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 .

@Patti_RN: From my experience applying to many places, I have noticed that some hospitals will not even accept a paper resume that is given to them. They say that you MUST apply online! So even after going into hospitals to meet the directors, they will send you away! This is where technology has taken us:(

its hard when you come out of nursing school looking for a job when most hospitals say they want experience. How you get experience, it through getting a job. I am from nyc and when I graduated with my BSN last year, I applied to so many hospitals in nyc and around, nothing. every call i received, asked me first, how much experience do you have,? "im a new grad"." ok, call us when you have the experience. Till I reached out to the furthers of nys. Alot of the upstate areas are willing to work with new grads because most of them are teaching hospitals where students do their clinicals, therefore they have that patience to teach and tolerate a new grad unlike nyc, where everything is so critical and fast paced they have no time to teach you at the pace you are in as a new grad. Sadly you are better off trying upstate NY.

I really feel like all new grads need to start some sort of public protest against these hospitals that aren't hiring new grads! It is inexcusable to turn down able bodied people that are trying to work and at the same time operate short staffed. FURIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

srn789:

Just hoping things have improved for you and you have landed your ER dream job! Let us know :)

Ok i agree with most of the comments here...

I graduated in December, 2011, took the nclex a little later in april. That was a big mistake because in the DC/MD/Va area

it is really a tough market. I say if you live in MD or VA first get that instead of DC. You are limited if you only do DC, because too many schools not enough hospitals. I literally would wake up and apply to hospitals everyday, from Southern VA, all the way to Delaware. I would say don't be picky, and pretty much say yes to any thing that says new GRADUATE. Also, if you can be a tech like once a week, volunteer even; get the foot in the door. My only classmates that got jobs were techs. I literally applied to 50 hospitals, I got 5 interviews. Even getting interviews is an accomplishment these days. One thing that really sucked was that since I had my ADN, I was competitng with all the BSN people. I even interviewed at Children's-3 people in one room, had a background check,drug screen only to be told the day before decisions that I would not get hired becasue I didn't have a BSN. I was mad for a month. However, I kept trying it took me 9 months to get the job at INOVA. For interviews, practice with a nurse because they ask a lot of "behavior questions" and scenarios too in most hospitals around here. So, keep your head up and don't give up.

I didn't and it payed off!!!!!!!!!

@sniper06 i am I recent new grad as well and yes it is frustrating not being able to gfind a job in your area, as it has been a struggle for me as well. One thing you must consider is that it is so expensive to train a new grad nurse. For one the hospital or agency has to pay you RN pay but they are not getting the RN work out of it. Two, if a hospital is short staffed, you will be making the problem worse by needing the guidance of a experienced RN, short staffing them further. Three, many hospitals do not want to risk hiring new grads in the economy because many new RNs get their 6 months- 1 year experience and then they are out the door. So just take these things into consideration when applying for jobs. Good luck and best wishes.

This is so depressing... I regret doing nursing! I should have just gone to med school! :(

I feel your frustration. I have applied to every hospital in the state and no luck. But better work somewhere else then no where. So...... I put on my best suit and went driving around town and applied to rehab facilities. Not only did I get to hand in my app to an actual HR person but I got an interview the next day!

This is so depressing... I regret doing nursing! I should have just gone to med school! :(

SAME HERE. This is so unfortunate and discouraging. I had enough and broke down. I absolutely despise waking up to rejection emails and no call backs or interviews. Wishing I went another route or lived in a small city.

Mercy RN sorry the site will not let me message you because I have not had enough posts but here is what I was going to send you

Hi! Sorry to get back to you so late I have not been on here for a bit. My advice is perseverance to be honest. I know that sounds very cliché but it is the truth and has pushed me through a lot in everything. I was in the same boat you are.

I applied to hundreds of jobs (seriously) all ICU. I know I did not want to be on a regular floor unit. Of course everyone wants to be at the big university jobs in Chicago but sometimes that’s not going to happen. Apply to everywhere you can. Then once you gain experience and network yourself, apply to other hospitals you are set on going to.

Also consider researching for the contact info for directors of units. Email them, not begging for a job but telling them you are more than a piece of application paper and have much more to offer. Even if you could meet to just talk it will help.

On regards to CRNA, I actually just received my first offer to interview. This was much harder than finding work. A lot does depend on grades, scores, etc… But to be honest my grades are not stellar and I got sick of hearing that and am not one to take no or failure as an option, so I did what I did with work. I emailed and emailed for months directors of programs asking what I can do to stand out and that is exactly what I did. Took graduate courses, got amazing ICU experience, and just passed my CCRN, along with other miscellaneous resume boosters.

If there is anything else you need do not hesitate to ask me!!

update on jobs anyone?

Hi Bronze1

Hi I understand your frustration, looking for a job is a job. You should check out Visiting Nurse Service of New York. The have a lot of openings for experienced and entry level nurses. I found a job within a few weeks.

Below is the link:

Physical Therapy Jobs

Hope this helps

Good Luck!

ShanCiera

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