How do I get a job? 'RN who lacks experience'

DedHedRN · Feb 17, 2011

Welcome to the realities of the New Grad dilemma.

I need a job, but I cant get hired without experience.

Honestly, I think someone should just SHUT DOWN ALL RN schools for a few years.. so the new grads that already graduated can get jobs.

racknroll · Feb 17, 2011

I feel your pain jitterbug.

I've had my RN license for almost a year now. No job yet. The search continues....so frustrating.

josinda421 · Feb 18, 2011

how about you forget about hospital and try different areas, such as doctors office, nursing homes....I mean anything.

DedHedRN · Feb 18, 2011

how about you forget about hospital and try different areas, such as doctors office, nursing homes....I mean anything.

I have been doing that, even those places want experienced nurses now. I'm not picky at all. My goal is to eventually work in Home Health, or Hospice, but in the mean time I will take what I can get. Just no one is calling me yet. I have been trying calling them, sending letters of interest...ect. but nothing so far.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

i'm a new grad, got acls while i have applied to hundreds of rn positions at hospitals in northern ca. almost all have come back saying 'you lack experience'. i'm not being picky where i'm applying either! i need some advice. i thought getting acls would help me get a job, but i guess i am wrong. no interviews and a lot of frustration - how can i get experience if you will not hire me!

why would having acls help to get a job? it is a certificate that anyone can get. you do not have to be a nurse. besides, without work experience, your acls knowledge will be non-existent! the best thing to do to gain work experience is to move.

i have been doing that, even those places want experienced nurses now. i'm not picky at all. my goal is to eventually work in home health, or hospice, but in the mean time i will take what i can get. just no one is calling me yet. i have been trying calling them, sending letters of interest...ect. but nothing so far.

you need to move too.

jitterbug, isisc, and anyone else having the same trouble, move to texas. texas and very few other states will hire new grads in great numbers. in fact, texas will take new grads into specially areas inside and outside of the hospital setting and train them. of course, many times you will need to provide a 1-2 year commitment, but who cares? once you have it, you should be able to move back to ca or wherever with work experience. gl!

AntMarchingRN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

"Why would having ACLS help to get a job? It is a certificate that anyone can get. You do not have to be a nurse. Besides, without work experience, your ACLS knowledge will be non-existent!"

ACLS is not a certificate just anyone can get...I dont think my plumber could run a mega code.

It helps people get jobs all the time. Im not saying its a deal closer, but when a facility sees theres a skill you have that others dont (that they dont have to pay for) it does give you a leg up. If even a small one.

Catch22Personified · Feb 18, 2011

Relocation in itself is a catch-22. You need to move to increase your job prospects? You need money. How does one get money most of the time? A job.

PediLove2147, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

I hate when the only advice people have is to move. Not everyone can just pick up everything and move across the country.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

acls is not a certificate just anyone can get...i dont think my plumber could run a mega code.

think again. a plumber will not be able to use the cert because he/she will not be hired by a facility to be in a position to run a code. however this does not mean that a plumber is unable to obtain an acls certificate. fyi, lawyers, who are not nurses or emts or docs or rts etc., obtain acls certs. it helps them to have enough knowledge to add to a law suit against a health care provider who is acls certified. :uhoh3:

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

i hate when the only advice people have is to move. not everyone can just pick up everything and move across the country.

unfortunately, this is the way things are right now and this is what your peers (and competition) are doing for work experience. another tactic to gain experience is through commuting and partially living away from home.

some nurses (and even other health care providers) will commute a distance away from home every week and live in a motel or rent a room. he/she will work before driving back home on his/her days off. such providers try to be scheduled several days in a row or switch shifts with co-workers to be able to work several shifts in a row. thus allowing him/her to spend several days a week at home.

AntMarchingRN, RN · Feb 18, 2011

think again. a plumber will not be able to use the cert because he/she will not be hired by a facility to be in a position to run a code. however this does not mean that a plumber is unable to obtain an acls certificate. fyi, lawyers, who are not nurses or emts or docs or rts etc., obtain acls certs. it helps them to have enough knowledge to add to a law suit against a health care provider who is acls certified.

nice eyeroll, very helpful. you are beyond ridiculous. to say just anyone can come off the street and take (and pass) acls in order to down play it is making light of something extremely important to healthcare. i dont know what you do, but i teach acls and at my hospital you must be an rn or paramedic etc with advanced knowledge of rhythms to take to class and even then some new nurses have a very hard time. this is not just a card you keep in your wallet, it is a method used to save lives. so you can roll your eyes and give shallow empty advice to new nurses that suggests they dont need to educate themselves as best as possible to get jobs, but thats not helpful to anyone at all. my guess is you dont care to be helpful anyway...that is what we should be rolling our eyes at :uhoh3:

so, for all you new nurses out there, get your acls, get your iv cert, take tncc, whatever class you take to make that resume stand out above the rest will always be helpful and keep up your skills while job searching.

do not listen to those bitter people out there who say "move" and roll thier eyes, that kind of ignorance will never be helpful to anyone. good luck out there. with all your efforts you will get a job eventually, i only hope you dont run into people rolling there eyes with empty suggestions.