Really freaking out

U.S.A. Massachusetts

Published

Specializes in Pediatric Psychiatry, Home Health VNA.

I canNOT find a job. It's now to the point where I can't even get HR to talk to me or nurse managers to return my phone calls. Some HRs wont even let me talk to nurse recruitment. An HR rep from Lahey Clinic asked me what type of nurse I am and I told her new grad and she said not to bother, that neither Lahey campus is hiring new grads and won't be until next year. I have tried every acute hospital within a 2 hour driving distance in MA and several subacute/rehab/SNF facilities and none of them are hiring new grads or don't have the support in place to train a new grad. I really don't know what to do. My dad is deathly ill and my mom cannot pay pay their bills on just her salary. I really need to work and help out. My health insurance is also up. I'm so frustrated and discouraged.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education.
I canNOT find a job. It's now to the point where I can't even get HR to talk to me or nurse managers to return my phone calls. Some HRs wont even let me talk to nurse recruitment. An HR rep from Lahey Clinic asked me what type of nurse I am and I told her new grad and she said not to bother, that neither Lahey campus is hiring new grads and won't be until next year. I have tried every acute hospital within a 2 hour driving distance in MA and several subacute/rehab/SNF facilities and none of them are hiring new grads or don't have the support in place to train a new grad. I really don't know what to do. My dad is deathly ill and my mom cannot pay pay their bills on just her salary. I really need to work and help out. My health insurance is also up. I'm so frustrated and discouraged.

Hey--I finally caught a break at the subacute/SNF that I used to work at. I should be starting out in the next few weeks once orientation gets sorted out. I'm going to be working on the subacute floor...if you want, I can put my feelers out for you & see if the DON is looking for any more nurses. PM me, and I can tell you more about it if you want. I was very happy to work there in the first place--only reason I ever left was to get my foot in the door in a hospital (some good that did!) I empathize with where you are coming from financially, I was getting frustrated feeling like I wasn't contributing to help out my mom, who is barely making it work on what she makes with dad having passed away. Keep looking & I hope your dad is doing ok!

Katie

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What about just taking another job at a local hospital. I know it's not the greatest but at least you can get your foot in the door and start speaking to people. You have passed your exams and worked so hard but at least this will be a small stepping stone rather than not stepping at all. Plus you could get benefits and help your mom

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education.
What about just taking another job at a local hospital. I know it's not the greatest but at least you can get your foot in the door and start speaking to people. You have passed your exams and worked so hard but at least this will be a small stepping stone rather than not stepping at all. Plus you could get benefits and help your mom

That's the problem. The OP was discussing how she has been unable to get a job--I'm sure if she was able to take a job at a local hospital she would.

If you were referring to my post, I was saying that I could relate to her because I was frustrated during my job search feeling as if I was unable to contribute at home due to the family issues that were going on. As I am now employed, I no longer feel that way.

I think you may have misunderstood the posts.

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Where are you located OctoberBride? My unit just hired a slew of new grads over the summer.

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Specializes in Pediatric Psychiatry, Home Health VNA.

Carrie I'm in Malden, just north of Boston. I applied to every acute hospital in a 1.5 hour driving distance and I started my search long before graduation....it seems if you weren't a PCA in a Boston hospital or don't know someone high up it's extremely difficult to even get nurse recruitment to speak with you.

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Specializes in Hospice.

If it's anything like when I lived in the area, there's always a tight market for new grads. There's a nursing school on every street corner, seems like, in greater Boston. You just have to tough it out or relocate.

Have you considered the chronic disease hospitals? St. John of God (in Brighton, I think) comes to mind, as well as Jewish Memorial in Roxbury. They're not acute, but more like acute LTC ... plenty of opportunity for learning skills.

Of course, it's been almost 10 years since I worked in the area, the scene may have changed a lot since then.

Good luck!

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October Bride,

where did you go to school? do you have a two year Associates Degree, or a BSN?

i just started nursing school last week at a community college, and they gave us a handout that said 80% of their grads gets jobs in nursing after graduation. i thought it would be a higher percentage than 80%.

do you think this figure is accurate for most graduates with a 2 year RN in the boston area?

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ok...now i have not even started school yet, so i'm probably not anyone to give advice...but ...have you looked into home care? hospice? i chose nursing for several reasons, but one being that i thought there would be more jobs and so many more options than other fields like school counseling, licensed mental health counselor, etc...i guess i was wrong!!

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Specializes in Tele.

OB, Have you tried the VA hospitals? I know of some people from my class that were hired with them.

To the students, I would suggest the you get a job working as an tech/aide at a hospital as soon as you are able. Quite a few hospital, did not consider "outside" applicants for the New Grad positions.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education.
OB, Have you tried the VA hospitals? I know of some people from my class that were hired with them.

To the students, I would suggest the you get a job working as an tech/aide at a hospital as soon as you are able. Quite a few hospital, did not consider "outside" applicants for the New Grad positions.

While getting a job as an aide/tech at a hospital is a good idea--it is NOT a guaranteed in for a job, especially with positions so tight for new grads. The hospital I worked at couldn't hire me because they had no room for new grads. I got rehired by a LTC facility that I used to work at, but many people I know have been unable to be hired by places they were aides due to the glut of new nurses in the area. Just want to remind others that while it's great to be an aide and get face time in a hospital, it is not the guaranteed foot in the door that people (& in some cases hospitals themselves) may make it out to be.

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Specializes in Tele.

Perhaps you should re-read my post because I stated some hospitals would not consider non-internal new grad applicants.

I understand your anger and frustration because the hosptial you worked at did not hire you as well as many others in your situation. In my case, I had to find a position on another unit than the one I worked in for the last 2 years. It's not a great feeling, I know.

I still think it is important to get a tech/aide hospital job in order to get your foot in the door but it is enitirely up to YOU to show them how valuable and hard working an employee you are.

If you are calling in sick on beach days, slacking off, gossiping, complaining and not creating or developing good relationships with your co-workers then why would they want to hire you?

Conversely, what can you do to stand out to make it a no brainer for your employer to choose you versus another tech/aide?

All that being said sometimes it's just the luck of the draw if/when you are hired as well as who you know.

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