Published Jun 18, 2012
blinky, ASN, RN
160 Posts
I'd take pretty much any shift/ place at this point to get said experience, then look elsewhere.
Living in Michigan right now Detroit'ish area.
Passed boards April 2012, graduated Aug 2011.
Been Applying at every job I see posted at local hospitals and resumes on career builder,monster and hot jobs. Oh also Michigan talent bank.
-I search and apply to jobs. Then get the "we have decided to pursue other more qualified applicants based on your answers to job specific questions"
Of which many online applications specifically ask " any registered nursing experience in said field Nursing clinicals do not count" To which I have to say no. I mean they it's just upsetting.
Every job I see posted has in bold large font "One-two years experience necessary"
Not preferred, necessary.
I have to move out soon and can't afford time volunteering and not getting paid. Friends have no leads, my former clinical instructors all the contact info I have doesn't work and had no luck finding them.
Where does a new grand RN find a job with no applicable nursing experience, aside clincials which of course don't count.
-Sadly I didn't do an externship and that was foolish.
thanks for reading/ advice.
Double-Helix, BSN, RN
3,377 Posts
That is the age old question. Much like "What came first- the chicken or the egg?"
Sounds like you need to extend your search beyond hospitals. Look into long term care and smiled rehab facilities. While they usually aren't the ideal jobs for new grads, they tend to be more willing to hire without experience and provide a great opportunity for you to start gaining real experience.
Well do, Im just less aware of where they are, as all the hospitals i know of from experience and check the websites daily.
Inori, BSN, RN
396 Posts
Keep trying and do walk in applications at nursing home, long term facilities. jobs exist it jyst takes longer than you anticipated .. i have seniors classmates who graduated in june 2011 and they're still looking for nursing work so .. ya its rough. just keep your spirits up and keep on trying
Also aside from Nursing, any other practical applications for this degree and license? Places I may not be looking but should. [aside nursing homes, hospitals etc] Like doctor offices or i dunno?
luv2
201 Posts
I am in the same position in NYS many hospitals does not hire new grad nurses.This is so frustrating...THEY ALL WANT EXPERIENCE.Does anyone know what to do....I can not afford to move out of NYS....... (this is not an option).
whatdoIdonow?
104 Posts
Personally, I hate to admit it, but, I think the hospitals realize we learned barely anything in the half-online, clinicals staffed with adjuncts who could care less, nursing 'power point education' we received at our local two year tech school programs!!
They know it! And they don't want to pay to train us. Unfortunately, thanks to supply and demand, there are enough RN's with experience that they can afford NOT to pay for our training!!
The supply will change when the older nurses retire here shortly...but that isn't much help for us right now!
I was thinking about a story I heard about the actor Harrison Ford- in the lean years when acting jobs were scarce, he would support himself as a carpenter. So, I thought about all the science courses we have taken to prepare for nursing and wondered how far off getting a teachers certificate would be for the school system. Next week, I hope to meet with someone who can answer that question.
I did find that substitute teaching and even substitute school nurse positions are possible once school starts back up. I plan to explore that. Additionally, while in school, I produced a teaching tool for a patient population and had to write a lesson plan. I wondered if I would be allowed to present that lesson plan and use that tool in the schools, just for the experience (and resume bump).
I try to come up with a new idea each week to pursue because it gives me hope...it means I haven't reached the end of my rope yet...
I know per state laws or something you need certain amount of college credits to "substitute teach"
To teaching nusing at Associates level you need a BSN/expereince min, so thats out.
Teaching certificate recquires 2 year progam like nursing then some sort of test liek NCLEX.
being a school RN may be a option I can look into, appreciated.
If you knew the right people where you went for nursing that " lesson plan" if a unique/interesting enough a topic they may pay you to give a presentation?
Substitute teaching here in SC in my district is pretty basic- if you didn't have 60 credit hours of college, you only had to prove basic literacy. It required a two day workshop for $10 dollars and registration to be a substitute. The substitute school nurse required job shadowing first so I need to call them.
Also, I volunteer at a free clinic here in town that lets me do patient triage (take their history and vitals). I feel it's exposure because I meet area doctors. It's educational because I continue to learn about the job market, nursing theory, apply A & P to patho of patient etc. It's basically work that an RN would do in a doctor's office. I do vitals and blood sugars, urinalysis etc. It keeps me sane because it keeps me thinking like a nurse so I don't feel too desperate.
I looked up other free clinics in the area last night. My hope is to find more than one that will let me do more procedures so I can include it on my resume along with the one I already have. And, it gives me an employer reference person to list as well. I am also looking into other volunteer opportunities in the area that I found on the United Way website for my area-hospice, nursing homes, unwed pregnancy homes, respite care (alzheimer patients). Volunteering in these various locations will give me experience with different patient populations. When it comes to applying for LTC facilities, this will at least show I have an interest in this patient group and some experience as well. Also through FEMA there is training offered to be a medical responder in disaster situations and it's free training so I need to follow up on this lead as well.
Here in SC, there are alternative paths to teaching certification. One is that you take this $2000 program to study for a content area, pass a PRAXIS test for that area, obtain a job offer, then while on the job finish your certification process over a period of 3 years by doing additional testing etc. My concern is that I would pay the $2000 only to find out it was like my ADN degree (no one cares!) and they 'prefer' education certified teachers' and still not be able to get a job!
Getting paid to present my teaching tool would be nice, but doubtful, at least in the beginning. I do have this idea rattling around in my brain about approaching someone in the statistics department at the local 4 year college about designing a measurable way to determine if my tool is beneficial, then approaching the schools etc to see if they would allow me to present it as part of a thesis paper that I plan to present for publication. (Yes, I AM a Dreamer! :)
In August, I start CHEM class and sociology for transfer to a state RN-BSN program that I begin in the fall of 2013. Out of money to start right now (and need the prereq anyway). I also was hoping that the clinicals that they will require in the program will turn into a good community contact.
I may look into general office temp work to improve my clerical skills (bring them up to date). I'm 47, a married stay at home mom of 26 years, with 5 kids, a home school parent of 20 + years with a former BA in Communication from 1987 so I NEED to bring my computer/clerical skills up to date!!! Let's put it this way, when I took a computer class in college in 1983, COMP 101 was programing in BASIC language because word processing and the PC didn't exist yet :)
The teaching certification I am referring to is K-12 public school for science.
you are wrong .....I went to college for four years and I had oral exams and nclex style exams.......I had to know all medical facts......I was tested while I performed pts' care.....I even made pt care focus sheet to prioritize pts' care for the day.....an explain med.......and do not forget the care plan........my SBAR....and a summary on each patient condition and intervention and why those interventions are being used.......everything had to be cited. this is a little glimpse of what I did as a BS-R.N student.........there is alot more but I will not bore u with all the details......NO POWERPOINT EDUCATION HERE .......U R WRONG TO MAKE that statement