RN positions in SC

U.S.A. South Carolina

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I recently relocated back to SC for family reasons and am having a very hard time finding a job. I moved back to the Charleston area and have submitted at least 40 applications and only 1 interview. I am now submitting my apps across the state. Does anyone know of a hospital that is actively hiring. In this area, there are 3 nursing schools with at least 80+ graduates each semester, so I know it would be hard a new grad. But I have 1yr RN and 10months LPN and can get any responses. Can anyone send me some pointers about what I am doing wrong. I am almost at the point of going back where I came from. I dont know, just getting very frustrated now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Shawn

Specializes in Informatics; Labor & Delivery; Med-Surg.
i've had the same problem here in charleston. i have a nc nursing license (permanent addy is in nc, here for husband's job & will be for awhile) and under the 'nurse licensure compact' my nc license is honored in sc. back in october i started my job search. applied to a few agencies to give flu shots figuring i could tweak my schedule to be off for the holidays and then find something full time after the first of the year. i literally cleared my schedule thinking i would hear back from the agencies within days & start giving flu shots the following week. now, mind you, i was applying to jobs recently listed on craigslist, monster, careerbuilder, etc. i went on to apply to some of the hospitals, ltc facilities, etc. i only apply to posted jobs for which i am qualified. long story short, i applied to over 30 postings and have never been contacted other than a couple of places sent a letter after a month or so saying they appreciated the application, but.... that's fine, at least they sent me something. one of the hospitals has you sign up on their website, fill out their application then check back to see the status. after months my status is still 'application sent to department manager'. :mad: it's been crazy. i've worked since i was 15 years old and have never, ever not been called for an interview at least. i started to wonder if, even though as listed on the sc b.o.n. website about the nlc & reciprocity with other states, employers want you to just flat out have a sc nursing license and don't really like the whole reciprocity thing. i ended up getting a prn job up in nc & driving up to work a couple of days a week there. the drive is getting old and i think i'm just going to get a job at bed, bath & beyond to get the employee discount and stay closer to my husband. sorry this is such a long reply. i hope it makes you feel better to see that other nurses have had the same problem. good luck to you and the rest of us looking for a nursing job in charleston! :)

have you tried musc lately, they said they've started back hiring, a lot of positions posted. i've gotten a couple calls, but no offers. im taking a prison contract in nc. cant wait any longer.

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

This happens a lot when there is something in the air about health care change. In I think 93 everybody stopped having surgery, and suddenly we were without patients, no patients, no hours, no hours=no Money. As soon as the Hillary/Bill Medicare changes failed they started rehiring.

I think we are seeing something similar PLUS the RE/DEpression we have been slowly crawling out of. Try ANY kind of place, doc in a box, clinics that do job labs, anything. I would try to stay away from jail if you are young though. You can easily be coerced when you are young-that's just how it. is.

Best of luck and do not give up.

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

I don;t know Charleston well at all, but we were very impressed with Summerville Hosp and Trident when my MIL had her several strokes. Fully professional. (Dotted "Is

and crossed T's"

I need help PLEASE!! I graduated in May 2009. I made the HUGE mistake of waiting to take my boards. I took them the first time, had the dreaded 265 questions and couldn't pull it off. Soo I took boards again in November and found out Thanksgiving Day I passed! Before passing, I put out a lot of applications anyway just hoping that, upon passing my boards, I would have a job lined up. I heard NOTHING. Since passing my boards, I've still heard NOTHING. I live on the border of GA and SC, so I've thought about getting a GA license. The problem with that is that it takes forever for GA endorsement as they are not a compact state. Plus, getting a GA license doesn't guarantee I'll have it any easier in that state. I have now looked in Aiken, Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville. I am beyond frustrated and I am scared, because I know I will soon be competing with May grads. I looked yesterday at travel nursing, but I quickly learned that requires 6 months experience. I do have a summer student externship under my belt, but that doesn't seem to be helping my case at all. Does anyone have any ideas on how I could even so much as get an interview??? My sister is a couple weeks from graduating in business and she found out yesterday she has a job!! While I'm happy for her, I'm definitely jealous. People who are not in this field keep telling me they thought there was a nursing shortage. I want to strangle every person who says that to me. My response is, yes, there is a nursing shortage, but people still want 1-2 years experience. I would really love some advice if anyone has some to offer!!!! Thank you!!

