*UNEMPLOYED NURSES*

Nurses Job Hunt

Published

Ello~

I'm just curious to know, for those of you who are unemployed nurses, exactly how long have you been looking for work? What are you (LPN,RN,BSN-RN,MSN-NP,etc.) How many previous years of experience do you have? Where are you located? How many applications do you think you have placed? What about interviews? Add anything else that you want! Vent, tell us how you REALLY feel, give your opinions/outlooks on everything.

I am just waiting to graduate this month so that I can start on my BSN. I have no loans for Lpn to Rn so I am happy about that. I am trying to become an NP; it seems that they have jobs. Cheaper than docs.

Specializes in Women's Health.

WOW!!! I worked in nyc back in the 70's. At that time there were nurses from other countries. I do truly believe that what is happening now is this: many folks have gone into nsg because they were jobs. Now there is an overabundance. This will reverse and there will be a nsg shortage again.

Specializes in Foot care.

I graduated in May 2009, BSN. 3.6 GPA, Sigma Theta Tau, SNA, department's highest award, very involved and active in class and school activities. I've had a few interviews (4? 5?) and one horror show of a job that I gave my notice at after 2 weeks because it was unsafe; 2 weeks work + 2 weeks notice = 4 weeks experience. At some point in this saga, I started printing out the ad for every job I applied to. I now have a 1" binder that can't accept any more pages, so I have to get another binder.

Last year I took the American Red Cross phlebotomy course, did a 100 hour/100 stick internship and got certified; even phlebotomy jobs require experience. I more or less regularly attend grand rounds at nearby teaching hospitals in areas of interest, just to feel like I'm staying connected to the healthcare world. (The winter snows have put a damper on my ability to attend recently.) The ones I attend give CEUs, they're free, and while I thought they might provide an opportunity to make professional contacts, that hasn't panned out. I just finished a 3 week, 45 hour RN refresher at a local community college.

I tried to volunteer as a nurse, but all in-country agencies seem to be unable, I guess because of liability issues. Even agencies that run out-of-country medical missions want experienced nurses. I will fetch water and sweep floors but I can't find anyone to let me in. I occasionally apply to non-nursing allied health jobs but no-one will hire me; perhaps this is because, as one hiring manager told me, they know I will leave as soon as I find that RN job. I don't think I'm being too picky, but I am picky which LTC facilities I apply to. I do not want to provide one-on-one care to children with severe birth defects, on vents and tube feedings; I do not want to work in a plastic surgery office.

I have started looking nationwide. This week I've applied to ~7 jobs at various hospitals around the country that are advertising new grad programs. I did not apply to any NYC, Seattle, or California jobs; too expensive to live in those places. If I ended up being offered a job away from home, I would live away from home -- it is dear husband's income that made my education possible and which supports me today; he's not giving up his job and relocating with me. Though we have a good relationship, I am afraid that a one or two year long distance marriage could kill it.

I'm old and getting older. This is my last career and I can't get it off the ground.

I cannot even begin to describe the depths of my despair over this.

I live in Massachusetts. A small state, compared to others, but still too big to commute from one side to the other.

LOCATION.........LOCATION........... LOCATION Even with the closing of some hospital doors, Pittsburgh Pa. is still a place you can find a job. Little bad weather for 3 months, great the rest of the year. Just have to pick your 3 months each year to spend indoors (mostly), summer there, winter here.

Hotflashion, I know that California has a higher cost of living, but it's not always as bad as it's cracked up to be - as long as you're willing to do a 30-45 minute commute, you should be able to find someplace reasonable to live. Plus, the pay out here is good for new grads, especially BSN's (in Southern CA at least). PM me if you ever change your mind and want to know what schools to apply to.

Specializes in med surg home care PEDS.

I graduated in June 2010, 6 months and hundreds of applications and nothing no interviews, nothing! I am in NYC and ADN or AAS nurses cannot find jobs, even BSN's are having a hard time. There are just no new grad jobs, I too am a second career nurse, was actually taking a probable pay cut to become a nurse, now I would cut off my right arm to get back into my old job, but that is not an option. Right now I am pursuing BSN and about to give up on nursing, I am so discouraged, I would tell anyone in NYC area to forget about ADN and AAS degree and just go for the BSN or try something else. Right now I am looking for admin work and if I find something decent I will leave nursing before I even started., BTY the hospitals were I did clinicals had a majority of foreign born nurses, I never really thought about it until I saw the scarcity of jobs.

