New grad rn :( I wanna cry

Nurses Job Hunt

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I was wondering if anyone will be able to help me...

I am a new grad ADN RN in nyc. I am currently enrolled to get my BSN and will be done by Feb 2013. I have yet to find a nursing job, I have been working as a medical office secretary/ rn in a private office. I am more a secretary than a nurse due to the fact that the Dr. I work for does not "need" a nurse and would prefer to keep me on a secretary's salary and use my nursing skills according to his convenient. I am getting paid 12 dollars an hour. Besides all of this my boss is verbally abusive, and expects me to work crazy hours just because he asks.

I am a good employee and do as I am instructed just in order to keep my job, because as my boss puts it, he does not need a nurse and is creating a job for me. He tells everyone he can that I am on trial ( been working there almost 6 months) and that he will decide if he wants to keep me ( I previously worked there as a secretary when I was in nursing school, but the conditions were different, the Dr. was less involved with the staff, he had an office manager running the office).

So besides for all of this, I spend all of my free time, networking and trying to find a hospital or nursing home job. Every time I actually get a response from someone, its along the lines of " not hiring new grads" or " looking for a candidate with experience".

I was fortunate enough to use a family friend as a connection to get an interview in a major city hospital, to get an interview with a nurse manager for a position. I had a great interview with her, she asked me to come in the next day and to meet with the staff for a panel interview, I did. That's where I messed up, I was too nervous and messed up silly things.... Either way, I did not get the job.

Besides this, no one has ever responded to any of my inquires. I am at a loss of what to do, I NEED a job, and really can not quit my current one until I find something else. I have literally never been so depressed in my life. I worked so hard in school, only to be working as a secretary for 12 dollars an hour.... I knew the market was hard, but I didnt think it was this bad in NYC.

Due to responsibilities I have, I can not move to another state, but I am willing to drive around ny in order to find work. I have yet to find anything .....I have ACLS, BLS, Smoking cessation certificate, received a scholarship in college, and graduated from a good nursing school. I am just wondering if anyone has any advice for me, of what to do ... where to go.... I am just so upset and down that I have no energy to do anything .

Specializes in ..
...One tip some older nurses have told me is to apply for jobs even if it says "you need x amount of experience." I know several people (including my mom!) who have gotten jobs even though they weren't "qualified" according to the experience standards.

This is an excellent point! Sometimes employers put expectations in their ad, but are impressed with a candidate who doesn't meet that particular criterion; they interview the person anyway, and end up hiring them!

Why not think about moving out of NY if you can? Try CT because the job market is not so bad here.

Patti rn - thanks for all the advice and I will definitely try to do some of the things you said ... I know what you mean about saying go to hell on my way put... Lol but as you say I am one of the 2% that never would lol I previously worked for this doctor and although the work conditions were different , he was the same , so yea I try not to do something like buring bridges because it just so happens that he has a lot of friends in high places , and although he may be a terrible boss, If I was working for him and a nurse recruiter approached him For advice- I have no doubt in my mind he would give me a good reference . And I stand to keep it that way.lol but I just wish someone would call already ... I graduated in May of LAST year, so I have been out of school for a year ... I have changed it so my resume says nurse and have tweaked it to highlight the nursing aspect of my job. I did this at the advice of the career coach I hired... Still nothing ;( ... I spent all day faxing and emailing resumes ..... With hopes of something

Moving is just not an option . I have too many responsibiltes here

I just wanna add that I went to a nursing school from a hospital ... So we we're expecting a good number of graduates would get hired at the hospital... They hired 5 ... They hired 11 from the previous classes ... Listen I am not saying I have the best grades ... But I passed nursing school .... ALL of my friends from school are still unemployed ...

Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, Neurology, Rehab.

I know you said you had responsibilities and you could not move, but pray about this. If you have children they can transition to another school. If you are married and your husband has a good job maybe you can temporarily move to the state where you can get a job. Have you tried Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore? I know a hospital in Atlanta,GA is hiring. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices that we normally would not even think of making. If you decide to move try churches in that area who may offer a room until you get paid. Blessing to you!!

Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, Neurology, Rehab.

I hope you are not faxing your resume to just a fax without knowing who the company is. So many scams out there who can use your info illegally.

