This is getting SO frustrating!!

[J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

I know I know, another RN whining about not getting her dream job... blah blah blah. But Seriously this is getting soooo hard to handle!

I am RN with 2 months left to get my BSN (yeah!) with over a year of RN experience on a Med/Surg unit. I have been applying to ICU jobs all over the ENTIRE country for the last 3 months. From Washington State to Florida, with absolutely NO success. I either get those wonderful "thanks, but no thanks, your credentials don't match our needs" emails, or the HR people will call and say "we have some other units that more closely match your area of expertise." Which that is just stupid. If I wanted to stay on Med/Surg I wouldn't be applying for a job in the first place and I probably wouldn't be applying for the ICU!! Duh.

My dream is to become a CRNA, but that can't happen without ICU experience. The hospital I work at now is very small and does not have an ICU or I would just transfer. I don't want to work in the same unit in a different hospital in order to move up because that will put me another year behind. I just want to land that ICU job now so I can get into CRNA as quickly as possible.

I don't know what to do differently. I thought about looking into an internship but they make you stay with them for about 3 years and again I don't want to put off CRNA any more than I already have to. I worked my butt off to get the credentials I need for CRNA and it is sooooo frustrating to be denied the one last thing I need, ICU experience.

Any words of encouragement, advice, or understanding is greatly appreciated. I won't give up but I can't help but feel frustrated and disheartened with all these "No's".

Oh and if anyone knows of any hospitals willing to hire an RN into their ICU with only one year on Med/surg, Please let me know!!

[sugarmagnoliaRN]

Baylor hospitals in Texas have great internship programs if you're looking to change to a new unit. I think a BSN is required, but start looking into it! Hope that helps :)

[llg, PhD, RN]

Take a med/surg in a hospital with more than 1 ICU. Then, after you have shown them that you are a good nurse, transfer into an ICU. Sometimes, you have to take a step "sideways" to go around an obstacle. You can't always go on a straight path to achieve your goals.

If you find a place you really like, sign the contract and stay a while before starting school. Once again, you'd be achieving your goals -- just not as fast as you would like. And you would be getting valuable experience in the process. You can't reasonably expect an ICU to pay all that money to train you without expecting you to stay long enough to be worth the investment.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Agree with the above poster. It sounds like you have a long wait no matter what. See if you can get on a stepdown or progressive care unit in a hospital with more than one ICU. Many of those positions cross train with ICU after competency has been established. Heck, my hospital is hiring as we speak in both ICU stepdown and neuro PCU. Your med-surg could be the key to your foot in that door.

[J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

Ya you guys are probably right. I just hate waiting, working on a unit that I don't want to work on, and living in an area that I don't want to live in. Been there, done that, for over a year now, and have HATED every moment of it. Well at least it'll all be worth it in the end right! Or at least that's what I'll keep telling myself!

[lilkttnsRN]

Since you are looking nationwide, have you looked at University Hospital in Cincinnati? It's a large teaching hospital that is affiliated with U of Cincinnati (which offers a CRNA program). I just graduated w/ an ADN & one of my classmates was hired for the NICU. I interviewed there as well for a neuro/med surg position, and I actually met with all the managers from the entire neuro institute, including the neuro ICU, and they asked me where I'd be interested in working. I agree that your experience would be a benefit to get your foot in the door.

[juliamcc]

It's very hard, I'm in the same boat as you. I think it's the healthcare economy, supply/demand (way too many RNs, UAPs and LPNs doing lots of the work RNs did, for less $). APRNs are taking MDs positions. MDs are quitting.

I've too tried jumping ship to alternate careers ... I'm usually given a blank look like, "huh?" and "do you know what we pay? you can make so much more as a nurse". Right, if I could GET a nurse job. My family members don't get it and they look down on me because I'm not working. People don't get it, except for us.

I've got so many different versions of my resume, for so many diff jobs/careers! It's maddening. What can we do but keep on trying? Eventually something will come through. God, I love to get one of those good old paychecks from back in the day ... only a few years ago.

Employed nurses: be sure never to take any time out from this career or you'll be put in the back of the long line.

I wish you the best.

[J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

Thanks for the heads up! I will be applying there asap!!

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

Want to come to Chicago? Here's a smaller urban hospital easily overlooked in the shadow of the large academic institutions: http://www.saintanthonyhospital.org/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx They have 2 icu positions posted, as well as a few other RN openings

[J&B-RN, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

Want to come to Chicago? Here's a smaller urban hospital easily overlooked in the shadow of the large academic institutions: Saint Anthony Hospital - Chicago > Caring for the Community Since 1897 They have 2 icu positions posted, as well as a few other RN openings

I will look into those jobs, thanks for the heads up! Do you know if that are willing to hire without ICU experience? I saw that they wanted airway management, arrhythmia experience, and an EKG cert.... which I have none of those since on med/surg we don't deal with any of that...

[Seas]

How is your resume looking? Review that if you need to. Sometimes, a good written resume can get you the job, no matter what experience you may or may not have.