Can I get a job in my speicalty w/o extern?

[L&DWannaB]

I am currently a Nursing Student and will graduate in December, God willing, and I have small children. I explored the possibility of doing an externship at some of the various hospitals this summer. However, I realized that my youngest will be starting preschool in August and I don't want to lose his last summer. How do you think this will effect my ability to get into the specialty I want upon graduation?

I wonder if any of the readers here are recent grads w/o externship and how was your job hunting effected by not externing?

[Samantha79]

Getting into a specialty, right after graduation, without an externship is probably very unlikely. Especially L&D because it is so highly sought after. I'm sorry, I know that's probably not what you want to hear. I just heard yesterday that I received an extern position in women's health at a Tulsa hospital. That was my second try and not on my first choice unit. I didn't get the first hospital. If it's this hard just to get an externship then it's going to be even harder to get a job. That's my opinion. I wouldn't let it keep me from trying though. Good luck!

[picurn10]

I didn't have time as a single, working mom to do an externship at all. I did LPN to RN with no break in between so once I passed LPN boards I got on at a peds facility, and then right after taking RN boards (8mo later) got hired into the PICU! I was worried since I was technically a "new grad" (I will have been an RN for 1yr July 1st, but been working in the PICU for 9mo) and just had 8mo experience as an LPN in low acuity peds. I was told on hire that they considered me to have "peds experience" and my pay rate was not as a new grad. So I don't know if that's how I got the spot or what. We have recently hired new grads straight into the PICU. I think it depends on how desperate they are for staff Likely in the spring or summer it will be tougher to find specialty spots hiring new grads, but by the Fall plenty of new hires have already moved on.

[L&DWannaB]

Thanks for the reply ladies! I applied for Fall externs and I am really hoping that something will work out. I took summer courses so I could fit in an extern. I really don't know what specialty I am desiring now, I loved the PACU and I just did Leadership in Neuro and really liked that too. I know without a doubt that I am not a Peds nurse as this just hits too close to my heart. I currently work as a monitor tech. and Cardio is really fascinating to me also. I will post later how the Extern applications work out for me.

Thanks again!