Not a new grad anymore and still without experience

BetterSafe · Apr 19, 2011

Hi Captain. Just want you to know I'm crying for and with you. :crying2: I'm in your position as well, in Arizona. I got on today to finally break down, cry, scream, beg for someone to give me better advice than "keep applying". Applying to WHAT, exactly? To the 8 - count 'em - EIGHT new grad positions that are open TO INTERNAL CANDIDATES ONLY at one hospital locally. (The other hospital networks tell the same story.) I can apply all day every day, but it's a waste of time when they flat out say no ng's are hired except through the internship program. My goal is to become a CNM, and I must have the ACUTE CARE experience to proceed. From what I've learned, even if I put in a year in a nursing home it wont get me that ACUTE care job. Meanwhile, more and more NG's are being pumped out of schools. To what end? I'm so incredibly frustrated and sad and disgusted that all the hard work to get through school, all my savings I used up, all the pep-talks that it was almost over, the fear and stress involved preparing to take NCLEX, etc, seem to be for nothing. :crying2: Every single day I become more embarassed telling people that I'm an RN looking for work, and trying to explain the situation to them, that no one understands because they see RN jobs listed on job boards and think an RN is an RN is an RN and that all nurses have an endless choice of high-paying jobs.

So tired and frustrated and discouraged. I'm not even editing this post for spelling and grammatical errors, as I'd normally fastidiously do, because I'm so d*rn tired of doing it for the 2 hour applications I've been filling out for jobs I never even get to speak to a real person about or even know if any human looks at. The last one, after doing all the "usual" application stuff including an authorization to credit check (burns my hide):flamesonb ,every residence job for the last 10 years, business and personal references with EVERY detail, etc etc. THIS one then required I fill out a personality psych questionaire (apx 50 minutes long). No "right" or "wrong" answers (sure!), and I had to sign that I DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO VIEW THE RESULTS!!! How can that be legal!? HUFF.

Throwing my hands up. I did everything I was supposed to do, and now I don't know what to do. :confused:

I hope you are faring better, my friend. :heartbeat

V-Neck T-Shirt · Apr 20, 2011

That sounds so frustrating, Captain! I am currently working on a cardiac med-surg floor; at my hospital, our CVCC unit won't consider you without acute care experience, either. I didn't start out in nursing thinking I wanted to go to critical care, but after I get another 6 or so months of experience, I might attempt to head there. So, just a thought: you might take a M/S job to get the acute care experience to get your foot in the door for critical care, if such an opportunity become available? Good luck!

machellie24kusn · Apr 21, 2011

Have you guys considered relocating?? I've come to terms myself with the possibility of that. I graduated in August 2010 and became licensed in November 2010 and after hundreds of applications, questionares, and phone calls I had my very 1st call back on last Thursday and my very 1st interview this past Monday and believe me it wasn't because I simply applied to the position. I had called the recruiter, who said to call the new grad program coordinator who gave me the email to the hiring manager of the new grad program, who's secretary then called me. And it only took 23 applications, 48+/- phone calls, and 14 emails. Did I mention this is just 1 hospital out of the hundreds from which I have been applying to nation-wide.

My suggestion to you is to network and contact hospital recruiters and not just once everyday, be persistent. Volunteer for your local hospital this helps with getting your foot in the door. Oh, and take any job in the hospital you can get. I am applying for anything that is available and that I could do. This includes transportation, medical secretary, to gift shop clerk. Try to get any position in the medical field that you can. Check with looking hiring agencies for temp positions. New Grads have it tough right now so we need to be aggressive and show we want to work to get what we want. If there is anything I can do to help. feel free to msg me (= Good Luck!!!

Oh!!! Look in to your local Red Cross they are always looking for nurses and have a variety of classes that will help with gaining critical care exp.

