In deep water...

[kfitzy89]

Hi all,

First off, thank-you for taking the time to read this. I really just need to vent and hopefully hear some very sound advice from all of the bright minds on this forum.

Let me start by saying I moved to FL from MI back in January, passed my NCLEX-RN, and accepted my very first RN position at a hospital on the Neuro unit. Since then, I have had two family members pass away and one become very unhealthy. Two months into my orientation, when one of my family members who raised me was still alive, I decided to move back to MI in late May in order to be closer to family, help out, etc., because my family needs it regardless of how much they deny it.

Moving to the present, I am having extreme difficulty finding a new job (no shock there), as there are mainly no open positions, or very specialized positions which require experience. As you all know, Sallie May and every other debt collector is knocking on my door and making things ten times worse and I am starting to feel very stressed and down in the dumps.

I am applying everywhere, retail, security jobs, etc. I am just worried now because I will have to list these on my resume and job experience when I apply to hospital jobs and they will think I am just bouncing from job to job, which is not the case.

Any thoughts? Thanks for reading!

[whatsmyusername_RN]

I'm sorry about your family members and about your situation.

Are you planning on applying to FL or could you be more flexible and willing to move around the country? If you're flexible I think you'd have a better chance at other states, like the Midwest.

Just wondering, did you ever finish your orientation? Maybe that could be counted as nursing experience, even though it was a short one.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I'm sorry about your family members and about your situation.

Are you planning on applying to FL or could you be more flexible and willing to move around the country? If you're flexible I think you'd have a better chance at other states, like the Midwest.

Just wondering, did you ever finish your orientation? Maybe that could be counted as nursing experience, even though it was a short one.

This.

Also, if you haven't done so, look for jobs outside of the hospital as well-clinics, LTC, LTACH (long term acute care hospital), Sub-Acute/Rehab, Dialysis, Wound Care Clinics, Ambulatory Care.

Also look into deferring your loans; you can apply for an unemployment deferment with Sallie Mae; I had to do so and it has been do able; also before the deferment ends, you can apply for an income-based repayment; just log into your Sallie Mae account.

Best wishes.

[caliotter3]

Don't worry about what prospective employers think if you have non-nursing jobs listed on your resume. They can not fault you for attempting to survive. When you have nursing experience to list, start leaving off the desperation jobs at that time. Or, you can keep your resume with only nursing experience on it from the get go. Your resume is meant to showcase your abilities for the employment you are seeking, so this is acceptable. Only list the desperation jobs on applications that tell you to list "all" employment held in the last ten, seven, or whatever time frame of years.

[whatsmyusername_RN]

This.

Also, if you haven't done so, look for jobs outside of the hospital as well-clinics, LTC, LTACH (long term acute care hospital), Sub-Acute/Rehab, Dialysis, Wound Care Clinics, Ambulatory Care.

Also look into deferring your loans; you can apply for an unemployment deferment with Sallie Mae; I had to do so and it has been do able; also before the deferment ends, you can apply for an income-based repayment; just log into your Sallie Mae account.

Best wishes.

@LadyFree28, just wondering does deferment affect your credit score?

As LadyFree28 suggested, you should try to look outside of hospital. There are many jobs outside hospitals and maybe you'll have better luck finding one. Work at an LTC is better than no nursing experience. I wouldn't mind doing that.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

@LadyFree28, just wondering does deferment affect your credit score?

When I look at my credit report, it's usually reported as good credit on my reports, even with deferment.

[thinwildmercury]

You don't have to put those jobs on your resume and honestly I wouldn't put any short term irrelevant job on a application either. I made it to a hospital with a very stringent background check and they only checked the employers I listed for them... I don't think they will have anyway of knowing nor would they care. As the others suggested, I too think it would be a great idea to to look for any kind of nursing work you can find until a better nursing job comes around. Right now I'd look at flu clinics. LTC is usually hiring as well.

I also want to congratulate you on your priorities and when you are feeling down in the dumps about financial situations, just remember that you made those decisions and sacrifices for your family and you made the right choice. Without out loved ones, we have very little. If you are religious, pray for some peace in your life.

Good luck to you =)

[kfitzy89]

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments, I appreciate it!

Unfortunately, when I said I tried everywhere, I meant everywhere, including the LTC facilities and the like. Most of the only open jobs are for DON positions and CNA/PCA types.

I'm keeping my head held high and going to chug along, hopefully the power of positive thinking will be fortunate to me, lol.

I would be all for relocating, but then I would be far away from family again. Kind of a double-edged sword

situation.

[whatsmyusername_RN]

I made it to a hospital with a very stringent background check and they only checked the employers I listed for them...

Hey violetsmom,

I have question I hope you, or anyone, can answer for me. I put one of my former companies in my resume because I worked there for a year with a phone number and who the manager was. But I just realized that the company had closed a few months prior. The phone # is now no longer in service. Will that affect my hiring potential by the hospital I've applied to? Could I call HR and let them know about it? Thanks to anyone who can answer this.

[thinwildmercury]

Yeah that happens sometimes! HR should be satisfied if you provide them with pay stubs or a w2 to prove you worked there. The background check people should also be able to figure out they're closed now. If there's someone you know from there who could vouch that you worked with them then that might be helpful but if not, it should not be a problem. They don't look into all that stuff until they are pretty sure they want to hire you and often they will already have offered you the job by then so you have time to explain :)

[whatsmyusername_RN]

Yeah that happens sometimes! HR should be satisfied if you provide them with pay stubs or a w2 to prove you worked there. The background check people should also be able to figure out they're closed now. If there's someone you know from there who could vouch that you worked with them then that might be helpful but if not, it should not be a problem. They don't look into all that stuff until they are pretty sure they want to hire you and often they will already have offered you the job by then so you have time to explain :)

Thanks for the super fast answer, violetsmom! I did call the HR people and explained the situation and they were understanding about it. Actually it had been over 6/7 years since I worked for that company, so it might not even be too relevant anyway. But I was grateful the HR people were understanding and nice about it.

[kfitzy89]

My next question is whether or not I should list my two months of working at that hospital on my resume? I definitely gained experience in those two months, but I also do not want to deter future employment opportunities with such a short time contingency from my previous experience. Granted, some applications ask you why you left, etc., but some also do not.