New Grad.....How long?

[goodspiritsRN]

I am so frustrated with the job market. I graduated as an RN in May of 08. Because i had a long couple of years with first loosing my husband to cancer and then going to nursing school.....i wanted a couple of months to relax and regroup. So i when sept came i went out to look for a job in Medsurg and couldnt find one because they all told me their new grad positions had been filled in June and they were not hiring any more new grads till NEXT YEAR...I have heard this from multiple hospitals around. 5 to be exact. Now i am at a nursing home. I'm not saying its bad...at least i have a job but my concern is - how long do i have to wait to not be a new Grad anymore and i'm afraid my experiance in the nursing home will hurt me when i go to apply in a hospital - like their going say.....well your technically still considered a new grad! Then i have heard that there is a stigma attatched to Nurses working in a nursing home and have been told you dont want to stay too long because then you wont be able to get out.....is this true.......can anyone give me any advice on what to do? Thinking of sucking it up and going back to school for my BSN.....I am feeling jealous of all the other nurses in the hospital doing the things that i want to do and learn.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

I think a year is the general rule of thumb.

[rn-jane]

Take this time to learn as much as you can at the nursing home with meds, wound care and assessments. Things did not go as planned, when the job market opens back up start pounding the pavement. If you can start back to school, then go for it. It shows you are continueing your education and managers and recruiters like to see that on a resume. In the meantime keep your eyes open,. Many times they are looking for nurses come jan/feb due to new nurses leaving looking for greener pastures. It happens every year on my unit.

[Dolce, RN]

It is a myth that you won't learn anything in a nursing home. My first job was in a nursing home and I didn't have any problem being hired to a hospital job about 8 months later. In that short amount of time I learned about medications, complex dressing changes, disease processes, time management, IV therapy, PEG tube feedings, changing foleys and SP catheters, documentation, calling MDs, delegating to CNAs, rehab, Alzheimer's, etc. The reason it can be difficult to work in a nursing home is that the patient's can be complex and you have a lot of them.

I would advise you to learn all you can during this time period. Write down medications and labs that you aren't familiar with and study them at home. Learn from your coworkers how to improve your time management skills. I'm sure you will be just fine getting a hospital job down the road--just be sure to never stop learning.

[life_aknew]

i just wanted to say that i am deeply sorry for your loss and i wish you the best of look finding employment in a hospital soon.

[GOMER42]

1-2 years will usually give you the experience needed to apply for most positions

Good luck and enjoy the experience you are gaining now

[goodspiritsRN]

Thank you all for the encouragement! This time of year is yet peaceful but heart wrenching. Thank you all again! Ps....still looking and putting one foot in front of the other.

[blackdogm3]

Don't give up. It's still good that you got a job at a nursing home. It's still experience! I know my professor use to tell us what their first jobs were, and some had home health, nursing homes, and even prison! It's still an experience, and they're successful now. Learn as much as you can, and keep applying while you're working. Even getting a BSN won't hurt, it shows that you're active in educating yourself. I'm sure you'll get the job you want, just don't lose that spirit.