BronxRN28 · Apr 23, 2011

Hi Captain,

I truly understand how you feel. I graduated in January of 2009, passed my boards in March of the same year. I didn't find my first job until Jan. 2010 (it was a research project for the Department of Health and it only lasted 4 months). I decided to get my NJ license to expand my search and I applied to every hospital and nursing home in the NYC & northern jersey area. I signed up with a few staffing agencies but most of them wanted experience. The agency that actually would take me without clinical experience ended up with me thinking I had a school nurse position (which didn't happen). I was devastated. :crying2: I found an ad on craigslist about giving flu shots which I did for 3 months (it helped me feel better about giving injections). I felt like a failure because it seemed like all my classmates were finding jobs and I couldn't find a permanent job. It was actually the NYS unemployment website that actually helped me land my first full-time position. I got hired on a med/surg floor at a hospital in upstate ny. It's far from my family & friends but the experience will be worth it. I just started 2 weeks and I'm still in orientation. Please don't give up hope. All of your certifications will come in handy. I suggest looking into relocation if that's possible. Just keep trying and I wish you the best. :)

oeiviridae · May 21, 2011

Hi Captain! I feel your pain. I am also from San Francisco, CA and graduated April 2010. Got BLS, ACLS, CE courses but still no luck. I've applied to every hospital in the bay area and never got called even for an interview. Since I really feel so desperate I've tried to go to each SNF and apply, got few interviews but only this one facility located just a few blocks away from home hired me as on-call. I also tried to serve as an RN volunteer for a public health clinic and tried to network.

I've tried to talk to a lot of DON's and almost begged them to give me a chance, even told them I'm willing to be trained, etc. I thought this would somehow help me get a full time time but up until now - still no luck!

I'm thinking of relocating to the other parts of CA and just couple days ago I've been applying to mental institutions/correctional facilities since they're willing to hire new grads. Hope I'll hear from them soon.

I've been trying to cope up with this matter and using defense mechanisms to somehow pacify me. I feel so helpless.

Good luck to us! :redpinkhe

westieluv · May 21, 2011

Yes, good luck to all of you. My heart truly goes out to you, because of all fields, you should be able to find a job in nursing, especially since there is (supposedly) a nursing shortage and the Baby Boomers are getting into their sixties now and are going to be needing more healthcare as they age. When I graduated as a new RN in 1990, everyone in our class got hired into local hospitals...all of us! The hospitals were literally fighting over us and offering sign-on bonuses! What a difference 20 years makes, huh?

I wish I could offer some help or advice, but I don't know what to say, it's tough out there. I am an RN with 13 years of experience (I took 7 1/2 years off to stay home with our kids) and I've even having a tough time getting back into hospital nursing, although, thankfully, I recently got hired on a contingent basis and was able to quit my LTC job, which I hated.

It's ironic that they won't hire new grads but they don't necessarily want older nurses with a lot of experience either. They all seem to want younger nurses that have tons of very recent experience, and in doing so, they are overlooking some very eager, well-educated, new grads who would be a feather in their cap and some older (I'm 46), experienced nurses who have been there, done that and know the drill.

Good luck to all of you, and I'll pray that things look up very, very soon! :)

captain byakuya · May 21, 2011

Yes, good luck to all of you. My heart truly goes out to you, because of all fields, you should be able to find a job in nursing, especially since there is (supposedly) a nursing shortage and the Baby Boomers are getting into their sixties now and are going to be needing more healthcare as they age. When I graduated as a new RN in 1990, everyone in our class got hired into local hospitals...all of us! The hospitals were literally fighting over us and offering sign-on bonuses! What a difference 20 years makes, huh?
I wish I could offer some help or advice, but I don't know what to say, it's tough out there. I am an RN with 13 years of experience (I took 7 1/2 years off to stay home with our kids) and I've even having a tough time getting back into hospital nursing, although, thankfully, I recently got hired on a contingent basis and was able to quit my LTC job, which I hated.
It's ironic that they won't hire new grads but they don't necessarily want older nurses with a lot of experience either. They all seem to want younger nurses that have tons of very recent experience, and in doing so, they are overlooking some very eager, well-educated, new grads who would be a feather in their cap and some older (I'm 46), experienced nurses who have been there, done that and know the drill.
Good luck to all of you, and I'll pray that things look up very, very soon! :)

thank you!

SoulSpirit_Rn · May 21, 2011

So sorry to read this, I am in the same boat and feel your pain. Instead I took a dialysis position that I hear will not get me the experience to land in the hospital setting either.