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.
