I passed my boards on June 29th and I have my license. Granted I don't really have experience besides clinicals but I don't understand why I haven't even had one interview or at least a phone call! Everyone told me getting a job would be easy!! Now I have no money, my fiance and I just went and sold some DVD's but only got 20 bucks! And yes I said my fiance we are getting married in 50 days! And he isn't Mr. Moneybags good job just not a lot of pay. I really don't understand. I've called and checked up and I've got nothing. I've applied hospitals, community health, schools, physicians offices you name it I've pretty much applied. I don't know what to do I need a job ASAP. Any one have ANY advice?
I live in California and we have a nursing shortage due to recent laws passed regarding patient/nurse ratios. So, a lot of travel nurses end up out here for short periods of time to fill in and make great money. Often you are also provided with free, furnished and private housing in areas most people would love to be. Assignments can last anywhere from 3 months to a year usually and you pretty much get to call the shots. Just google "travel nurse" and you will find plenty of sites to review. This could at least get you some experience and help you make contacts for something a little more permanent while making $40-$50/HR. Hope this helps!
I live in California and we have a nursing shortage due to recent laws passed regarding patient/nurse ratios. So, a lot of travel nurses end up out here for short periods of time to fill in and make great money. Often you are also provided with free, furnished and private housing in areas most people would love to be. Assignments can last anywhere from 3 months to a year usually and you pretty much get to call the shots. Just google "travel nurse" and you will find plenty of sites to review. This could at least get you some experience and help you make contacts for something a little more permanent while making $40-$50/HR. Hope this helps!
Nightingale :)
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California does not have a shortage due to the ratio laws being passed. It's ratios laws which have helped to alleviate CA's shortage- not to mention improved quality of care for pts and working conditions for nurses. I am a traveler. Because of the ratios, CA is now more popular than ever with travelers. So much so that's it's getting more and more diificult for a traveler to get an assignment in CA. Even "Killer King" hospital is currently fully staffed!
I agree that the ratio laws do help with long term nursing shortages because it helps those nurses coming in and already employed from leaving the field.
Initially though, the law created a more severe shortage because we still had the same amount of patients but now we needed more nurses to care for them. (If a nurse that was working with 5 patients can now only work with 1-2 patients then we need at least two more extra nurses to care for the 3-4 patients the other nurse can no longer care for due to the nursing ratios).
It may be that 2 years later, CA has finally caught up with the shortage and the travelling positions are not as readily available as they were even 6 months ago.
I cannot argue with your experience and I appreciate that you made me aware of my misconception. Being new to the forum and new to the field some of the information I come across may be outdated.
I would still encourage Michelle to consider the travelling option among the others suggested here as it is always good to make an educated decision utilizing as much information as possible.
I feel your pain. I graduated in 2005. I just recently got my nursing license almost a month ago and I haven't found a job yet. I have had one interview with the hiring manager of an ER department and haven't heard anything yet. I have called twice and still no reply. I interview 2 weeks ago. I thought the interview went well. I have only applied at 4 hospitals and only one called with an interview. I also thought, it would be easy to find a job. I thought that within 2 weeks I would have a job working as a nurse.
I passed the nclex pn July 14th and still have not been able to find a job in my area. Last week I had to take a job working at a collection agency to live while looking for a nursing job. Currently I am exploring going back to a lpn-bsn program. While in school every one was telling me how much better life would be after graduation but that has not been. I did have a couple interviews but they wanted someone with more expericance. I am just praying that I can find something in the nusing field before long so I can fulfill the hours required to renew my license.
Just FYI, and I am not sure about the rest of CA, but here in Santa Barbara there is ALWAYS a shortage and ALWAYS approximately 50% staffing from travellers (sp?) in our med surg areas. I also believe we are ALWAYS hiring. I know that most of the floors are very happy to take new grads. The cost of living here is also ALWAYS expensive. Sorry...not very often I can say always with certainty, so that was fun :). I understand the frustration of not being able to find a job. My advice: keep your chin up, know that when it is meant to be it will happen, and NEVER settle. Be picky about where you work, it will be a large factor in whether you love or hate your job.
