(Imagine this is a cardboard sign) Will work for free!

bigtim · Jun 6, 2012

I hope you prospective new grads realize how big of scam it is to work for a hospital for free. I am not a anti government 99% vs 1% person, but you have to look at it realistically.

If the opportunity to work at a hospital is not there (as in you are not hired within 2-3 months of graduation) try to work there as a CNA or phlebotomist or monitor tech. It is much more reasonable to work there (as a non nurse) and have a good work ethic, which nursing managers may see, and may hire you instead. And you are being paid.

I have yet to have one good reason to work for free.

Just go find a job at a nursing home. You are guaranteed to have a job within a good month of applying. At least in California.

240zRN · Jun 6, 2012

I have been doing a continuing "Residency" in an intensive care unit since January of this year with an end date of August--not quite a year mark. I did 4 months at one hospital and finishing up another 4 months now at another. I am very grateful for the experience, it has helped me land some call backs; but unfortunately has me in an awkward spot of being a new grad with experience, but not enough, and non-paid so to some perspectives null experience. I also work PRN at a clinic; I too rely on my mother--as much as she can (I am very grateful for my ma). This residency was created as a joint effort between the school I graduated from and the county (Workforce Investment Act).

It's nice to be able to keep my skills up, but this entire experience has been incredibly demoralizing. For some reason, every single time I volunteer to help in a code brown (cause that's what new grads should do), I can't help but think to myself...."I'm wiping butt for free." To top it off, neither hospital has been able to accommodate me with a job at the end cause hospital #1 was going through layoffs and new ownership and hospital #2 is going through lawsuits and RN union strikes/disputes. I can't catch a break.

ncl210 · Sep 7, 2013

Yeah...$1500 a month plus free uniforms, parking, and lunch.

Tozz · Sep 7, 2013

(pssst. Hey you. No, not the original poster necessarily, but YOU. The "you" who is a new graduate looking for a job in a very competitive market.

Want a job? Got four hours? Do the following:

Go to the Medicare.gov site. Search for nursing homes in your area. You can do a zip code search for say, 25 miles within zip code 12345. Depending upon what part of the country you live in, you will glean dozens. I got 140 within 25 miles.
Import the Nursing Home addresses; Figure out how to do a Mail Merge in Microsoft Word; Merge the address database into your cover letter. If you're a luddite, simply copy and paste addresses.
Hustle your broke-*ss self down to the local stationary emporium, and buy yourself some good resume paper.
Send out your 140 cover letters and resumes addressed to the Director of Nursing of the facilities. They will be flattered, or at least, not offended, to get an old-fashioned paper resume. Ignore any website instructions regarding "online applications only." If the DON likes you, you can always fill that out later. Don't forget the extra postage if you bought the really high end resume paper.
Drop your resumes in the mailbox.
Wait.
Attend interviews (I got 22 call backs out of 138 resumes; four job offers before I started cancelling interviews)
Cut your teeth in long-term care. It is not easy, but you will learn valuable time management and nursing skills handling 20-40 (long term) or 10-20 (sub acute) patients.
Zoom ahead one year? You'll get that med-surg hospital job. The transition will not be difficult. Yes, you will need to be more analytical, but in the end, you can always take a deep breath and say it's only five patients...

That is all. When you obtain your job, and you will, I will demand my finder's fee.

Please don't pass this on. It only works if nobody knows the trick.)