Specializes in Geriatrics, L&D, Medsurg, Mom/Baby.

It is extremely hard for even an experienced Nurse to get a job right now. I dont think we have a Nursing shortage in our area... we have too many Nurses and not enough jobs. A cousin of mine is a Nursing Instructor and she says she has students who graduated last year and still cannot find jobs. They are having to move out of state. If you graduated and can't find a job in a hospital... look for jobs at Nursing homes, doctors offices, etc.. any place that can give you nursing experience until a hospital job opens up. The hospitals are not wanting new grads.

Thank you so much for responding! :) It is sad but also a relief to hear that I'm not the only one having a difficult time. I have actually made a possible turnaround with my luck. I have figured out that having a name to give to people is a huge advantage. My stepsister works with a PRN nurse who is friends with so many of the top people. I spoke with a NICU head person this morning and should be getting a call back in a day or two to see if they can help me out. That is definitely my ideal job and I was told that it would be a two year waiting period for that, so I jumped all over it! It is not even posted yet, so I'm really hoping that works out to my advantage. It has been a very long road, and I'm hoping I see an end in sight!!!!!

Specializes in Med-Surg, ICU.

I know the feeling! I'm a new grad and getting a job is almost impossible here it seems. I think Columbia is probably your best bet though; there's Providence, the VA, Palmetto Health, and Lexington. :)

Hey there! Yes, I actually have an interview for the NICU position tomorrow morning! *crossing my fingers* I should probably warn you that of all the places you mentioned, Palmetto Health was the ONLY one I ever heard from. The other places did not even so much as tell me they weren't interested. I even did my preceptorship at the VA, they WANTED me to apply, and I never heard a word from them. I had been told it was a 3-6 month waiting period, because it is government-run, but not one person from my graduating class ever heard anything from them. That application was hand delivered and was about a year ago. A few weeks ago I mailed in another application for a general RN position. I overnighted it. I called a day or two later several times to make sure it had arrived. Nobody even picked up the phone. I'm truly hoping this interview goes well tomorrow!! It is my dream job PLUS I have had no luck with anything else. Oh, I do need an opinion. Assuming I have on an appropriate top underneath, is it okay to take off my jacket if I get too hot during the interview?? And, if so, how do I do it casually without making a big deal of it???? Can yall tell I'm EXTREMELY nervous?? hahaha

Specializes in Med-Surg, ICU.

USCgal09, I was actually wondering the exact same thing! I went for an interview the other day, and of course was wearing a suit with a long-sleeved jacket. Definitely a miserable thing to wear in the Columbia heat! Does anyone else know if it is appropriate to remove your jacket during the interview?

Specializes in General Med/Surg.

I live near the charleston sc area and have a master's in psychnp. There are no jobs in this town for that specialty and I cannot relocate. I have attempted to find a job as an RN but they say I am over-qualified. I have applied to other places totally out of the nursing field--over-qualified AND too old (46 :( ). So, I feel really stuck. I get calls frequently during the day from agencies asking me if I am interested in so-and-so job...but they are always in another state. hmmmm. great frustration.

Specializes in Med-Surg, ICU.

Hi! I know you said that you cannot relocate, but Columbia, SC has a great deal more opportunities for nurses. I have found a position there, and I'm a new grad! There are lots of different hospitals in Columbia. It's been a long struggle to find employment and I felt very discouraged. Hang in there and don't give up!:)

I know it's a personal question, but I'd love to know where you found employment. I graduated May 2009, got my license December 2009, and have had ONE interview since. They told me at that time they were pretty much the only hospital hiring. I did not get the job. I am now looking into getting my GA license, because I live on the border of GA and SC. I have researched military nursing even just to gain experience, but there is quite a bit of medical issues in my family right now, and I'm afraid I couldn't get away if need be if I joined. I am hoping the GA license works out!

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