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

please remember that nursing is not the only profession being affected by economic meltdown.

popular cable tv channels bravo and food network glamorized the culinary profession. in 2010, seemed like there was an ad hourly to become a chef. my son desired culinary career based on high school courses, went to culinary college, graduated 2009 with bs with honors and worked 60 + hrs wk till economic meltdown, lack customers laid off in august . scant positions advertised. has applied to 50+ positions online, some in other states had 1 interview and didn't land position. his friend went to university of penn wharton's school of business who's grads always snapped up--some 2009 grads still haven't found entry level business position. other son is underemployed working at convenience store as his beloved it entry level positions dried up.

:crying2: sounds awfully familiar

nurses have been emigrating to us for over 30+ years due to lack of interest in profession as early baby boomers told their daughters they could do anything --no longer had to settle for careers teaching and nursing ;).

as hospitals sprung up on growing areas country, employers couldn't find enough home grown talent so influx foreign educated experienced rn's occurred. pockets around the country do have makeup of 75% foreign staff as hard working employees knew others who wanted work, didn't mind inner city conditions, and had their relatives and friends come join them....seen often in so california, chicago and ny city. i've written often of my first hospital position 1977 was like working at un as healthcare staff from many countries: philippines, thailand, india, england and ireland. couldn't understand beloved mrs t night supervisor for 3 months due to rapid speech---sure did help accommodate my ear to different speech patterns which i'd had limited experience --different from polish heard from grandparents and their siblings.

heck, i'm responsible for the oversupply of new grads in philly who can't find positions due to 2001 nurses march along with johnson + johnson campaign to entice women and men into career i enjoy. :sofahider

i did not foresee that with modern meds, safer anesthesia and minimally invasive surgery, growth of outpatient centers, loss of health insurance or higher deductibles so elective surgery postponed all causing less hospitalized patients. this trend will not be reversed. i do see growth in many outpatient settings going forward.

some areas country setting up 6 months nurse residency programs --my crystal ball predicts this will become norm going forward to gain experience.

i've hired new rn grads over past 2yrs, both leaving for hospital experience which i expected. one has stayed perdiem. when discussing her schedule this week ,she lamented why didn't i prepare her that caring solo for 4 telemetry patients was hard work, 12 hr shift was 13-14 by time your gave report etc. sympathized with her that this new phase will pass, wisdom will be gained with each new encounter and welcomed her to chat with those in first year after nursing licensure.

for all the unemployed, please hang in there. getting foot inside health system today is not guarantee of nursing position on graduation like older days. expand Job Search outside your desired area, take certification courses if available, and network-- newtork-- network. it's how i found every one of my positions.

nursing career advice offers wisdom of our members.

:D

I understand some of the hostility towards nurses that were actively recruited from other countries just because hospitals feel they get "more bang for the buck," if you will. However, I'm not really understanding why all foreign-born nurses are being grouped together. People come to this country for many reasons. Many of the RNs I work with grew up in other countries, but many came before they were RNs and, in fact, attended nursing school in the US. I have a friend who went to nursing school in Brazil and was an RN there for several years before she met and married her husband, who is in the US military. She now resides in the US and spent a long time studying for the NCLEX and plans on applying for jobs in the coming year. Yes, she's foreign trained but did not come to the us with the sole purpose of "getting an American RN job." I would hate to work in some of these places if, God forbid, I had an accent or something, so you automatically made all of these hostile assumptions about me.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
bree* said:
That's exactly why I stopped at LPN! I got to see nursing for what it is. I swear the hospitals I was at were literally 90%+ foreign nurses. How do I know? You can barely understand their English! I just don't understand why they are still hiring foreigners with all of these capable/willing U.S. nurses.

Simple........MONEY! $$

To answer the "what city do you live in" question, it's the Bay Area, CA for me. Knowing how few jobs and how many layoffs we've had I've focused my search well out of the area (all of CA in fact!), despite the fact my husband can't just pick up and leave his job in SF. :-(

Oh, and I will say in defense of foreign nurses (I am not foreign) that I am not seeing foreign nurses being hired over locals. I am hardly seeing *anyone* being hired. Most (all??) of the hospitals around here are unionized, so they can't exactly start one nurse making less than another.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

The US government has effectively staunched the flow of foreign trained nurses via retrogression which severely limits the number of non-US citizen nurses given visas.

+ Add a Comment