Continuously Reapplying to Departments You've Been Rejected From

Nurses Job Hunt

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In the process of searching for and trying to land a new nursing job, I have had many rejections (over 30). I have also reapplied to several of the areas where I have been rejected from, because I am interested in the area/type of nursing. For example, I've applied to multiple orthopedic jobs, multiple oncology positions, multiple hematology positions and multiple organ transplant jobs. Is this a good idea? I would be proud to be an oncology or transplant nurse if I were to get an offer.

Yes, I start in 10 days. No more job applications until at least next year.

You should stay in the new job at least one full calendar year, if not two, if you want to start digging yourself out of the hole you've gotten yourself into. Best wishes.

Specializes in ICU.
You should stay in the new job at least one full calendar year, if not two, if you want to start digging yourself out of the hole you've gotten yourself into. Best wishes.

Like elkpark said, you need to stay in this new job for AT LEAST one full year at full time. Put your heart and soul into it like your career depends on it...because it does. Learn as much as you can, participate in staff meetings, committees, whatever they have. I know this is not what you want to do in nursing forever but you NEED a very good reference if you are going to try to get a job at another hospital.

Can you tell me why your initial orientation in the hospital did not work out? Some people just aren't meant to be ICU nurses but that doesn't mean you can't be very successful as a nurse in another field. I'm a CVICU nurse in one of the top transplant programs in the country. We have patients on all kinds of devices but you can't just come off the street, get hired and expect to take ECMO patients right away. There's a lot of training and we all take the very labor intensive double assignments requiring lots of rehab when we first start out. Then you can start training on new skills like open heart recovery, LVAD, CRRT, etc. Even if you've had experience in all these things before, everyone starts out at the same level. It requires a lot of patience before they trust you with those really super sick "fun" patients. I think you could learn a lot from staying at an LTC. Maybe not how to take care of an ECMO patient, but you can learn time management, team work, patient advocacy, conflict resolution, etc. All those skills I use daily as a CVICU nurse.

When you have done a full year in your LTC position, you can look into going to another hospital and try to go to a step down cardiac unit. I would not apply at your "dream hospital". I'd go somewhere else and get experience there for another year or two. Put your heart and soul into that job too. Really make yourself marketable. By then, your resume will look much different and much better! You'll have a better chance at maybe eventually getting a position at your dream hospital. This seems like a lot of work and time to invest in jobs that you don't think you want right now but you have to look at your goals and what you were currently doing did not work. You have to approach them another way. And somewhere along the way you may find your niche! And it might be something completely different from what you think you want. Good luck to you!

Like elkpark said, you need to stay in this new job for AT LEAST one full year at full time. Put your heart and soul into it like your career depends on it...because it does. Learn as much as you can, participate in staff meetings, committees, whatever they have. I know this is not what you want to do in nursing forever but you NEED a very good reference if you are going to try to get a job at another hospital.

Can you tell me why your initial orientation in the hospital did not work out? Some people just aren't meant to be ICU nurses but that doesn't mean you can't be very successful as a nurse in another field. I'm a CVICU nurse in one of the top transplant programs in the country. We have patients on all kinds of devices but you can't just come off the street, get hired and expect to take ECMO patients right away. There's a lot of training and we all take the very labor intensive double assignments requiring lots of rehab when we first start out. Then you can start training on new skills like open heart recovery, LVAD, CRRT, etc. Even if you've had experience in all these things before, everyone starts out at the same level. It requires a lot of patience before they trust you with those really super sick "fun" patients. I think you could learn a lot from staying at an LTC. Maybe not how to take care of an ECMO patient, but you can learn time management, team work, patient advocacy, conflict resolution, etc. All those skills I use daily as a CVICU nurse.

When you have done a full year in your LTC position, you can look into going to another hospital and try to go to a step down cardiac unit. I would not apply at your "dream hospital". I'd go somewhere else and get experience there for another year or two. Put your heart and soul into that job too. Really make yourself marketable. By then, your resume will look much different and much better! You'll have a better chance at maybe eventually getting a position at your dream hospital. This seems like a lot of work and time to invest in jobs that you don't think you want right now but you have to look at your goals and what you were currently doing did not work. You have to approach them another way. And somewhere along the way you may find your niche! And it might be something completely different from what you think you want. Good luck to you!

My initial orientation ended because for some reason, I was overwhelmed and not able to retain all the information I needed to on a day to day basis, despite doing everything possible to do so. Not sure this was a factor, but my personality didn't seem to mesh well with most of my coworkers. Most people find me great to work with, but for some reason, I did not click with this group of people. They were never happy and it seemed like everything I said or did was wrong. I never did understand what they were looking for, despite repeated efforts to learn.

I had only 2 patients then, but it seems like my memory has greatly improved now, even though I've had as many as 40 patients. I can remember nearly everything about patients I haven't had for weeks, so go figure.

Survived my first 12 hour day shift

1 Votes
Survived my first 12 hour day shift

Congrats! Knock 'em dead!

Specializes in PICU.
Survived my first 12 hour day shift

Way to go! Keep it up Nurse! Stay focused on your nursing role and job

Already sick of this position, but I got yet another rejection today (from three months ago). I cannot work my current position much longer but I don't have much of a choice if no one else will hire me. Unfortunately, leaving nursing altogether may be the ultimate answer.

My plan is to have a new job by 2018. Maybe I'll get back into cardiac nursing, I've applied to a couple of PCUs. I will work there for a year and then move onto ICU by 2019. I will be an ICU nurse before I turn 30 years old.

My plan is to have a new job by 2018. Maybe I'll get back into cardiac nursing, I've applied to a couple of PCUs. I will work there for a year and then move onto ICU by 2019. I will be an ICU nurse before I turn 30 years old.

Oh, no, not again ... Don't mean to sound harsh, but it's highly unlikely you will find another job any time soon, given your history ("by 2018"? You mean, like, before the new year starts? That's eleven days from now.) Your best bet really is to make the most of your current position, log some serious time in that position as a star employee, and then look for other opportunities. All you are doing is continuing to dig yourself deeper into the hole you are already in. I would be willing to wager large amounts of money that you will not be working in an ICU anywhere by 2019. Gumption and lofty goals are all well and good, but it's useful to be able to evaluate situations realistically.

Please don't screw yourself over any further than you already have. Best wishes.

Landing a new job was part of the plan for 2017. Getting a full time position at a place I'd already worked part time doesn't count. I'm already far behind in my nursing career. Working a long time at a SNF is not going to help me achieve my goals, I need to get back into the hospital as soon as I can. Otherwise I may always work in nursing facilities and never achieve my by-age-30 goals. There are 23 and 24 year old nurses already doing what I hope to be doing before my 30th birthday. What a disappointment it will be to have never achieved what I set out to do.

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Landing a new job was part of the plan for 2017. Getting a full time position at a place I'd already worked part time doesn't count. I'm already far behind in my nursing career. Working a long time at a SNF is not going to help me achieve my goals, I need to get back into the hospital as soon as I can. Otherwise I may always work in nursing facilities and never achieve my by-age-30 goals. There are 23 and 24 year old nurses already doing what I hope to be doing before my 30th birthday. What a disappointment it will be to have never achieved what I set out to do.

If you continue to self sabotage by job hopping and not getting solid, straight experience under your belt, those goals will never happen. You continue to backslide.

If you continue to self sabotage by job hopping and not getting solid, straight experience under your belt, those goals will never happen. You continue to backslide.

Yes, we're right back where we were months ago. How frustrating. OP, do you just not want to build a career in nursing? You seem determined to keep sabotaging yourself.

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