How to regain floor experience after several years of Psych.

[Westside_RN]

I'm having a lot of trouble finding psych RN positions in Los Angeles. It is so slow now. I have no recent expereince in regular med/surg floor nursing, so no one will hire me (I tried at St. Johns Santa Monica etc). Does anyone know the steps to regain floor experience in med/surg thru a reentry program in Los Angeles area? Do I have to go thru a nursing school or what? Thank you. I'm desperate for any RN job.

[PAERRN20]

No words of advice on the California job front. Try to apple for a new grad position. You might make less, but a hospital might hire you for med-surg that way. You already have an RN license so it's less of a gamble. That way you could have a preceptor and be eased into med-surg. Best of luck.

[lpnflorida]

I empathize with your predicament. I also worked psych for 20 years, the last year of working I knew I would be moving cross country so I transferred into the float pool to get more medical experience. That did me well, I had no difficulty finding a new job.

Would applying for float pool be an option? I personally believe, if you refresh yourself by going to the various web sites which show procedures and such you could then with confidence sit down and tell HR that you could handle acute care as this is why.

Good luck.

[Westside_RN]

Could you please email me privately at [email protected] (if you get a chance), I would like to ask you a question about my resume since you have so much psych experience.... Thank you!!