any advice on Job search please.....

Nurses General Nursing

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Well I just took the Nclex on Monday and have my license number already, i was thinking about a couple weeks to relax, however, i keep hearing that noone can find a job! So tonight I went online to start applying, uploaded my resume to 3 or 4 different hospitals.. Im really kinda nervous, dont feel real prepared to start working. But i guess I better just jump in!!! Any advice on how to handle the job search would be greatly appreciated!

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Specializes in psych nursing.

Be flexible and realistic. Try other places other then hospitals, LTC, psych facilities, or corrections. I know some are less then desirable or you can always relocate.

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Specializes in Mental Health.
Be flexible and realistic. Try other places other then hospitals, LTC, psych facilities, or corrections. I know some are less then desirable or you can always relocate.

Good advice I can use myself. I passed the NCLEX June 6th and I've been applying for about a month now and would love to work in mental health! I've been trying hard with no luck yet. Took an application to the nearest VA today. Not real hopeful I'd get the position but wanted to get my feet wet with the whole government applying process. All the major Healthcare organizations around the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) are snubbing their noses at most new grads right now. Here's what HealthEast says.. which I saw after spending 3 hours creating a profile to start applying.. Same deal at Allina..

HealthEast will not be hiring RN new graduates for a July 2010 Nurse Residency cohort.

Can I be considered for a regular RN job as a new graduate RN?

The Nurse Residency program was developed to address the crucial transition from the academic environment to your first RN job. We believe the support offered within the Nurse Residency is not optional, but is required for success in an acute care setting. For that reason, we continue to require six months of hospital experience or one year of RN patient care experience (long term care, home care, etc.) to be considered for a regular RN position at HealthEast.

Pretty disheartening, but.. whatever.. their loss.

I'm licensed in MN and got my first offer for an interview today for a new grad residency program.. in Wyoming.. :D .. Time for a road trip!

Nice drive through the Black Hills. Maybe have to look up a fellow grad who just moved and started working in Rapid city. A couple other classmates moved to North Dakota for jobs.. a couple to Texas.. one landed a position at John's Hopkins.. :yeah: yay him..

Best of luck in your search gymmom .. :)

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Thanks guys! Psych is where I want to end up eventually, however, have been told by several people that i need to get my feet wet with med surg first so i dont lose my nursing skills.... LOL I dont feel like i have many skills, but onward job search....

I sure hope we all get jobs sooon, student loans will not wait!!!!!:confused::confused::confused:

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I passed the NCLEX 6/18! I have applied everywhere and sent out 100 resumes and nothing yet. Not even a bite! Good thing I have a job as a Paramedic to pay the bills.

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Congrats on passing the board!

You can use any online job search, you can start with your area, but from the way things are now, there is a possibility that you might need to widen your search. Consider all possibilities, you need to get your foot on the door, you might not get into psych right away, but you will!. Good Luck!

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Thanks for the advice and encouragement!!! :lol2::lol2:

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Specializes in Mental Health.
Thanks guys! Psych is where I want to end up eventually, however, have been told by several people that i need to get my feet wet with med surg first so i dont lose my nursing skills.... LOL I dont feel like i have many skills, but onward job search....

I sure hope we all get jobs sooon, student loans will not wait!!!!!:confused::confused::confused:

I got my first job.. in psych!! I'm so excited.. I start August 30th.. :yeah:

Med surg for psych??? meh.. don't listen to that noise.. Don't give up if you really want psych. The only experience I saw they wanted when I was searching for mental health positions was prior mental health experience.

What I think really helped me was highlighting specific psych experiences on my resume I had in my rotations in other areas like med/surg, ER, Oncology, geriatrics, etc.. and stating in my cover letter that I encountered mental health issues in every rotation I did.

I also sent an unsolicited letter to the Nurse that handles the new grad residency at that particular hospital with my resume and reference letters attached expressing my interest in working at their facility. They weren't "officially" accepting applications for their new grad residency at this time but I emailed her anyways and she was one of the people I interviewed with as well as the director of the mental health unit.

I know it made a difference in getting an interview. :)

I put the cover I wrote that lead to the interview and offer on another post here..

Cover letter for psychiatric nursing job - Nursing for Nurses

I've had 3 interviews now and got offers from all 3.. So happy to have gotten the one in mental health. It was my 1st choice of specialty and 1st choice of hospital. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

I hope your search is going well gymmom :)

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