I only sent it to major hospitals and ltc in the area that I know of ... I would be scared about what people can do with my info ... thanks for the heads up !!!!!!! I am just trying to stay optimistic and hoping soon, something will open ... because at this point all I can do is pray and just keep working ....... like i said before, i just didnt picture this is where Id be a full year after graduation.

Specializes in Psych/AOD.

I am in the same boat as many others. Graduated with my ADN last June, still no job, and not for a lack of trying. It's incredibly difficult for a new grad with no experience to land an RN job. It is very disconcerting to apply for a job, hear nothing back (which is more common than not) and then see the same job posted over and over again. It's like "hey, anxious and eager nurse here willing and able to work, please hire me." My initial plan after graduation was to get an RN job at a place that offered some tuition reimbursement that could be used to help with my BSN. No job meant no help with the BSN expenses, so I have taken out yet more student loans to get myself through the BSN program on my own. I am more then a little scared about having so much debt with no sign of a job. I have hope and I'm going with that for now...................... I have actually taken a mental health break the past two months and have not applied for one single job in that time. The break has refreshed me and I am ready to start pounding the pavement again. I wish everyone all the best in the job hunt. I believe that there is a place for each of us!

Specializes in ICU, ED, Tele, PEDS, Psych, L&D, LTC, URO.

As a seasoned nurse, I would like to give you all hope. I have my ASN and am now going for my BSN. I have 12 yrs in nursing and when I first started was in the same boat, first I worked in an office (more secretarial, than nursing). Shortly after that, (even though I didn't want too), I worked in a subacute care/LTC for a year, than finally obtained a hospital job. After 2 yrs Telemetry, I finally got my place of comfort L&D. Don't knock LTC, this says a lot to hospital nurses; 1) your organized 2) you have great assessment skills 3) you have great time management 4) you have great communication skills with people of all ages.

1) Organization: You are able to pass medication, chart, call dr's, pass medication, comfort, and chart in 8 hours on HOW MANY patients?!!!

2)Assessment: You are able to tell from 50 ft away, if someone is in respiratory distress and needs more than an albuterol treatment or his 02. The blue color in the face is not just the blue hair dye!

3)You did ALL of THAT in 8 hours!!!

4)When working in LTC, the mental acuity may not be as sharp in all the patients; some have mind of children, teenagers, young frisky adults etc....

Don't fret you all will find your way in the world and doors will open when they should. Though it is hard to think about this now, imagine the interviewing experience you are gaining and how you all will be able to help the next group during a nursing job shortage.

Specializes in kids.
As a seasoned nurse, I would like to give you all hope. I have my ASN and am now going for my BSN. I have 12 yrs in nursing and when I first started was in the same boat, first I worked in an office (more secretarial, than nursing). Shortly after that, (even though I didn't want too), I worked in a subacute care/LTC for a year, than finally obtained a hospital job. After 2 yrs Telemetry, I finally got my place of comfort L&D. Don't knock LTC, this says a lot to hospital nurses; 1) your organized 2) you have great assessment skills 3) you have great time management 4) you have great communication skills with people of all ages.

1) Organization: You are able to pass medication, chart, call dr's, pass medication, comfort, and chart in 8 hours on HOW MANY patients?!!!

2)Assessment: You are able to tell from 50 ft away, if someone is in respiratory distress and needs more than an albuterol treatment or his 02. The blue color in the face is not just the blue hair dye!

3)You did ALL of THAT in 8 hours!!!

4)When working in LTC, the mental acuity may not be as sharp in all the patients; some have mind of children, teenagers, young frisky adults etc....

Don't fret you all will find your way in the world and doors will open when they should. Though it is hard to think about this now, imagine the interviewing experience you are gaining and how you all will be able to help the next group during a nursing job shortage.

So true! Hang in there folks, hopefully the economy will start to turn....and I agree with another poster who said to apply for a job even if you don't necessarily have all the credentials they have posted....it may just work out! Someone else said to get involved with non profits/volunteer organizations. The personal gain (emotional) is amazing and you never know who you will network with. My affiliation with www.stbaldriks.org got me an invite to Washington DC for a training on how to advocate kids with cancer. And my current job as school nurse will kick in $$ from my cont ed allotment. It will be an amazing experience!

I am not in your shoes yet. But have you ever thought about working at the prisons? Just my 2 cents. Hope you get something soon.

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