Computers + RN = Food stamps

[PiedPiperRN]

Warning: this is another "I need a job, what should I do?" email, so feel free to move on if you are sick of them.

I swear, the next person that says something along the lines of "But isn't there a huge nursing shortage?" is going to get popped in the nose.

I am a new RN with both a BSN and a BA in computer science. Like so many others, I went into school with the assurance that I would be able to find a job. I was given the double whammy of being told that with the push towards EMR, an RN with computer skills would be about as sought after as a viable republican candidate.

I have applied for about 50 jobs that have anything to do with anything healthcare. I have all the major hospital career sites bookmarked. My resume has been sent to about a dozen nursing homes and every job that mentions anything about informatics. But I am still jobless!!

I am thinking that with all the buzz regarding how much I am needed, there must be something that I am missing. Any suggestions?

(Anyone that helps me find a job will win a hand knitted scarf.)

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

Are you applying for RN jobs or infomatics? I would think informatics would tend to be a short-term contract job and would apply as an RN. Is your resume straightforward and tailored for each specific job you are applying for?

Even though many hospitals need RN's, a lot of them are on hiring freezes due to budget constraints and are using their own staff thru voluntary and mandatory overtime and then pool or agency, even travelers for short term needs. We are told we are fully staffed but that is a laugh because we are short on a daily basis and almost mandating as often sometimes more than one nurse a shift, sometimes for all three shifts. I wish they would hire more staff!

Good luck to you!

[lilwbprincess]

Hi PiedPiperRN:

I've been an RN since 06 and in 2011 I was back on the market searching for a job in a sea of new grads and other very experienced nurses. I did land a job (hospital) and I start this month so I feel very blessed and equally lucky. I have some tips that you may or may not have heard, so I apologize for any repeats :)

-tailor your cover letter/resume for EACH position. it's tedious, but use the target words that are in the job description in your cover letter/resume because i've heard that a lot of the larger systems use programs to search for those words to weed out applicants.

-don't be afraid to call the HR recruiter for the jobs you're applying for. if nothing else, they will recognize your name and will at least look at your application/profile while you are on the phone with them. (i did this weekly!!)

-look on craigslist for those odd jobs like being a shot nurse or school nurse. they also seem to post lots of private clinic RN jobs there.

-look into temp jobs: i have a friend who graduated this past summer, couldn't find a job, but found a temp RN job with a hospital where she was trained on the charting system and her job was to be a resource for other nurses/doctors as the system went live. by doing this, she now has connections and will apply for an internship position that opens up this year.

-look for a job with the state corrections dept. it may not be ideal unless you want to be in mental health or corrections, but it's a way to start working, get experience, and get paid. (the friend i mentioned with the temp job got a job with state corrections and another new grad friend started there back in november)

i think that's it for now :) feel free to private message me if you have any Qs or anything...hopefully this post doesn't violate any rules - i didn't list any names this time! :)

Good luck - lilwbprincess

[gallllatea]

Hi PiedPiperRN:

-don't be afraid to call the HR recruiter for the jobs you're applying for. if nothing else, they will recognize your name and will at least look at your application/profile while you are on the phone with them. (i did this weekly!!)

Good luck - lilwbprincess

I would be very careful with this one. If they say no phone calls, they usually mean it. To be calling weekly sounds stalker-esque to me and it will be viewed as such. Gone are the days of showing up in person to a human resources dept. to turn in a paper application, hoping to be viewed by a vip on the spot. Healthcare institutions deal with hundreds of apps, and they like the, "don't call us, we'll call you" philosophy for a reason (i.e. aforementioned 100's to 1000's of apps!). When I was in grad school, occasionally students applying for the program I was in would show up in person at some random event or in the dept. itself UNINVITED. Grad students in my dept. were not just students if accepted too - they started teaching as adjuncts right away, so they become colleagues as well as grad students with the other grads and professors. Anyway, YES, they were looked at as totally creepy and desperate for calling/showing uninvited. And it pretty much blew any chance they had at getting in. The professors would ask us about them too. I never met one that didn't do something weird while visiting either - maybe it's just an extrovert thing.

Of course it's a different story if you are invited to call, know someone personally in management or hiring that is OK with you calling or they really do want you there in person (and this is in writing). Also, calling just to check on something isn't going to help. Most HR's are staffed with high school educated desk jockeys that are just shuffling paperwork and answering phones, they have no power or know-how to "spot" a wonderful candidate and put their name at the top just because of a phone call (and trust me, you're not going to be the only golden applicant). And these staff will be answering the phone or checking to see that your app was here or there, or whatever else regarding paperwork is present. Or answering general questions. The people that actually do the interviewing wouldn't be answering phones and dealing with paperwork.