Also, have you talked to other new grads or nurses in the area? It always helps to have somebody put in a good word for you. Also, many nurses know of an opening before it is advertised. Please let us know if the PHN works out and how your job search is coming along. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!
Thanks I'll let you know how it works, I still haven't heard back about when the interview is. She called on Saturday (weird?) but I don't think she works monday or tuesday because I tried to call and set up a time and she wasn't in and then today her voicemail was changed and said she would be out of the office all day (my luck) hopefully I'll hear from her tomorrow but if that's the case my interview will be on friday because that was the day she was scheduling interviews. I'm nervous too because it seems that although people go on interviews they are still told they want someone with more experience. Well I have no experience except for clinicals and that's on my resume so seems like they wouldn't want to interview me. Maybe they are hard up for someone to fill this position!! It's only 24 hours a week and doing immunizations and the VFC program but if I get it it's some experience under my belt! I pray I get it!!!
Also, I'm not sure what to do about my wedding stuff. The good thing about the job it would be during the week. But I would need to take a week off for my honeymoon Sept 26-Oct 1 (actually 8 days). Do I tell them that right away or wait? I feel I should wait but then I feel I'm not telling whole truths. Any suggestions?????
Oh and in response to the traveling nurse and the CA shortage, I really can't travel like that I have a lot of family obligations right now and I will be newly married, yes the money would be nice but I can't afford to be away right now. And I'm sure CA has a big shortage but I lived in CA for about 7 months and it really wasn't my cup of tea. Guess you can take the Midwestern girl out of the Midwest but you can't take the Midwest out of the Midwestern girl (that was corny I know) but no CA just isn't for me. No offense to any one. Nice to visit but wouldn't want to live there again!
I kind of know what you mean. I am a transplant from the south and it took awhile before the CA way of life really grew on me. Coming from a rural area in the south all the way to San Francisco was real culture shock, but now I love it. But there are still times I wish I were somewhere where there are 100 brands of grits instead of one brand of grits and no one looks at you funny when you want fried okra.
Home is home. I wish you the best with all that is going on with you! The job, the marriage, the family transition...you really are dealing with a lot of positive but still stressful events.:nuke:
I am sooooo in your same position!!! I graduated in Feb, boards passed and license received in May. I still don't have a job as a nurse....why? NO EXPERIENCE!!! I live in retirement city here in Florida...we have nursing homes galore here......but for some reason, I am an untouchable.
Well I'm pretty much ready for my interview. She told me not to bring anything but I thought I'd bring a little folder with a legal pad of paper and a back up resume and my mini license and my transcripts all in the folder just in case. Got my out fit ironed and shoes cleaned up and my finger nails polished! ( I never do that!). I feel ready I just hope they don't throw me a bunch of curve ball questions!!!
Good luck on the interview. I just have to say if you decide not to tell her about the time off you need there might be a chance that the request won't be granted. I would really hate for you to start a new job and begin orientation only to find out that you can't get the time off that you need. I know where I work vacations must be approved and there are times that the vacation time is denied.
Also as far as traveling nursing agencies for the most part require at least one year experience before placing you in a travel position because travelers get very little orientation. They are oriented to the particular hospital and their paperwork/computers/policies but travel nurses must be very skilled in the nursing aspect because they are expected to be independent after just a few days of orientation to the facility.
Well I dunno I have to take the time off everything is booked I can't not do all the stuff. Well hopefully it will be ok. Suppose to hear back this week I think it went well though. I think they only had 1 or 2 interviews and the girl before me was about 5 or 6 months pregnant and didn't look very appropriately dressed and her hair looked like she didn't wash it and tied back in messy pony tail. So I hope I get it and everything goes good!
SFNightingale2B
6 Posts
Michelle,
I live in California and we have a nursing shortage due to recent laws passed regarding patient/nurse ratios. So, a lot of travel nurses end up out here for short periods of time to fill in and make great money. Often you are also provided with free, furnished and private housing in areas most people would love to be. Assignments can last anywhere from 3 months to a year usually and you pretty much get to call the shots. Just google "travel nurse" and you will find plenty of sites to review. This could at least get you some experience and help you make contacts for something a little more permanent while making $40-$50/HR. Hope this helps!
Nightingale :)