right now, I wouldn't even consider it!

If they don't even want to hire you, with ICU experience, that's not very promising. Unfortunately, our local hospitals don't even offer internships anymore, and when they did it was only for new grads (sometimes it can hurt to have experience, just not the right kind.)

But all is not lost - the oncology manager seemed very interested, her only concern was my weekend availability (I had a child care issue, now resolved) and not my lack of recent acute care experience. But she, too, continues to fish in the pond of desperate nurses seeking employment.

All right, you hiring managers, treat us like this - but keep in mind, the economy will improve, we will get hired and become desirable employees (again), and we won't forget who treated us poorly.

DeLana