What to do until I find a job?

[rhennigar1123]

Hi all,

Seeking some opinions. I am a new Grad nurse (as of June 15th!) and will be taking the NCLEX in about a month. While I think the nursing job market is picking up slightly here in NJ, it still looks pretty grim. I am a full time, paid professional EMT and have been doing that for 6 years. I am concerned that it might take me a while to find a nursing job. Can you guys offer any advice on what I can do in the interim to not let the new skills I have just learned get rusty? EMS work is challening but it is a different persepective and skill set than nursing.

I am worried that if it takes 6 to 8 months to find a nursing job I will be so rusty that I will be even less than a new grad experience wise.

any tips?

Thanks

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I would keep your EMT job, honestly. Yes, prehospital is a different focus, but has some overlap. I'll bet you're great with assessments! Congrats on finishing school. You might try leveraging your EMS connections to network with hospitals to find work. Good luck!!

[rhennigar1123]

Thanks Lunah,

I absolutely plan on keeping my EMT job until I find a nursing job and I am trying to work some ED connections. I guess my question really is are there any other tips for keeping up those nursing skills until I find that job? I now try to approach every patient on my ambulance from a nursing perspective rather than an EMS point of view but other than that I am at a loss!

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

I started working 4 months after graduation and even though I have had some DUH I should have remembered that moments, for the most part I've been amazed at what I managed to retain from nursing school.

So what to do? Volunteer- Red Cross accepts new grads as nurse volunteers. You can help get medication replaced after a home fire, review health history of people being sent nationally to larger disasters, and be on site at emergency shelters.

Look in to flu clinic work: easy and your IM injection skills will become second nature.

Join and participate in a nursing organization in the specialty you're interested in.

Keep in touch with classmates and clinical instructors. I am a big believer in networking.

[JRP1120, RN]

I started working 4 months after graduation and even though I have had some DUH I should have remembered that moments, for the most part I've been amazed at what I managed to retain from nursing school.

So what to do? Volunteer- Red Cross accepts new grads as nurse volunteers. You can help get medication replaced after a home fire, review health history of people being sent nationally to larger disasters, and be on site at emergency shelters.

Look in to flu clinic work: easy and your IM injection skills will become second nature.

Join and participate in a nursing organization in the specialty you're interested in.

Keep in touch with classmates and clinical instructors. I am a big believer in networking.

I'm almost two months out of school, new license in hand with not a job opp in sight! I've been wondering about the same things. Thank you for your suggestions!