Help transferring from a specialty

[erm1105]

I am an RN with 3 years experience working in psych. When I first got my license, every hospital went into a hiring freeze due to the economy, and I was lucky to get the job I found. Now that the hiring freezes are lifting, I am having a slightly more difficult problem. There are few, if any, positions available for psych nurses, and almost every med-surg, ER, OR, doctors office, L&D, community health, etc position I can find requires experience or training I don't have (my job did not offer employees training like ACLS, PALS, or any sort of certifications).

I have applied for the ones that just "prefer" experience, but to no avail. I did do some work in a nursing home for a few months, but that was a horrible experience. The only idea, other than just continuing to apply for these positions and/or waiting for a psych position to open up, that I have had is to move somewhere where they are desperate for nurses and work med-surg there for awhile. (Which is unappealing partly because all of my family and friends are here.)

Any suggestions/ideas how to make myself more attractive to potential employers? I have a BSN, I can speak (some) Spanish, and I had some experience in education. I can do the work, I just can't convince anyone to hire me!

[TigerLilie]

Hi ern1105,

First I will go about getting certifications ( Basic Cardiac Life Support and/or Advance Cardiac Life Support). My mentor told me, to make yourself more marketable, get certification. Especially, as a nurse, you need your BCLS. That way when they review your resume, they see you are prepared. Even look into some IV classes.

Please don't give up, be presistent, but make sure you have your certification!!

Best Wishes