cant get job in office setting

[JeanthePHN]

I moved to cape cod two years ago to work for the Phone company. I left my job within one year. It was a sales job.

For a year and a half now I have been trying to get a job here and cannot get one. I am ignored by the hospital because of my 9 years of public health clinic experience. They say I am out of date but wont retrain me. The local nursing homes have ignored me also. I went into school nursing and could not live on the 10 an hour with perdiem work they offered. I currently work as a medical secretary. The next closet hospital is 30 miles away on winding and black rural roads and I can not drive at night on those roads! In the summer a 30 mile drive during the day can take over an hour. I dont know what to do anymore. I have sent out so many resumes and dont even get interviews. Someone told me to lie on my resume and say I been at home with the children for years. or that I am a LPN. ANy advice? It has been over a year I have looked vigiantly for a job.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Here there are AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) that provide CEU courses and various classes. One of which is the re entry into nursing. Kind of like a "nurse upgrade." Check to see if there is something like that even if it is the 30 mi away. I commuted all my career and it really sucks sometimes! But please don't lie, it will ALWAYS catch with up with you sooner or later.

[hoolahan, ASN, RN]

Hi Jean! I remember you from NSBB (that was you, right?) I am formerly MargaretH there (as in Margaret Hoolahan from MASH.)

I am a resume queen. Perhaps somehow you are selling yourself short on thr res? Maybe you need to give it some pizazz? Have you not even been called for interviews? Or you have been for interviews? If you have, are you dressing up for them?

I am no expert by any means, but if you want an honest eval of your resume, you could e-mail me a copy, juts delete your last name, address, names of hospitals, etc, or any other personal info you don't wish to share at this point. You can send it to [email protected] if you are interested.

Are you not interested in HH anymore? Or is it too much travel in such a rural area? Seems like there has been such a shortage in HH and nursing, hard to believe they wouldn't take you somewhere! P_RN has a great idea to take a refresher, even if it seems lke an insult to your intelligence, they may be looking at you as a disgruntled nurse who left for the filed and went to work for the phone co, and now they wonder why you want to come back. ?? So, a course like that would show your motivated, and willing to commit to this renewed cause, sort of.

I also agree never lie, but you could just put an asterisk at the emplyment heading, then at the end, the footnote can read "Only relavant nursing work history is included, additional work experience available upon request." Then if they ask, you could come up with something that is the truth, but maybe not the whole truth, like "I was exploring some emplyment alternatives that did not work out for me. or "I was taking a sabatical from nursing, and I am refreshed and ready to return." Or, I had some personal issues that required my full attention." These are all true, but not entirely true maybe. Only you know your own reasons. I'm just guessing. If they press, just say it is personal, and you would rather not discuss it. No one shoud continue to press in response to that!

Good luck Jean.