Unemployed for 2 years, No one wants me anymore.

Nurses Retired

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I was always a go getter, I did my work effectively, improved my self with courses, seminars, CEUS, and always wanted to learn more about my job as an RN...especially the practical side....however...it means diddly now...after being out of the loop for over 2 years after being let go from my job for lack of work*yes I kid you not) as well as many others in my facility for the same reason...the real reason was money....I am at a major standstill in my career....I have been injured too many times at work to count and this has changed my direction in Nursing. I cannot even get a stupid medical office job...They say I am over qualified....tell me something...when you tell the Recruitor you are changing your career choice due to the inability to do heavy lifting and physical work does this affect your whole Nursing career? Do they hold this against you when you are applying for a position, I think they do...secretly....where is this so called Nursing shortage? And what the hell are these facilities looking for".....Nurse aliens from space that can do miraculous feats at work?,(not that we dont do that now) I am just so disgusted ......I have put in so many resumes and have done the beat.....its futile.....what does an older nurse do that can still out perform any of the younguns that are popping out of school nowadays?>

I too was let go and started doing agency nursing. Pick my days and times. now looking into other nursing jobs not at the bedside. There are other area we can work in. Office jobs are hard to find unless you are a NP or LPN. The money thing again. Good luck.

Specializes in Geriatric/Sub Acute, Home Care.

Thank you for the help.....Being a seasoned RN now and I only have a diploma behind me outside of Supervisor/Charge RN I find it so difficult to land a job since I moved. Whether I am doing or saying something wrong at my interviews I just dont know. So frustrating.

Specializes in Geriatric/Sub Acute, Home Care.

Sorry I took so long to reply, I appreciate your input. I had 17 years of Geriatric experience and Supervisor/Charge nurse experience behind me. I too have put in I feel over 100 resumes, many in the same places over and over again!!! ITS SO TRUE....if they need nurses why dont they give the ones that have experience a chance to show what they can do!!!

I deeply wanted to change my career outside of LTC which was a virtual nightmare. I did that done that and wanted to expand myself. Although sometimes I feel like I say the wrong things at interviews, or maybe smile too much because I want to impress them and not want them to think I am a hard nosed ***** which I am not, sometimes I feel good after an interview and sometimes not. You just dont know what to do. I am so tired of trying really, many times I just wanted to pack it in and work at McDonalds.

I am becoming so desperate that I am willing to take non nursing positions which then they wont hire you because you are too qualified......YOU WANT TO WORK BUT THEY DONT LET YOU!!!! And YES, I agree, Nursing is expensive, especially with gaining more credentials, courses, seminars, refresher courses, CPR, nursing books, etc.

I did land a job in a nursing home recently(which I didnt want to do anymore) but I said, let me try it again anyway it may turn out ok.....IT WAS A NIGHTMARE!!!....first day orientation, the nurse who was orientating me was very sloppy in her work and she had needed me to lift(which I can hardly do, do to past severe injuries I had from my previous jobs) and one patient needed shifting in a chair and another had fallen later on in the shift. the Adminstrator had told me it was a no lift facility and purely this wasnt the case.. NO AIDES WERE AROUND TO HELP as this nurse screamed out for help!!!!....plus she was not organized, missed many boxes on the MAR to sign off and was just snotty. Her assessment of this woman who fell was a disaster, she gave a slipshod physical assessment and then started to walk out of the room, as I leaned over to recheck this poor womans head, I found 2 big lumps on it and never even put a cold pack on her head for treatment. she never summoned the aide to come sit with her while she called the ambulance. Very poor management. I just dont know, its frightening and I really dont want to go back to that kind of nursing. I tell my family and friends, PLEASE whatever you do, stay at home and get care for, dont go to a nursing home!!!

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
+1

I'm fighting this fight right next to 'ya. The applications all go in to this big black hole and the interviews are just to keep corporate happy ... the position has already been filled by an internal candidate, or maybe they don't plan on actually filling it at all.

