Gap Between NCLEX and Job - Help!

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Hello Nurse Beth,

I am in desperate need of your professional advice. I graduated from nursing school in 2014 with a BSN. I left for Europe and returned, then passed my boards, first try, almost one year later. I have not been able to find a job. I am worried that the gap between graduation to now is a problem. I came across a RN refresher program in my state. Are these types of programs worth it? Would this boost my chances in finding a job?

Dear Desperate,

Congrats on passing your boards!

So you have been licensed since 2015? If you have not landed a job since then, that can be seen as a problem by potential employers.

RN refresher programs can be really helpful for nurses like yourself. I would do it while simultaneously searching for a job. The most important thing now is to get your foot in the door and break your unemployed status. It may not be your ideal job, but will be a starting point for you.

A benefit is that you will be making contacts during the program which will help you to land a job. You will need to aggressively job search- apply, apply, apply and network, network, network.

Read Resume , ReVamp Your Resume, and How to Land a Job

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!