Frustrated trying to get a hospital job!

Nurses General Nursing

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I live/work in the Pacific Northwest where getting into hospital nursing is competitive. I graduated with my ADN in March 2018, got licensed and then employed as a pediatric home health nurse soon after. I have spent the past year working in home health and doing my Bachelor's degree. I have now been licensed for 16 mo., have over 1 year RN experience/employment and completed my BSN at the beginning of June (2019). I have applied for around 20 hospital jobs, 2 specialty internships/residencies, but mostly med/surg positions, 1 psych and 2 urgent care clinical jobs. I'm so frustrated. I have done 5 interviews but no job offers yet. Nothing "bad" happened in the interviews...like oh no, I just blew it. I have had friends who are nursing professionals look at my resume - they said it looks great. I am now being offered a 1 year med/surg residency, which involves classroom training etc. The organization - a smaller hospital - wants a 2 year empoyment contract. A nurse recruiter told me I'm not qualified to work in the hospital setting, "acute care" without going thru a residency. I'm confused - when did it change in nursing that our schooling and clinicals aren't enough? What happened to job orientation and being with a nurse preceptor for x amount of shifts to learn and grow into the role? Where can a new nurses gain the desired acute care experience outside the hospital setting?

I would feel differently if this was a specialty unit or critical care, but we're talking med/surg, floor nursing. I just completed 4 years of nursing school, but that isnt enough....I must do a residency and sign a contract of employment committment for 2 yrs!

The hospital is a one hour commute (requires leaving my residence at 4:45 a.m) and pay starts $7/hr less than 2 other larger hospitals closer to me. I have a family to care for so adding 2 hrs of driving to my work day (3/12s) is a lot.

I am contemplating passing on the residency and getting a job in a SNF to gain more experience...maybe not getting into the larger hospitals closer to my home have to do with only having had one nursing job - in home health. Staying in home health is not an option; I'm incredibly bored and unchallenged, the pay sucks and often the work environment does also!

Any suggestions, thoughts or tips on what I've shared are welcome! Thanks for letting me vent.

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.
20 hours ago, smuin538 said:

I am frustrated seeing some people commenting here and saying it's always been this way or that it's been this way for a while, considering this is fully dependent on where you live and/or are trying to work. In my area, where I graduated in May with my ADN, there are a lot of large networks/hospitals as well as a few smaller facilities, and everyone in my graduating class was hired straight into the acute care setting--and about ten of us into higher level care (stepdown and ICU). In addition, there are about 10 nursing (RN) programs in the area (mix of ADN and BSN as well as one diploma program), and it is my understanding that there is little difficulty for new grads from other schools to get jobs in acute care as well. I am starting on my unit with 6 other new grads all from other schools in the area.

I'm so sorry to hear about what you are going through. It must be so frustrating and upsetting. Obviously I'm sure you don't want to move, but know that there is a shortage of RNs in many places in the US and it is much easier to get hired into an acute care setting in these locations.

I wish you the best of luck in your journey.

This is more the exception than the norm. Perhaps the OP should look at moving to where you live?

17 hours ago, rosellern said:

Our new grads feel very proud and knowledgable once they graduate from the NRP- NuRse Residency Program! It is a vizient accredited program and we all take it very seriously! 9 weeks of orientation and needs to attend monthly professional development class which is paid everytime. We do not have contracts because they tend to stay anyway...

If there is commitment to the new grads, that is likely a good portion of the determining factor related to retention. It sounds like you have a team that cares about them. I'm a little surprised to hear that your residency consists of (only) 9 wks orientation, monthly class, and a project. There are plenty of orientations out there that involve more weeks with a preceptor, certifications and specialty classes, and maybe a project but likely not. These, too, can be successful. It all hinges upon whether or not there is a actual behavior (not just words) demonstrating commitment to helping and supporting the new grad.

The fact that you can achieve retention without contracts is a testament to your program, IMO. ?? (But that is not the case with the OP's offer).

12 hours ago, turtlesRcool said:

Although it might be unconscious, your posts come across as someone who feels entitled to that hospital job close to your house. I get it - you played by the rules and followed the path someone told you. Now you've done what you thought you were supposed to do, only to find that the rules have changed (or you were misinformed). It sucks. It really does.

That is part of the problem with the constant indiscriminate cries of "nursing shortage." If you are just getting into nursing, you could talk to dozens of different people and entities who would all pitch the same nonsense. It isn't exactly easy to get the real low-down without the benefit of years to watch trends and compare to what is being advertised, etc. It is what it is...I don't associate it with the word entitled, though. Cries of nursing shortage have been very beneficial for those entities that are now, as a result able to be very selective in hiring.

Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

I hope you take the MedSurg residency offer. You are lucky to get it.

Specializes in PICU.

I really think you should consider this residency program. Acute care is very different than home health. Assessments, medication administration, time management, recognition of changes in acuity are very different in a hospital. At home, the patient is stable, "well", and needing basic needs, in a hospital things happen quickly, and you will need to recognize the small subtle changes that can mean a patient transfer to the ICU.

