Arghhhh! Please help! Desperate!!

[dinah77, ADN]

I'm throwing my pride aside and asking, no BEGGING that any employed veteran nurses out there help me out with jobs.

I just passed NCLEX, have an ADN from St. Kate's with a very good GPA, and a B.A from the same school.

I am a bit older, (32), and have lot of experience in social services with people who have various mental illnesses, and/or physical mental disabilities.

What I don't have is a job in the field, or very many connections.

If you are an employed nurse, and your place of work is hiring, would you consider helping me out? I could send you my resume, correspond with you or even meet up if you are willing.

And I am NOT picky where- home health, LTC, TCU's WHATEVER

I know this is true for everyone but I REALLY cannot afford to be unemployed- my husband is finishing his doctarate and only working as a TA now and then- my job will end the first week in August as it was an on campus job, and having graduated I cannot keep it past then.

If I do not find work we will live off of his stipend which is at the poverty line- we wanted to start a family this year, but without a job or insurance this is not possible.

Please take pity on a new grad and help out if you can- post here or message me

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[esunada]

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I can't help because I'm just starting nursing school. However, I wanted to suggest temp work or looking for a waitress job in the meantime if desperate measures call for it. That way you can have a decent income (honestly, waitress make decent income you can live off of) until you find something. And once you do find something, you could maybe work at the waitress job 2 shifts a week so you aren't totally blowing them off and still making extra income. Also you could work at your old facilities where you did mental services on call or something. My last social service job allowed people to do that. Maybe you can consider applying out of state, too for nursing jobs? I know you have a husband, but I'm just saying in despearate measures and he could come later or you could apply back to MN after a year. Another thought, at the very worst scenario is for him to take out more loans, maybe private in this case and have your parents or siblings as cosigners if the trust is there.

[casi, ASN, RN]

Print out a crap ton of resumes and start going from nursing home to nursing home in your area filling out applications and handing out resumes. I think that's where people are having the most luck.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

Check out MPLS VAMC. Rumor has it that we are going to start hiring RN's again....Careers: Nursing Career Center - Minneapolis VA Medical Center

CAREERS: Nursing Career Center - Minneapolis VA Medical Center

They hardly ever post on usajobs.gov. Otherwise there is a possibility that the state is hiring for cbhh's or AMRTC

[CNL2B]

Check out MPLS VAMC. Rumor has it that we are going to start hiring RN's again....Careers: Nursing Career Center - Minneapolis VA Medical Center

CAREERS: Nursing Career Center - Minneapolis VA Medical Center

They hardly ever post on usajobs.gov. Otherwise there is a possibility that the state is hiring for cbhh's or AMRTC

There are hardly ever jobs posted to the outside at the Minneapolis VA. I got my job there by sending my resume to the nurse recruiter, cold. I wrote a cover letter with what areas I wanted to work in and I got exactly what I asked for :) .

I would suggest you try the same. Viking and I both :redbeathe the MVAMC.

[dinah77, ADN]

even as a new grad?

[CNL2B]

I was not a new grad, I was experienced, but in this market, you aren't going to get ANYTHING if you don't start knocking on some doors. The VA hires new grads all the time. Actually, they have a new grad residency program --- not sure when they start their class or when applications are due though. You can get a job as a new grad at the VA either way, you don't have to go through the program necessarily.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

I came in under a new grad program. It was called the preceptorship program at that time. Really a great place to work.

A. State of the art teaching hospital.

B. You get to work with veterans. Truly some of the most interesting patients that you will ever meet.

CNL is absolutely right that the best way in the door is to call the recruiter directly.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

even as a new grad?

VA hires people to have lifetime careers.

[dinah77, ADN]

My sincerest thanks to everyone who has responded- I'm trying to breath, be optimistic and plan on faxing my resume to the VA within the next 24 hours- HM2viking and CNL2B, do either of you know of specific units that are hiriing that may be good to mention in my cover letter? I am personally intrested in cardiac, renal, oncology, orthopedics and mental health, but am up for anything intially

[CNL2B]

MVAMC is not a huge hospital, so a lot of our specialties are combined. Here is a quick rundown:

MICU (small)

SICU (small-all surgical specialties)

stepdown (multispecialty mid-level acuity unit)

surgical ward (multispecialty, has tele beds)

medical ward (some tele beds)

oncology

psychiatry

polytrauma (mostly new war vets)

spinal cord injury (some vent beds)

there are also some LTC/skilled nursing beds -- 3 units of this on the first floor. One of those 3 is hospice focused.

And then of course, there is the OR, the PACU, the observation/short stay units (2), the ER, and all the clinics (multiple), the radiology suites, the cath lab, the endoscopy suites....

I am not sure who specifically is hiring but I think that the nurse recruiter could fill you in on what is open.

[dinah77, ADN]

thank you again for the info- I guess in light of this I will keep my interest in oncology on my resume, along with my other interests as it sounds as though a lot of my iareas I would like to work in would be met from their general med floors.