Frustrated, need to vent and need advice...please!

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Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and I desperately need some help. I have a pretty long story, but I'll condense it down to a few lines, hopefully. :)

I have 8 years of pediatric experience, then 3 years of NICU in another hospital. Was fired from that job because I violated a policy, and then was reported to the state. License suspended for a year, then probation for a year. So this all happened in 2006--spent the last 5 years trying to get things straight and have not worked in the field for that long. My license has been "active" for the past year, but I have been unable to find a job--have interviewed all over the place, and no one will hire me.

Now my license is up for renewal and I don't have the work hours needed to renew it. It's so frustrating because once the probation was lifted, I went full- force trying to find a job--but as soon as I explain why I was terminated from my last job, I get the "we'll let you know" speech and then I never hear from them again.

What's a girl to do? My license expires at the end of September, just go the renewal paperwork in the mail today, and I have to return it by the end of August. It's frustrating--all I need is a 2nd chance to prove myself, and no one will give it to me. BLAH!

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dani, that really is a raw deal. So what state are you from, that you must have a certain amount of hours to renew? It is just really bad everywhere. I am much less experienced than you, but really, I have read here from very experienced nurses like you that it can often be that your have too much experience. Go figure!

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I'm in Delaware and to renew your license, you need CEUs, which I have. You also need 1000 work hours in the last 5 years, or 400 hours in the last 2 years. I have about 300 hours, so I need to find a job NOW in order to make the cut off. It's so disheartening to think that I worked so hard to get my license, and now I might have to lose it, then take a refresher course to get it back.

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Can you apply for licensure in another state? Pennsylvania or Jersey maybe? That could buy you some time to keep looking for work (in the new state)?

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Yes good idea hiddencat, even IL as bad as we are. You just need your CEs.

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OK, a refresher course. Do you need to retake the NCLEX as well?

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I'm not sure if that would work with a past issue with the license, but it's definitely worth looking in to. And I know a lot of folks in my area (Philly) commute to DE for work, so it wouldn't be that bad of a commute the other way around.

Also...have you tried contacting your past employers and managers? They know your work history and since you were presumably a good employee before you violated the policy, maybe they'd be willing to give you another shot or help you network with someone who would?

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Can you apply for licensure in another state? Pennsylvania or Jersey maybe? That could buy you some time to keep looking for work (in the new state)?

Very bad idea. I'm not even sure if TOS allows us to give advise on BON issues. That's how it used to be here on allnurses. Good luck op. With persistence you'll find a nursing job.

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DEAR LORD--I hope I don't have to retake the board exam! LOL, it was brutal enough the first time!

Unfortunately, I have only worked 2 places in my nursing career. The one place is where I got fired from, and the other has sent me 3 letters stating that I am not qualified for the position that I applied for. Figure that one out--I have 8 years of Peds experience, in THEIR hospital, but I'm not qualified. Still trying. I send them an application every week or so.

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Very bad idea. I'm not even sure if TOS allows us to give advise on BON issues. That's how it used to be here on allnurses. Good luck op. With persistence you'll find a nursing job.

If the current license is in good standing and the issue is just work hours for renewal though? IDK. This seemed more like career advice than legal advice, so if I'm violating TOS, I apologize.

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no worries, nobody is telling the OP how to "deal" with a BON. It's about how to find a JOB!

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Honestly, I don't really want to apply for licensure in another state anyway...DE is reciprocal in Maryland and New Jersey, so I could work in any of the 3 states. It's just proving to be very difficult to find something.

The more I think about it, the more I am stressing. I think what I need to do, realistically, is sadly, to let my license lapse and get into a refresher course, stat. There are 2 places locally that offer them, so would just need to find out when they start up. I'll try to find a job in a healthcare field, even if it's just as a clerk or dr.'s office assistant (non-nursing), and get back into the field as quickly as possible. Sad, but I think that's my reality right now.

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