How many 2010 grads still looking?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm wondering how many are in the exact same conundrum I currently am. I graduated an RN in May 2010 and got my license in July 2010. I still haven't been able to get a hospital job in my area (by that, I mean a good 150 mile radius).

In early 2010 several hospitals around here had a lot of entry level jobs available on their websites. I applied to at least 20 hospitals that spring and right after graduating, many of them took their listings down overnight or raised their requirements from entry to years of experiences. One hospital changed their requirements for med/surg from "current rn license" to "minimum 3 years experience".

Now I did get a job starting at $17/hr (very poor RN pay) for home health back in May. Basically, I sat with a 6 year old boy on a vent and suctioned him every couple hours all night from midnight to 8:00 am and watched TV and gave him his morning meds. I could teach anyone to take care of him in less than an hour. Everything was fine until August, when his mom insisted that I double his Miralax (he was prescribed 8.5 grams each morning, mom wanted him to have 17 grams) and I stated as diplomatically as possible that I couldn't legally do that without changing the prescription. She threw a fit at first, but we worked it out when she calmed down enough for me to explain that my supervisor could call the doc and get it updated. Lo and behold, a week later I get a call saying that the mom removed me from the case stating that I "didn't mesh well with the family." She had nothing but praise for my work prior to that. Welcome to home health care, huh? There is no other patient they can put me with right now, so back to the drawing board.

This summer, I have applied to some nursing homes and even some hospitals up to 200 miles away. I've had exactly 2 hospital interviews in the last year and a half (one before I graduated) with no call-backs. I now have over 40 active applications out there and nary a thing to show for it. I'm considering moving to northeastern WI, which seems to have a LOT more openings available that central IL.

I'm just wondering how many other 2010 or 2009 RN grads have yet to get their first hospital job? I feel like my education is going down the drain. I doubt I would pass the NCLEX today, but I might.

getting a job and working some were to build a resume is better than chasing dreams and getting no were , a paycheck doesn't hurt either , sometimes pride can kill , not wanting to "lower your self" to work in a ltc center is silly , not saying thats you , but eventually gota get a start some were , you be surprised what kinda doors open once you have a job

You misunderstood me. I never said I wouldn't take an LTC job. Only that it would not be in my long-term plans. I'll do what I have to, but if I get an LTC job, I'm still going to jump ship to the first hospital that will hire me to get the experience required for my goals.

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You learned how to deal with difficult families tactfully and caring for a very fragile child. You did nothing wrong...I would have done the same thing. You can't just give into unreasonable people's (well actually) it was an illegal request. You explained why (I have been there, too...people just assume that you can just give them TUMS and things since they're OTC, and then I politely explain that well, if your sodium bicarb is high, and I give you tums...well...lol, I don't actually say that, but I just explain that OTC meds can sometimes interact w/prescribed meds and have harmful effects, etc, and usually ppl are reasonable, just a lack of knowledge thing.

Yeah, my supervisor told me the same things. When the mom removed me from her case, my supervisor said I did nothing wrong and said, "Welcome to home health care." I explained to the mom that it is not within my legal scope of practice to modify prescriptions. I can withhold them, if tests indicate so, (like holding on the digoxin when the patient's heart rate is 52) but not modify them. Told her if I gave more than prescribed and a problem developed, I could lose my license (to which she replied, "This is my son... I don't give a damn about your license.") I even suggested to her than since Miralax is an OTC drug, she was free give her son more than the prescribed amount, but I could not, even with her permission.

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Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

Well, her reply showed that she was unreasonable lol. It's probably best you're off that case now anyway. If she was so adamant about it, why didn't she just give it? lol. And, being that I've never worked in home health, only did that shadow day in nursing school lol, I know it's way harder for you to reach the doc anyway, right? It's not as if you could have just called him for a phone order?

I hope you find what you're looking for....really tailor your resume to peds if that's what you want b/c you do have some experience! If I were a manager, I would rather hire you than a brand new grad. At least you have some experience. Now, get off AN and go call some peds managers! lol j/k. I better go clean my house and study for work....I've been letting this distract me lol. Good luck!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I graduated in June 2010 RN in July 2010 and still have not had that much sought after hospital job.

I am a pediatric nurse thou:clown:

I was a CNA2 in an ED during school, hoping that it would give me a foot in the door to a hospital job, :down: it didn't worked for 9 months as a CNA2, when I was a RN:uhoh3: While I looked for a full time job.

My first job was flu shot clinics, then like the OP I did pediatric home health, that essentially was suctioning, change and reposition, never even gave any meds, I did do bolus feedings. Very boring and felt I was loosing any skills I had at the same time I was doing my CNA2 gig and I felt I was doing more as a CNA in a ER then a home health RN.

Did home health for about 5 months when a SNF/LTAC came calling and I finally was hired into a facility, I was finally able to quit my CNA job and home health, but I kept applying to jobs every day.

About 9 months later a pediatric LTC facility called me, they are a part of a large multi state hospital system to which I had applied to over 200 jobs in multiple states, and they finally called me for an interview.

I was hired with on-call status for now, fingers crossed that I can get part-time or full time, but I also found out that I can apply to work in other hosptials for the same health system and keep the on-call job once my 6 month probationary period is over.

I am still working at the SNF, but I am making steps into the right direction and I hope that if the LTC peds job dosn't turn into a full/part time job then I am hoping that experience will help me get into a children's hospital

One of my former classmate worked for a year doing pediatric home health and now has a part time job at a local shriners childrens hospital, so there is hope

Right now I am so despterate to get out of the adult SNF and am considering going back to peds home health so I can work with just one population

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I'm sorry to hear of your struggles. If you're seriously considering relocating to WI, check out Wisconsin Job Network (http://www.WisconsinJobNetwork.com) -- there are LOTS of jobs available. I hope that you're able to find something soon. Don't get discouraged...keep your head up. Good luck!

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Yeah, we're definitely going back to WI anyway when we get our tax return. (Unless somewhere around here hires me in the next 3 months or so.) We lived in Green Bay for 8 years and we've been away for 6 years and miss it dearly. Between Green Bay, Fox cities, Manitowoc, Sheboygan and everywhere in between, there are tons of facilities which could be potential employers.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Home health.

I'm in the same position you are, may 2010 grad, june 2010 passed NCLEX, then in oct. 2010 got hired for peds home health, I'm still stuck here, trach suction, gt feeds, meds, and changing diapers is all i do, probably a total of 1-2 hours work for a 12 hours shift, if that..i'm losing my mind and my skills, I haven't had an interview at a hospital for 10 months..it's really disheartening, but I'm still searching daily and apply to almost every open position at every hospital within an hours drive. Hopefully our luck will turn around soon.

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I'm in the same position you are, may 2010 grad, june 2010 passed NCLEX, then in oct. 2010 got hired for peds home health, I'm still stuck here, trach suction, gt feeds, meds, and changing diapers is all i do, probably a total of 1-2 hours work for a 12 hours shift, if that..i'm losing my mind and my skills, I haven't had an interview at a hospital for 10 months..it's really disheartening, but I'm still searching daily and apply to almost every open position at every hospital within an hours drive. Hopefully our luck will turn around soon.

Yep. That's pretty much where I'm at. Except you have a few more months of experience on me. You should be able to claim a year's experience in peds and qualify for about any peds job soon enough.

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