In South Florida. Nursing homes, home health, doctor's offices say I need experience since I will be unsupervised so that leaves hospitals. I've applied to over 200 med/surg and telemetry night shifts at the 5 major hospital corporations down here. Actually had 4 interviews. I have a rough first impression being a muscular 6'5 280lb white, heterosexual guy. I have to compare it to a Haitian girl trying to be a fireman down here. The nurses that interviewed me were cold, no personality, and rarely asked more than 3 questions. Calling back for advice, 2 said I was great but went with another candidate, the other 2 never respond.
It's all hospital scholarships, networking from currently working in a hospital, or friends/family in the business down here. HR never returns emails or voicemails and they always say they'll contact if they want an interview. It's discouraging considering I was a top student and the first to get my license. Classmates with hospital scholarships are walking into ICU, ER, and Critical Care jobs within a week of graduation, unlicensed.
After 8 months of this I'm giving up and joining the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. I hear it's close and in some ways tougher than being an RN. I refuse to get a tech job taking vitals for a year while my classmates make $60k and are already halfway to getting their BSN.
It is so difficult as a new grad right now, but all I can say is hang in there...something will come along for you. I graduated in June 2010 at the top of my class as well. I didn't land my first job until December, and that was in a doctor's office. I stayed there for about six months, until a couple of months ago when I landed a job with a disease management company, which I consider better nursing experience than the doctor's office. If we cut out the doctor's office, since I don't consider the experience I received with them to be great nursing experience, that's almost a year until I landed a real nursing job. It's beyond frustrating and yes I wanted to give up many times. Be patient, keep applying, adjust your resume, and it will happen.
Like others have mentioned, relocating can do wonders in a job search. I know some other new grad RNs who were able to land jobs in Memphis, and I've also heard that North Dakota has a great job market for RNs right now.
I am sorry you are having a hard time. That is so frustrating. Have you applied out of state (since it sounds like relocating is something you're ok with)? If you do decide to speak to the military and you have a BSN, please consider that you can entire as an RN officer - rather than a corpsman. A corpsman is more like a CNA/Tech. You can, instead, work as an RN and build that experience.
I agree with all of the other posts here. If you're going into the military, get your BSN and do nursing. You'll get your experience, you'll make THOUSANDS more, you will have rank etc. etc. etc.
There are many online programs and if you bust orifice you can be done in 1-1.5 years.
Aaaaand... if you have your ADN - before you go corpsman, talk to them about putting you through your BSN and then doing your commitment as a RN officer.
That sucks. I would NOT go into the navy as a hospital corpsman, I would have them agree to help me get a BSN and go in as an officer. Or, I would relocate to another area....have you tried north of the boarder? Where I live in GA (Savannah area), I see lots of new grads get hired. I would apply and then call to talk to a recruiter.
I have a girlfriend who graduated with my 12/09 who still doesnt have a job either. She is planning on doing some flu clinics this year to try and at least keep up with some clinical skills. She's still working at a sub shop. =(
Im in Texas, graduated Dec 2010. I FINALLY got a job offer this july. Then it seemed like all the others followed, I've had to turn down a few offers, I'm giving notice at my current job, and I have accepted 2 other positions. One PRN, one full time. I'd gotten discouraged too. All I can say is try to stay positive and dont give up. There is something out there.
I just met a nurse yesterday in a parking lot who graduated 2+ years ago, she said she and several of the people she knows gave up on nursing. Some gave up after leaving dangerous situations to find other nursing jobs, but got nowhere. Some simply never got a job, period.
Funny she was interviewing for a totally non-nursing job in the same building where I had an interview for a nursing job. We got coffee because we both had left the building having met in the elevator (I had my visitor badge on... it said RN). She even told me that someone she knew who left a job after a month due to dangerous circumstances, was pretty sure that that old job was speaking poorly of her. I guess it might be important to think whether you want to list one of those type jobs on your resume. I've heard that your employer will find out anyway if you don't list the job, but, if you don't trust that employer... those interviews where it seems it went well, but then you find you are out of the running? I wonder, even if you are very diplomatic as to why you left the job, it may not be understood. Maybe those that suggest not mentioning the bad job if it was only a month, really say that for a reason.
You gotta know from living life that it all has to do with everything depending on who interviews you. In my area race has a lot to do with it at certain hosipitals, so does where you got your education - some prefer foreign educated nurses, age, gender, sexual preference, etc.
None of this is supposed to be part of the interview process but you can betcha it certainly is, it's just not voiced because that kind of a thing is a "no-no". I had an interview the other day where the interviewer began to casually speak of sexual preference in a veryround about way, and then locked eyes with me in order to gauge what I thought about the information he was sending my way. I thought OMG, he wants to see if I have a problem with his way of life... WOW. Without getting into specifics, I made some sort of positive nonsense answer. But it was obviously something he was worried about, and he needed to see what I would think of him. He probably had issues in his career with it, and didn't want anybody around that he suspected would be a problem for him.
It happens.
Seriously? I had no idea that men had to deal with this kind of crap at this level. I know that there is a huge social stigma against male nurses, I just didn't realize that men had to go to such contortions to adjust their sexuality in accordance with who is interviewing them.
I'm not sure why I'm surprised, I wasn't always a nurse and I remember having to deal with that nonesense when I worked in the "world of men." How quickly you forget what it's like to be on the wrong side of the gender divide. But I'm getting old, so it's just a question of time before I start having to deal with a whole new set of employ-ability problems.
For what it's worth, it's too bad. My experiences working with male nurses have been overwhelmingly positive and I really hope we can get past such nonesense. I guess the original question still stands anyway, but coming from a different place -- gender and sexuality need to not be a part of the interview experience.
As a brand new nursing student in South Florida with no possibility of leaving the area for at least the next 5 years (husband's job, small children), your post really worries me. Hang in there and best of luck! :)
Yeah Mazy, it was very strange. Well, so was the entire list of people I met "still shaking head in disbelief". I'd elaborate for your entertainment even, but I guess I can't. It would be just too obvious probably to somebody where this place was. No, I didn't get the job. Don't think I was wierd enough (believe it or not :)) and I'm not referring to sexual preference being the issue - I'm referring to just plain "off".
I am sorry you are having such a difficult time. For what its worth I work with several male nurses and they are all great. I have noticed they are often times easier to work with (less drama), great when it comes to heavy lifting, and just as caring and compassionate as any female nurse.
Hang in there and best of luck! :)
crossingfingers10
78 Posts
It is so difficult as a new grad right now, but all I can say is hang in there...something will come along for you. I graduated in June 2010 at the top of my class as well. I didn't land my first job until December, and that was in a doctor's office. I stayed there for about six months, until a couple of months ago when I landed a job with a disease management company, which I consider better nursing experience than the doctor's office. If we cut out the doctor's office, since I don't consider the experience I received with them to be great nursing experience, that's almost a year until I landed a real nursing job. It's beyond frustrating and yes I wanted to give up many times. Be patient, keep applying, adjust your resume, and it will happen.
Like others have mentioned, relocating can do wonders in a job search. I know some other new grad RNs who were able to land jobs in Memphis, and I've also heard that North Dakota has a great job market for RNs right now.
Good luck to you!