I am a 20+ year ICU nurse as well as some ED, PACU, IV Therapy, Outpatient Clinics, and even a few PRN shifts on an in patient Psych unit. Also, my 1st degree is in Psychology. I was extremely interested in human behavior and all of the many diagnoses that come along with it. I even started diagnosing my friends and myself! We all have one, maybe just not documented!
Anyway, I am very interested in returning back to school for the PMHNP. I know that eventually all students land a job after school but how? Every posting says that experience is required. I do not want to struggle to find a job after graduation.
Are there any PMHNPs that can explain the route that they took to land their very 1st job? Any information at all will be greatly appreciated.
Specializes in Critical Care/Trauma and a new PMHNP-BC.
On 12/28/2020 at 3:08 PM, mangopeach said:
I used a recruiter. As others have mentioned, if you are flexible and open to relocation, there are lots of jobs out there. If you use a recruiter, just make sure to use a reputable one. Use one that will listen to you and cares about what you are looking for. It can be daunting dealing with recruiters as a new grad. They get paid by the employer, not by you. It's a lucrative business. Some will try to get you to go wherever, so they can get paid. No attention paid to whether this is a good fit for you or not. It can be like dealing with used car salesmen that want to sell you junk.
Once I decided I would relocate for work, I settled with the one I felt most comfortable with. There were the ones that wanted to place me in the most remote rural places. Not a bad thing to work in a rural clinic. I'm a city girl and just did not want that. I did not want to be in the boondocks and far away from the closest city. I was making this move on my own and already knew it was going to be a difficult transition as a new provider and living in a new environment by myself. In the end, the recruiter I worked with helped me to secure a job in a location that I absolutely loved. It was an 8.5 hr drive from my home state. Not too bad of a drive. I knew I could make that drive a few times through out the year, and by air, the flight was less than 2 hrs. That way, the home sickness wasn't too much of a factor, I could get back home for a few days without too much difficulty.
I am now back in my home state. Sadly the job did not work out as I would have liked. I loved the city I was placed in though. Small enough, not a big city, but still had somewhat of a city vibe and I was within 3 hrs or less drive to the major big cities in the state. I could drive to Miami in a little over 2 hrs for a day of fun, shopping, restaurant hopping, sight seeing.
I decided to leave the job, after a bit over a year. I was surprised how much easier it was to get interviews with just a bit over a year's experience. I got a job within 3 weeks after I started sending out my resume. I only sent it to 3 places, got 2 interviews and was offered the job at both. Point is, I don't regret relocating to get that year's experience.
I would absolutely work with a recruiter again, if I wanted to relocate or had trouble finding work locally.
You can Google NP recruiters, to see what's out there.
Would you be willing to share who did you use as a recruiter?
newPsychNP, MSN, RN, NP, CNS
76 Posts
Would you be willing to share who did you use as a recruiter?
Thank you in advance