WHAT DO WE NEED

[nursepenelope]

HI, I HAVE BEEN A NURSE SINCE 2008. I went to a private, expensive schooling hopes of being an L&D NURSE. I CAN'T EVEN GET A JOB IN THE HOSPITAL. MY QUESTION IS FOR MANANAGER, HR, HIRING MANAGERS...WHOEVER DOES THE HIRING.

I WANT A JOB IN A HOSPITAL. I HAVE WORKED MOST OF the seven YEARS SINCE GRADUATION, AND GAVE 200% DESIRING TO LEARN EVERYTHING I CAN.

I HAVE INTERVIEWED. MY QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE YOU ALL LOOKING FOR DURING INTERVIEWS AND IN RESUMES? HOW DO I GET HIRED? I AM TIRED OF BEING TOLD "NO". IT TAKES A TOLL ON YOUR ABILITY AS A NURSE AND IS VERY DISCOURAGING.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE ADVISE ME? YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MU H IT WOULD BE APPRECIATED. WOULD IT BE WORTH IT TO HAVE MY RESUME PROFESSIONALLY DONE. I THINK THAT COULD BE A WEAK AREA OF MINE..JUST ONE! PLEASE, WHAT CAN/SHOULD I DO?

[vanilla bean]

May I suggest not going with the ALL CAPS theme on your resume and cover letter?

[Nibbles1]

Check your spelling and usage of words as well. I had a hard time trying to read what you posted. I still don't understand your title. What Do We Need. Whose"WE?"

Now, can you work as a dula? That would get your foot in the door. What about pedatric home health. Not exactly L/D but it would experience with peds. Good luck.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

First off, you need a professional to be able to go over your cover letter and your resume. This way, what you present will be in your best marketing interest.

Second, get your lactation consultant certification. Get NALS certified. Get certified as a doula. All those things are important to have when a nurse would like to specialize. Become along with that a childbirth educator. Again, makes you more marketable. Get certified is non-stress testing, and reading strips during labor. Once you have these things (or parts of these things) make an appointment to have a meeting with the nurse manager of your local L&D department.

Get some professional coaching from the manager. Ask if you could perhaps obtain a per diem position within L&D. There are many departments that also need lactation consultants as well as childbirth educators. Stress your desire to get certified in L&D (which I THINK--and check--that you need a certain number of hours of working in L&D to receive).

It can be a frustrating process to not be able to specialize where you would like to. But look at it as education that is needed to make you more marketable, and to achieve your goal.

Best wishes, and let us know how it goes.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I can't tell from the original post ... What type of work have you been doing for the past 7 years? If it hasn't been direct patient care, then your bedside skills are probably being considered out-of-date. You may need to take a refresher course -- or get a patient care job in another specialty before an L&D manager would consider your sufficiently current in your clinical skills.