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 ER, Med-surg.

If you're going to work as a secretary and be treated like crap, at least get paid well! You live in New York and only get $12 an hour as a secretary and sometimes nurse? I've been paid more in Florida as a secretary with only a high school diploma. I would find another job until you can find a job where you actually use your nursing skills.

Hi! I am one of you guys. I also passed the NCLEX about a year now but can't find a job. I had 2 interviews, the 1st one was on the spot interview and it was messed up coz I was so nervous!

I spent the whole weekend thinking about this .... I just hope we all find jobs ... I just feel like I'm in a dark tunnel with no light in sight ;(

Well on Monday I am going to call the Clinic that I want to get into and ask if I could volunteer. Thank-you everyone for giving such great ideas. We all will get a job it just might not be NOW but SOON!!

Specializes in Psych/AOD.

I find it very convienant to apply for jobs online. I mean, how nice is it to apply for a job while in your pajamas. You can apply for several jobs all in the same day without driving all over town. The one drawback I find with it, is that you cannot meet with anyone in person when doing this. Back many years ago when you applied for a job you turned it in to the place that you were applying at. That would at least give you a chance to speak to someone there, possibly even the hiring manager. I definitely miss old school aspects of applying for jobs. I do not have a medical background, and because I've been a stay at home mom for 15 years, I don't have a recent work history. I feel that if I could just talk to the hiring manager, explain what I've been doing, and let them see that I have some brains, I would have a better chance than if they just read about me on paper.

I have yet been able to find anything I wish I could have by now .. Because at this point I am hating my Job so much!!!!!!

Specializes in ..

@modgoth: yes applying online has its pros and cons, but unless an employer requires resumes and applications to be submitted only online, there is no reason not to hand deliver yours. Consider how easy it is to receive a marketing email and either glance at it quickly then close it, or not even open it. Hopefully employers give resumes more attention, but its just human nature to treat electronic correspondence with less importance. Put business clothes on and spend a day going from one employer to another. Sure, you might get turned away at some, but you might get noticed by some others. It can't hurt.

Specializes in Psych/AOD.

Great advice Patti!

I just got a rejection letter from human resources at a hospital stating they changed their mind about filling the position .... Tey aren't hiring after all... I always wanted to be an ER nurse and I am thinking maybe I should become an EMT while I am jobless ... Bc I am at my wits end at this job.... Any thoughts ??

Hi srn,

I just read your post. I understand your disappointment after one year of graduation without landing a dream job. I'd like to say "Just don't give up."

I'm a student of a pre-clinical phase in a NYC community college. Even to graduate, I need another 3 and a half years because I'm attending part-time. Many of my classmates disappeared in every class. Many of us who are still in classrooms will not able to get into the clinical phase. It is so competitive to become a RN.

1. You are standing at the top of the long line. Thousands are behind you. You are at the position which all the nursing students are dreaming to be.

2. One of my friends told me the job market is still bad because of the recession. (A).Some hospitals closed in NYC: hundreds of experienced nurses have been applying every job openings. (B).Many elderly nurses postpond to retire for their financial safety.

It will be only temporary. Just think positive and keep trying.

In my opinion, LTC facilities, visiting nurse agencies are easier to get in than hospitals.

If you can invest some of your time, volunteering at a facility may give you a pathway to get into.

Once you get the job, you'll make three times of salary than your current one.

Keep trying while enjoying the nice summer.

I am with you. I am a former paramedic with my ADN and can't get into a hospital in NYC or Long Island. I feel like I am paddling with one oar and going in circles.

Specializes in Neuro ICU/Trauma/Emergency.

Start looking into hospitals on long island. I know Nassau community hospital is hiring, and the lirr is not as dreadful as we NYC( ers) believe. Also if your sites are set on a city hospital, most are on a hiring freeze, with the exception of Harlem and beth Israel. I would look into monte or Lenox hill( since joining ranks with north shore). Other than those tid bits, it takes all new grads a while to secure employment, regardless of the field you work in.

Stop crying and get to work! Go out to the human resources offices, visit the floors, net work at the Starbucks near the hospitals, call agencies! Jobs aren't scarce, people are relying on technology to do their work!

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