Why can't my wife find a job?

Nurses General Nursing

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My wife went to school in MS and became an LPN. She worked for a year and then went back to school and became an RN (also in MS). As an LPN, she worked on a med. surg. floor and at a rehabilitation clinic. As an RN, she did home health, first as a field nurse, then as a supervising nurse until we moved to IN. She's bright, intelligent, caring, and kind. I know I'm a little biased, but it's all true.

So, why can't she find a job? It's been almost 9 months since she got her Indiana license. She's interviewed at St. Francis, Community, and Clarian here in Indy and she has yet to get an offer? I know she doesn't have much experience in a hospital setting, but she's a great nurse and would pick it up quickly. I just don't understand, I thought there was suppose to be a nurse shortage.

She really wants to work at a hospital, but she's tried getting on at nursing homes and can't even get a call back from them. I'm just getting frustrated and with this latest rejection (Clarian - who's adding a whole med. surg. wing btw), her confidence is really shaken and I know she's tired of being turned down.

I just don't know what to do. In MS, she would have had 10 offers by now. Am I missing something? What's the deal? Does anyone have any advice?

Why not try a nursing agency? Look up traveling nurses as well, I'm pretty sure they're hiring... that's really weird tho but we can thank the economy for that one. Almost everyone is on a "hire-hold". :madface: o0o0o one of my favorite places to look in is craigslist.com [make sure you spell it right or you get a Media site] and click on the state of preference and then under jobs select medical/health. Filter the search to RN and you should get local postings of RN positions in that state! Hope this helps!

I am not sure what the problem would be and I do not know anything about the nursing situation in Indiana. Maybe go on the regional forum and post this.

Also, is your wife a member here at allnurses? She would benefit greatly to post for herself and begin networking, both in general forums and her regional.

Here are some examples of posts I found for Indiana. Not sure where in Indiana you are but these are just some that are posted around that state...

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/hea/999120229.html

http://evansville.craigslist.org/hea/1004300707.html

http://evansville.craigslist.org/hea/990221503.html

http://muncie.craigslist.org/hea/988806948.html

http://fortwayne.craigslist.org/hea/984765184.html

Give it a shot... craigslist.com then select the state, then the city/site, and then under jobs select medical/health and finally on the top where it says "Search for:" just put RN!!! :wink2: Good Luck!

Thanks for the advice. We've looked on craigslist, but never found much. I'll tell her to give it another shot. I'm not sure about travel nursing, just because I don't want her to be gone. That still might be something to look in to.

She is a member of allnurses, but I don't think she's capable of networking. It's not in her to do something like that, even though she is really friendly and outgoing.

It's just really frustrating. Everyone seems to be hiring, just not her. It's really starting to hurt her feelings and because of that I keep getting angrier and angrier. I'm ready to move out of the state and we've only been here a year.

thanks for the advice. we've looked on craigslist, but never found much. i'll tell her to give it another shot. i'm not sure about travel nursing, just because i don't want her to be gone. that still might be something to look in to.

she is a member of allnurses, but i don't think she's capable of networking. it's not in her to do something like that, even though she is really friendly and outgoing.

it's just really frustrating. everyone seems to be hiring, just not her. it's really starting to hurt her feelings and because of that i keep getting angrier and angrier. i'm ready to move out of the state and we've only been here a year.

anyone can network but if she's friendly and outgoing then she most definitely can network and do it well. not all travel nursing means traveling far away. some people travel within a region that's close to home.

Specializes in Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

FWIT, when I was hired at the hospital where I currently work I found I had to be extremely persistent if not downright aggressive in initiating follow-ups. I never got a call-back to see where I was in the consideration process without leaving 2-3 messages first (I was also never able to reach a human on the first try). This was after attending a job fair where they were soliciting nurses, especially experinced ones, which I was. Once I temporarily misplaced the number of the person responsible for hiring and found it extremely difficult to obtain this number via ordinary channels (website, phone listings). Granted, I've never worked in HR and have no understanding of the process they go though-but honestly, if they're not trying to hire personnel for posted positions, I can't for the life of me understand just what it is that they DO all day... This seems to be the trend around here anyway. Not being naturally ooutgoing/ aggressive, I feel I probably have lost out on other positions I applied for in the past because I didn't realize it was necessary to pursue them that hard.

I wish your wife better luck in the near future.

Specializes in ICU/ER.

Is she being open minded as in wiling to work nights and weekends?? As she may have to take those scheduals just to get her foot in the door.

I am a nurse in Indiana and most of my nurse friends have 2 jobs!! I have honestly never met an unemployed nurse--I see she has applied down in the Indy areas so I am assuming that is where you live---I have a friend at St.Vincents and I know they have recently hired and I know she is working gobs of OT due to short staffing...has your wife applied at a staffing agency? That would get her foot in the door at a few places and be able to network.

Its all about the interview---your resume gets you in front of the hiring mgr but thats it, Does she say she is floundering and choking up in the interview process? Maybe she should call into some HRs and inquire about doing a job shadow for a few shifts, if the staff finds her to be kind, smart and a good worker they will have alot of pull with the hiring mgr.

Specializes in ED, ICU, Heme/Onc.

:) There are 57 job listings for an RN in Indianapolis on Monster.com. Good luck!

Blee

Specializes in lots of different areas.

I totally agree with Chaya-she HAS to be aggressive. I had a terrible time getting callbacks. Only got them when I called HR directly, the numbers on the website and the automatic connect ones were no good. I kept calling around the company for a better contact # in HR. If I kept getting no callbacks, I was going to put my suit on, copy my cover letter and resume, and walk it in myself. When I was an LPN applying, I snail-mailed both to the office supervisor that I was applying to. (I also sent it to HR). I made them want me instead of me needing them!

This last time applying as an RN, I had a few places try to turn me away, I told them to look at my cover letter and then decide. I got a callback after that!

It's frustrating when non-medical family and friends say "oh you can get a job anywhere as an RN!" They mean well!

She's trying to be aggressive, but with each rejection she loses confidence. She's open to working nights and weekends, at least to get in the door, but that doesn't seem to help either.

She hasn't tried St. Vincent's yet. I'll suggest that to her. An agency might be the way to go also. I'm going to look into that.

We actually know a few nurses and networking through them hasn't helped at all. Two of them have multiple jobs. Maybe that's the problem. A lot of nurses seem to be working two jobs.

Specializes in ICU, Cardiac.

Honestly, I don't think there is a huge market for nurses without hospital experience in Indy at the moment. Our hospital, is hiring for the night shift only and only hiring experienced RN's right now.

Many of the nurses I work with are looking for second jobs as census drops and are finding while their are job postings (not a ton), they aren't actually hiring. That leaves the current staff working short or having the ability to pick up of overtime.

I think her best bet would be the biggest hospitals with the better training programs. St. Vincent's, Methodist, IU........but she better be more assertive quickly as the next class of new grads is coming soon.....

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