New grad over 1 year and a few months

Nurses Job Hunt

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So is being an "old new grad" (over a year and few months with no job) a point in my life where I should start a whole new career? I feel as if this whole career choice has backfired and now I have to start all over again.... I hate this choice I made. It has basically ****** me over. What do I do? Everyone from nurse managers, RNS, doctors etc have told me if I get hired into a nursing home, LTC, rehab, detox, Dr. office, IHS etc anything but a hospital it counts against me and a hospitals will never hire me. So now what? I'm frustrated and angry... :banghead:

Relocating to another state? Same thing they want experience and I have to be living there so they can interview me... Anything and everything has been exhausted....I dont know what to do except do my BSN at this point, maybe it will help but I doubt it too. But at least Ill have a BA.... Help?

After I graduated I had a meeting with a mentor who also works in the new grad education unit at a large metropolitan teaching hospital. Here is what she told me: 'If you cannot get into a new grad program in acute care, go work in rehab, home care, clinics, LTC, SNFs, wellness clinics, etc. Work there for 1-2 years. Then reapply to the acute care hospitals. Once you have 1 year under your belt, the electronic screening systems they use to weed people out file you into a completely different category: you move from Graduate Nurse to Staff Nurse 1. This opens up a lot of doors.'

I might also suggest that during that 1-2 years, also become a volunteer at the hospital you'd most like to work at. Make connections. Network. And if you can possibly manage it, begin to take some classes to move toward getting your BSN. A lot of hospitals are looking to hire LPNs who are taking steps to receive their BSN within 3 years of hire. I hope this is helpful! Best of luck to you!

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Any RN experience will only be a benefit for you in your job hunting experience. I was also a product of an "old" new grad 15 yrs ago. As a new grad, I got a position in a board & care facility back in my home state. After a year, I moved to another state and applied to many different RN positions. At first, I accepted a position at a SNF-after one month I got my position in a hospital. So something is better than nothing. :down: Good Luck and Hang in There!

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I second the others, don't give up. Some hospitals in our area will take people on as staff nurses who have done LTC, rehab, or home care for a year. One of the nurse residency programs in our area extends the residency to people who don't have acute care nursing experience and are looking to transition instead of outright refusing them. Don't give up. I just got an offer at 6 months and was starting to consider LTC myself even though my heart was elsewhere. Not everyone is so lucky to get a job before or even recently after graduation anymore. A lot of people I graduated with are still looking. Even my mentors told me to keep the faith; its not me its the market we're in. There is a glut of new grads and it takes a village to raise each one. It is also expensive. Orientation is 18 weeks for me and they have to pick up the cost of paying me during that time when I'm not really producing for them.

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Specializes in GI Surgery Step-down.

I applied several residency program out of states. I live Nyc and difficult to find job. So I got job offered two different place . Now I am moving next month to Savannah. I will work step down. I don't have experience in hospital beside clinical rotation. I was an accountant in past. Don't give up. Apply other states and you will get something. Make sure review your resume and cover letter. Get help someone else if u need. Also if you have a job on somewhere detox, ltc facility etc. Go and work one month or so. What will u loose?

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If I was an ADN I would get a non-hospital job, work and take 1-2 premed classes at a time and get a BS in biology, take the MCAT, and become a doctor. Even now I am thinking of doing that.

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I agree with the OP, I HAVE heard that taking a position in anything else besides acute care shuts you out of acute care as a new grad. I'm not sure if this is a regional thing. . . I currently reside in the hudson valley area in NY going into my 4th semester as an ADN, I also work at a hospital seeking magnate status, so they won't consider me for any RN positions. . .

I've considered just doing a blitz for the BSN, but then I've hear no one will hire me after being an RN for a whole year w/o a job. . . Pretty frustrating. I actually made a topic about this two days ago but no one responded. . .

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Notca67 said:
I currently reside in the hudson valley area in NY going into my 4th semester as an ADN, I also work at a hospital seeking magnate status, so they won't consider me for any RN positions.

I graduated a few weeks ago with my ASN. We're affiliated with a magnet hospital and a large number of us will be hired there (I was hired into the New Grad nurse residency program for their ER, a level 1 trauma center) even though we don't have our BSN. We have 5 years to get our BSN and they offer $1500 a year toward educational expenses.

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Specializes in GI Surgery Step-down.
I graduated a few weeks ago with my ASN. We're affiliated with a magnet hospital and a large number of us will be hired there (I was hired into the New Grad nurse residency program for their ER, a level 1 trauma center) even though we don't have our BSN. We have 5 years to get our BSN and they offer $1500 a year toward educational expenses.

Is this in New York City?

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I graduated a few weeks ago with my ASN. We're affiliated with a magnet hospital and a large number of us will be hired there (I was hired into the New Grad nurse residency program for their ER, a level 1 trauma center) even though we don't have our BSN. We have 5 years to get our BSN and they offer $1500 a year toward educational expenses.

They used to do this at our hospital, but stopped after 2012-2013. . . There are a few BSN programs in the area, so they can pick and choose who they'll hire. A lot of people aren't to happy about it, but it is the way it is. Still love where I work, it's just a shame they wont hire us ADN grads who already work there. . .

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

OP: ANY nursing experience looks a hell of a lot better on your resume than no nursing experience, because the longer you go without experience the less likely anyone is willing to take a chance on you. And consider that the people doling out this advice to you are either a. not nurses, or b. nurses who already have several years' experience and so aren't facing the challenges that you have to deal with.

I would seriously let go of the "hospital or bust" attitude and start looking for anything and everything that you can. After you have real nursing experience under your belt--and yes, working in LTC, doctor's offices, schools, detox, etc. is just as much real nursing as anything else--then you can apply to hospitals under staff nurse positions instead of new grads slots. Though to be honest, you may find that working in a hospital is not all that it's cracked up to be.

Best of luck.

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Some of the comments here are quite brutal and counter productive. Not all of us have the ability and resources to drop everything for specific jobs, hence why this post was made. I can sense superiority from seasoned nurses of "well that's your own fault"of which has no place for that ego. After months of rejections and "well just work at a LTC", it is quite frustrating.

OP, my suggestion is for you to apply as a CNA in the hospital of your choice. Depending if they are Magnet status or not, they would allow you to be offered an RN position when it is available.

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