Can't find a job

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I am an RN who graduated four months ago, passed boards relatively quickly, graduated with honors, and cannot find a job. I am also 58 years old. What an emotional rollercoaster ride. Becoming an RN was such a high. I just don't understand how this can be with such a shortage of nurses. Any ideas?:cry:

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Specializes in Hospice, ALF, Prison.

Hmmmm.

What type of jobs are you looking for? Are you being flexible? As I am also your age and also a nurse +1, I didn't look at hospitals.

Hmmmm, every wonder why only the "young" walk their corridors? Who else has the energy to be beaten, chewed, and swallowed all the while looking for Dr. Right?

Then again, home health, hospice, etc etc would most likely open their arms to you!

Maybe its the requirement you have that they start you with 10 weeks vacation, a company car, a pool guy/boy toy, and a live in maid that is giving them pause?

Plug, plug, plug and remember that YOU ARE a might valuable asset and a damn good nurse! :saint:

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

You need to be very open. When hospitals post their positions like Full-time, 36-40 hours every other weekend, they usually mean it. Most of the time, the shifts rotate and sometimes they are either straight days or nights. Hey, you have got to start somewhere. Don't be picky because if you don't like what they offer than they'd be more than happy to hire another nurse who does. Job availability also depends on where you live also.

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I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I have applied for everything and I mean everything - numerous hospitals, eye clinic, jail, hospice, OP surgery center, hemodialysis center, substance abuse treatment centers, etc. I always put down days, evenings, nights, and weekends. I appreciate the replys and I know something will come up. Thanks.

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Have you had trouble getting interviews, or actually getting the jobs? Big hospitals have a tendency to not always follow up on applications, so it can be helpful to call nurse recruiting and follow up yourself, or even to walk in (and make sure you make a good impression). You may have to call, then call back a few weeks later if you still haven't heard. Ask if they can forward your ap to a different department. Being persistent helped get me into a hospital that was on and off a hiring freeze all summer. If you're getting to the interview and then not getting chosen, you need to really examine why not. What did you do for the first 40 years of your working life? Use that as a strength, and talk about how the skills you learned there transfer over to nursing. You should also have a very comprehensive answer to the "why did you decide to become a nurse?" question, and I would stress the fact that you're still several years away from retirement - they may unfortunately be looking at you as a short-timer. Think about all the questions you've been asked in your interviews, and how you've answered. Did you come across as lacking confidence, or as being a braggart? Did you not prep enough, or not know enough about the organization? Also, how was your relationship with your instructors? I know that ours were very willing to help us to at least get interviewed at the hospitals the school was connected with. Good luck, and you should be able to find something!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, WCC.

Do you turn in a resume with your application? If so, do you need to change your format to be more interesting and eye-popping? Are the words on it spelled correctly, is it an easy read? IS the handwriting on the application neat? Do you have 5-10 years of past jobs and their start and end dates listed along with the reasons you left? These are all items that I look at on an application/resume and it tells me a lot about the person upfront.

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