In a home environment, you have ONE patient, in a hospital you will have three, four, five, six patients that all have PRIORITY needs. It is hard to develop the time management. While yes you do have a year experience, that experience is not acute care, and it would be extremely beneficial for you to have a residency program.

Why are you so concerned about working somewhere for two years. After the two years, you will have gained tons of experience. If you were to try and get in somewhere else, you may not have a preceptorship and they may expect with your year of experience to be able to function independently with a full patient load.

Taker the residency, it will only help you hone in your nursing skills.

23 hours ago, djackson14 said:

Hey there,

I'm not really sure why people are being critical on here. Your question is extremely valid, and I feel your frustration. In many parts of the country it is not uncommon at all to go right into a hospital job out of school, some places even LPN's are able to get hospital jobs out of school.

I live in the pacific northwest as well, and getting into the hospital system is very challenging. I think I got lucky. I just graduated this year from an ADN program and got a residency position at one of the larger hospitals. But, I have submitted applications to about 30 places and have only received one interview. I think the reason I was able to get my foot in the door is because I worked as a CNA at the facility, and was able to get hired internally.

You definitely have a tough choice to make regarding whether or not to take the residency/commute, or get a job at a SNF near where you live. I would offer another route - think about doing a clinic nursing job. Several of my classmates have taken positions at clinics and were hired with little to no experience. Many of the larger hospital systems have clinics, so if you get hired into one, you could then transfer easier into the hospital.

If you live in Oregon send me a message, I may have a lead for you to look into.


Take care.

Thank you for offering some validation to my feelings. I certainly didnt mean to sound entitled as some have suggested on here....only frustrated with how difficult it is to get return phone calls, even talk to a recruiter or unit manager or get an invite for an interview. Then, I wait 2-3 weeks to hear "we've decided to pursue other applicants who more closely match our needs". I am in the Portland/Vanc area. I counted the number of jobs I've applied for both in Portland and Vanc. since completing my BSN. I've applied at clinics, the VA and various hospitals...around 35 applications total. I questioned that maybe I haven't gotten a job offer (after interviewing) due to my age, as I'm in my late 30s.

I am trying to get a hospital job due to the 3/12s schedule...it works best for my family. I have done things like getting my ACLS certification and volunteer work to add to my resume. I KNOW I have A LOT to learn....homehealth is just the tip of the iceberg. I am a hard worker with strong work ethics, I've just gone through 4 years of schooling which should demonstrate that I'm able and willing to learn. Moving is not an option for me, due to family obligations and my husband's job.

1 Votes
Specializes in Emergency Room, CEN, TCRN.

I'm in the PNW (southern Oregon).... around here if you don't have a year of hospital experience you've got to do the residency. Further, unless you did clinicals in school on a specialized critical care unit, you have to start off on one or the med surg floors.

VA does not like hiring new grads, and I wouldn't work for them as a new grad anyways if they did, as their pay scales are terrible for inexperienced nurses.

8 hours ago, Bcpenpal said:

Thank you for offering some validation to my feelings. I certainly didnt mean to sound entitled as some have suggested on here....

No, you're not! I don't sense any feeling of entitlement from your post. I sense frustration which is understandable. Nurses here could be mean because they don't know you and they hide their identities here.

Anyway, hospitals are overrated. I twice worked in a hospital, even though they're not acute care related. I am burned out with all politics and drama that's going on in the hospitals. I don't even care if I will never have any acute care experience. My value as a nurse, and as person, is not determined by my job title and my acute care experience. I am a child of God and that's all that matters.

1 Votes
Specializes in Medical Surgical Nursing.

I suggest you should consider the hospital that is a one hour commute. I do not know what kind of hospitals you have applied to but have you considered smaller hospitals? community hospitals? Acute rehab hospitals? Some of these may be a long commute from home if you live in a major city or capital city but it is worth the experience and the money i.e. it is better than no job at all. The longer you wait for a job, the more you lose your nursing school knowledge and skills! Think about that...

If it were me, I would jump at the chance for a hospital job. I also live in the Pacific Northwest, but I graduated with my ADN in 2015. I am currently working on my BSN and I currently work in a SNF and it does not count as acute-care experience, that the hospitals require. I have applied to over 100 hospital positions, some as far as 2 hours away, without any luck. I not sure if my SNF experience has hurt my chances at a hospital job, but it sure has not helped. I would definitely take this opportunity because it might not come around again.

2 Votes
Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Not entitled. Maybe just a bit uninformed. Good luck whatever you decide! Having choices is great.

Me i'm a BSN graduate. But not.license in newyork state. The first job i got before i can enter into a hospital was i worked at subway. Then i worked at nursing home as a dietary then worked as a home care giver then nursing home as a CNA then now I'm a nursing a assistant at the hospital in here in buff.NY while waiting for my cgfns. im taking one step at a time to lear more experiences. If you want experience you have to be patience and until you get into your goal. It takes time. It doesnt mean you graudted bsn you get in right away. Goodluck to you and hope you found one that you really like.

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