*UNEMPLOYED NURSES*

Nurses Job Hunt

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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.

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Specializes in Med./Surg., Diabetes, Med. ICU, home hea.

3 months, just landed crappy job for just over 1/2 my last pay, made this much like 24 years ago. # of applications? Too many to count, even outside the nursing field. 3 interviews.

Opinion? Answer: engineered sour economy, purposeful topedoing of the nursing profession by advertising "nursing shortage," while importing as many foreign nurses as possible while pumping out new grads. Simple laws of economics... supply and demand. Nurses are now a dime a dozen, full time work (for the most part) will diminish as will wages and benefits. Employers will always tell you that staffing is the highest overhead. Administrators in every healthcare situation are, or will be, looking for just about any way they can to cut staffing overhead.

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Yosemite, RN said:
3 months, just landed crappy job for just over 1/2 my last pay, made this much like 24 years ago. # of applications? Too many to count, even outside the nursing field. 3 interviews.

I thought I was the only one that realized this! Entertaining answer..but what's really sad about it is that it's 100% true!

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Passed NCLEX in June 2010. Can't find a new Grad job in my area. I am working in a non-nursing job but making more than a new grad RN.

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I'd love for every facility to be required to disclose to the public exactly how many imports they've hired in the last 10 years, and what percent of total staff have been American citizens for over 5 years. Also what percent were educated here in the US. Just lay it on the table man.

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ADN, 3.9gpa, 3 hospital preceptorships completed, about to start a 4th, a long list of amazing references and letters of rec, looking for 10 months, over 200 applications (in-person, online, you name it), 3 interviews (none near home), 1 brief HORRIBLE SNF experience (also far from home), 0 other offers and 40k in debt.

Of the 3 interviews, one was just the other day, so I'm hoping, really really hoping this is the one (even though it's 120 miles from home!). If this doesn't pan out I am going to have to give up and just get a job doing *something*. I quit a decent paying job with bennies when I *finally* got *lucky* with the nursing school lottery, and I have felt like it was the worst move of my life. :-(

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I'd love for every facility to be required to disclose to the public exactly how many imports they've hired in the last 10 years, and what percent of total staff have been American citizens for over 5 years. Also what percent were educated here in the US. Just lay it on the table man.

I've done clinicals at some facilities that 80% of the nursing staff on the floor is foreign :crying2:

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Specializes in CT stepdown, hospice, psych, ortho.

I was unemployed in Southern Ca (relocated here) and put in about 20 applications total from San Diego to Los Angeles, some for jobs that had requirements for experience I didn't have. 2 of those jobs called me back, one for an opening in on a related unit under the same manager, and one that wanted to meet me and ended up offering to train me for the position.

I have a BSN and less than 5 years experience AND I've not worked in several months because of school. I am going to school to get my MSN currently. I am not trying to brag so please do not flame me -- I interviewed for 4 positions and got offered all 4 jobs. And I had no recent previous experience for any of these jobs. It took about a month to land an interview and about 2 more weeks for the preemployment stuff. I had to drive an hour each way several times to take care of various interviews, meetings, and screenings and I ended up doing 3 interviews in 1 week. The hospitals that are nearby never called me back for as much as an interview.

My point is that there are some jobs here in SoCal for nurses with some experience BUT you have to weigh that with the high cost of living here. I think my own luck (and that's exactly what I attribute it to) boiled down to a good interview and a good resume and the fact that any time I was called for an interview I made it clear I would come to them at their convenience. I ended up having 3 interviews in 1 week and was exhausted with answering all those questions and driving. I know that my experience hasn't been typical of many people on the site and I wish you all the very best in your search. Be persistent and don't be afraid to send your resume to jobs you may not totally qualify for (disclaimer - I've never done true ICU but I've done stepdown with drip titration,etc so it wasn't much of a stretch to say in my cover letter that I had experience in higher acuity patients and though I had no ICU experience, I felt confident I could be a quick learner and would work hard to get up to speed with the rest of the experienced nurses. I would not have applied had I had no previous ACLS and high acuity experience) and make sure you sell yourself at your interview! Dress up and look professional, smile, be personable, swallow those nerves, take extra copies of your resume, and think ahead to the usual questions they ask -- name a time when you had a problem with a coworker and how you resolved it, talk about a conflict between you and a physician, give an example of a time when you helped out a patient or coworker, why should we hire you, etc, etc, etc. Be prepared so you aren't stumbling over your replies!

Best of luck to everyone job hunting, I know its nerve wracking!

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I've done clinicals at some facilities that 80% of the nursing staff on the floor is foreign :crying2:

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.

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I'm shocked at what I am reading! I thought it was just me but...

Almost not worth taking the crappy jobs cause you /we know how we all will be treated!!! WOW!

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I'm shocked at what I am reading! I thought it was just me but...

Almost not worth taking the crappy jobs cause you /we know how we all will be treated!!! WOW!

I would like to say that I am shocked..but I am a little bit relieved...to know that it's not me and that I made the right decision taking the LPN route and rejecting my acceptance to start in the RN program.

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I'd love for every facility to be required to disclose to the public exactly how many imports they've hired in the last 10 years, and what percent of total staff have been American citizens for over 5 years. Also what percent were educated here in the US. Just lay it on the table man.

I'd give ANYTHING! There should be incentives for employers who hire U.S. citizens.

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