Frustrated

Most new grads are finding this to be the case. Even RN new grads are having a hard time finding jobs. I have to say right now LPN's are getting the boot, but I don't know if I would call your education a waste. Things may turn around when the economy does. All any of us can do is hope for the best. Good luck to you, and don't give up.

I'm also in NE Ohio - I've been an LPN for 10 years, and job opportunities here have really declined for us in the past 5 years. When I heard the hospital I used to work at tossed 70 LPNs out the door one morning in September without giving them the option of obtaining their RN degrees (most likely in another doomed attempt for Magnet status), my blood simultaneously boiled and froze.

You did not waste your time or money in school, though. Don't give up; keep being persistent with potential employers. Don't discount or downplay your experiences as an STNA either. Prospective employers can take FOREVER to call you for interviews too. My old job at the hospital started as a nurse assistant position - and it took them a few months to call me about an opening. Keep being persistent. Apply for jobs you either don't think you have a snowballs chance in hell to get, or even the ones you really don't want (don't know why, but it always seems to be easier to find another job if you currently have one, so remember being somewhere you really don't like doesn't have to be forever). Stop in at the local LTC facilities in your area with a resume and cover letter, even if they aren't advertising. Try nationally known staffing agencies such as Maxim or Interim - I'd suggest as a new grad to take home health cases over LTC, because even with 6 years of hospital floor nursing experience with 7-8 high-acuity patients, my first few shifts in LTC with 30+ residents turned me to a blob of tears.

I'm also in NE Ohio - I've been an LPN for 10 years, and job opportunities here have really declined for us in the past 5 years. When I heard the hospital I used to work at tossed 70 LPNs out the door one morning in September without giving them the option of obtaining their RN degrees (most likely in another doomed attempt for Magnet status), my blood simultaneously boiled and froze.

You did not waste your time or money in school, though. Don't give up; keep being persistent with potential employers. Don't discount or downplay your experiences as an STNA either. Prospective employers can take FOREVER to call you for interviews too. My old job at the hospital started as a nurse assistant position - and it took them a few months to call me about an opening. Keep being persistent. Apply for jobs you either don't think you have a snowballs chance in hell to get, or even the ones you really don't want (don't know why, but it always seems to be easier to find another job if you currently have one, so remember being somewhere you really don't like doesn't have to be forever). Stop in at the local LTC facilities in your area with a resume and cover letter, even if they aren't advertising. Try nationally known staffing agencies such as Maxim or Interim - I'd suggest as a new grad to take home health cases over LTC, because even with 6 years of hospital floor nursing experience with 7-8 high-acuity patients, my first few shifts in LTC with 30+ residents turned me to a blob of tears.

I agree. 100% You didn't waste your time getting an LPN. I work for Interim, its a good place to work for.

I used to work for Maxim, but only after 25 years of working in every other nursing field you can think of. I liked the challenge of going into an unknown facility for a four hour shift and completing my assignment within that time frame.