I'm changing my middle name to Sisyphus. :uhoh3:

Need a rock?

Specializes in Geriatric/Sub Acute, Home Care.

I thought it was me. I think I will buy that pic of Sisyphus and put it on a billboard next to my house.

Broadway, I think you need to find someone to take a look at your resume. I am surprise that not one out of 500 resumes had a bite. With as much experience as you have, intuitive knowledge that you accumulated does not just go away, and the practical knowledge comes back pretty quickly after a period of orientation. I think the problem could be something as simple as your resume.

Oh, could I give a spiel on this subject! :madface:

In my case; last date I was gainfully employed was 6/30/2009. IMO, it's not the resume - it's the experience. Really, for folks that have the time in service it is just real, real tough convincing any employer that you're a worthy candidate - the implied thought is "the minute the economy picks up, this person's outta here" or "if I hire this person, in a year or so they'll have MY job". Among others. Just sayin'.

The very best of luck to you - if I had a "magic bullet" solution for you, believe me I'd have used it for myself a long time ago. Regrettably - still unemployed.

That said - in my case I got cross-trained as a CNA (among other things), and I actually almost had a job 2 weeks ago; only problems were (a) 1 star LTC facility (you could pick up the smell of urine in the parking lot), (2) 25 mile commute to work site, (3) $9.00/hr to start. Change any one of those, and I'd have been on it like a hungry bear on a fresh salmon.

BTW - between my IT job search, my pharmacy tech job search & my CNA job search I'm well into 4 figures; off the top of my head, probably about 1,100 applications or so.

Trust me - I share your pain.

----- Dave

Gee, I am in the same position. I can't get hired anywhere. No-one wants me, and it is very discouraging.

I am at my wits' end. I have a 25-pound lifting restriction (hopefully not permanent) which rules out all four local hospitals and most nursing homes. I make my best contribution with adults in a self-care mode and prefer fairly routine settings. I would like to do nursing research--I am excellent with detailed work and have outstanding research, writing, and computer skills. At this point, I am looking for anything which will pay the bills and make my student loan payments. Any help?

Specializes in Geriatric/Sub Acute, Home Care.

You wonder why at times why you took up nursing to begin with when you cant find a job that is in such demand all over but you never get hired.......you think to yourself, is it me, is it what I said at the interview, does the interviewer just doesnt like me personally?, was it my resume? Was it this, that and the other thing that goes round and round in your head for days on end.

Its NOT YOU...Its the system...WHICH needs Nurses that will do a great job but for some strange reason refuses to hire them. We have become such a high tech, fashion conscious, uptight society, no one can see through the muck and mire anymore, to SEE the Person applying for the job, to give that person a chance to prove themselves. All we can do is forge onward and hope someone will take a shine to us when we apply. Nowadays you have to be a great bull thrower to get a job. Have a good gift of gab and pull the wool over their eyes to get them to hire you......I am not like that, I am an honest person at interviews, as I am sure most of us are......I think what most nurses that need jobs need is to go to an Assertiveness course and take speech and a good reverse psychology lesson to get a job nowadays.....sometimes if you feel you are too blunt, you are too nervey and then you feel guilty about it.....who knows really.....I guess first impressions during an interview really last as they say.

Specializes in Geriatric/Sub Acute, Home Care.

I think the interviewers SENSE that uncertainty in you when you have been turned down for many a job.....its like you walk into the interview and its written all over your face.......Dont hire me, I am not worth it cause everyone else didnt.....its prys on your mind.....but.......you have sweep all that out of your head the moment you walk into the room like a big vacuum cleaner.

All I hear, is that, "we want someone with recent experience". I can't get, "recent experience", because no one will hire me to get, "recent experience". Or, "you need to take a refresher course", to the tune of $2- $3000. If I can't get work, where do I get 2 or 3 thousand dollars to take the refresher course?

It is a scam to keep older, more experienced, nurses, (read, "expensive"), out of the workforce. If it costs them money, like new grads do, they are not interested.

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

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