Anyone else have trouble getting into LVH?

[SusieN RN]

Hi everyone. I graduated with my ADN in 2009 and have been trying to get into LVH since. I have held other jobs while applying in order to gain and keep my nursing skills. I worked for two years in wound care at a SNF that offered inpatient wound care and still hold my wound care certification up to date. Recently I've been working for two years at Kindred Healthcare where my job title is "ICU/telemetry RN". I gained experience with TONS from Kindred: vents, tele, various titired drips, dialysis, etc... I am ACLS certified as well. I actually love the high-acuity patients I get at Kindred and my co-workers are the most wonderful people... I just don't love the horrible staffing and the stress that comes with it. I knew working at Kindred was going to be a rough one. I've done my two years and would like to go to my "dream job", which happens to be trauma ICU at LVH.

I did interview with LVH in October of 2012. They seemed very interrrested in me and wanted to set up a second interview immediately. I set it up, but never got called back about the specifics for it. It was like pulling teeth to get an answer as to why I didn't get called back. All I really got was "Um, we're no longer interrested". Previously I went through two interviews in 2010 for LVH and the same thing happened. Is this common to happen to interviewees?

I am getting my BSN and I have four more classes through Penn State to complete. My GPA is a 3.73. For right now I'm planning on staying at Kindred until graduation and maybe having my BSN will make me what LVH wants. I have also applied at other hospitals in the Lehigh Valley (Saint Lukes and Easton) and have similar "no call back" experiences. I keep thinking it is because I'm a bad nurse or something. Everyone I work with tells me it's just a tough job market everywhere and I'm a really amazing nurse. It's so frustrating. I want to actually see the results of my efforts.

[aRN17]

Right now I believe they are going on a hiring freeze. But I too have had to pull teeth with them!

[SusieN RN]

I heard that... but a hiring freeze again? Everyone seems to be doing that! And I feel SO MUCH BETTER that someone else has to pull teeth with them. I just thought I was a crappy RN. Hopefully things turn better. I really want a job there more than anything in the world! I feel like I'm going to be stuck in SNFs and LTACHs.

[ccofepistat73]

My friend a graduate from Desales with her BSN was offered a position at LVHN and just last week she found out that they no longer had a position for her. LVHN is on a hiring freeze, only internal candidates will be moved around for now, but now worries it never lasts long! Good luck! What about St. Lukes??

[SusieN RN]

Same thing happened to me when I graduated. After graduation there WAS a position offered to me, but then LVH was on a hiring freeze (this was back in 2009), so I never got it.

I know Saint Luke's is an option, but I figure I've already worked two jobs that weren't my goal, why not go for my goal the third time? If LVH seems impossible after getting my BSN, I may reconsider Saint Luke's.