Finding 1st job in PMHNP

[PsychedOut]

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.

[newPsychNP, MSN, RN, NP, CNS]

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?

Thank you in advance