Can't get a job as new RN

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Hello all,

I'm hoping someone will be able to help me...I'm a brand new RN in Orlando, FL and I've been looking for a hospital job for the last 5 months with no luck. Every job opening I see requires you to have at least 1 year of hospital experience but no one will hire me. I've applied to about 200 jobs and nothing....every recruiter/HR dept tells me it is because I don't have experience. Anyone else around here going through this?? :o

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Are you serious? I am so sorry you are going through this. I just graduated the practical nursing program here in Tampa, & I am experiencing the same thing. I honestly thought it was different for the RN. If you don't mind me asking, where did you go to school?

Jessi

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I just checked www.employflorida.com for jobs (today is my last day at my job....being laid off :( ) Anyway, there are a TON of job postings listed for St. Vincents here in Jacksonville! I checked out Patient assistant jobs (notice...I am a student not a nurse) and these even said that they would take LPN,LVN or RN-Students-with-1-semester-completed! I am sure if you applied there you should find success.

(For clairity...there are listings for RN's, techs, MDs.....etc.

Also....checking out the Jacksonville Mayo site, I found a page that said they had plans for a GN program there!

You may want to stay in your city......but personally, I usually go where the jobs are! :D

Good luck!

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That is crazy that you haven't been able to find anything. I am originally from Orlando and plan to go back there and work when I graduate nursing school next year. I'm very surprised to hear that because Florida Hospital is huge and just added a band new wing. Orlando Health is pretty large as well. Both should have graduate nurse programs for new nurses and you don't need any experience for those. Are these med-surg positions that you are applying for? I wish you the best of luck! you will get something. Have you tried Celebration (kinda far, but really nice) and there is also Health Central.

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hi!!

I am new to this site but I have many years of nursing exerience. I know it can be very discouraging to be new nurse. but I want you to think and talk with your teachers and some you trust that happens to be a nurse. Your first nursing experience can shape you for better or worst. I WANT YOU TO THINK. why does st vincents have all those nursing jobs available? they maintain a very long list of nurses that they do not want there.and many many more that would not step foot there. ask around not just the recruiter. is your name soon to be amoung them.If you have heard that nurses eat their young. Then be careful you are not entering the den.There are some places you can go and get a great first experience that you can build on and grow in nursing. If you would like to know drop me a line.

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Yeah there has been talk of it being hard to find a new grad job here for a while. I would expand my search a bit to surrounding cities. Ocala. Daytona. West palm. Wherever you know. Find some good hospitals and just apply like a maniac outside of Orlando too. Then when you have some experience if you want to come back maybe you can get a hospital job here OR you may love your new city and not want to go. Good luck to you in your search

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Thanks for all the responses. I have looked at *every* hospital within an hours drive of me with no luck. And I have also been open to any floor and any shift, any days. Still no luck. I will take Codeda's advice and expand my search. I still think it's crazy that it would be so hard to find a job in Orlando.

Renee ~ At FL Hospital, if you haven't been an RN working in the hospital for at least a year, they don't even want you to apply to the "RN" positions listed on the website, they only hire new graduates in certain months into their programs and I applied for the opening in Feb back in October and wasn't accepted because they said it was full already. There are currently no GN positions listed. Orlando Health has been on a hiring freeze and there are exactly zero positions available right for a GN. Guess I picked the wrong time to join the nursing field.

FLMomof5 ~ all the RN positions listed at St. Vincents say you need experience. Am I looking in the wrong spot?

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I wouldn't worry about the experience requirement.....apply anyway. It can't hurt. I figured that if they are willing to accept 1st semester nursing students to fill Patient Assistant positions, they would be willing to hire a new grad for the RN slots.

Did you check the Mayo site? They have new graduate programs. Here is the page:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/jobs-nursing-jax/nurse-graduate-orientation-program.html

Good Luck!

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Thanks, I applied anyway. I like the Mayo Clinic...looks like they started in in January, though, and the next one isn't until April I think. :uhoh21:

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Keep checking it out (mayo). If, per chance, you don't find another job, this could be your foot in the door chance.

I do hope you find something sooner!!

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Specializes in Ortho/Neurosurgical.

I've seen that happening over here in Tampa as well. Thankfully, I was covered with a job I negotiated 6 mos ago, but not everyone I know is in my boat. I just looked at the two years I was a tech through school as a job interview.

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Specializes in Tele.

wow, that is not a fun situation to be in.

are you looking for a specific type of specialty in RN??

or is this in general?

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