It's NOT fair!!!!

orangepink, NP · Feb 19, 2011

@karleena: she (carolmaccas66) is right. a friend of mine who graduated a semester behind me got her 1st job in med-surg the same way. she was so much like you. i told her that she needs to go to every unit in every hospital in vegas and she wouldn't. so i had to be with her. when we went to the med surg floor in one of uhs hospitals, we asked the cna to introduce us to the manager and she only pointed us the office. luckily, the manager was there and still, my friend was too shy to introduce herself. you know what i did?

i kicked the door open with my foot. shoved my friend inside the room and quickly hid behind the wall. she had no choice but to stammer, introduce herself and just give her resume. the manager was truly impressed.

i don't know if i posted it in this thread or in another thread but i hope new grads are aware that it generally costs $80,000 to train a new grad. it is that expensive and managers have to pick those who are willing to put it in the effort, willing to go the distance.

some new grads tend to be overwhelmed with the workload. they go through the honeymoon phase and never come out of it. some new grads are not even willing to wipe p00p or do bed baths or linen changes. nobody wants to work with a prima-donna.

this is why managers hesitate to hire new grads. or some hospitals require a year long contract but even that doesn't work because a new grad in our unit transferred to er after 7 months in his 1st year. it's so funny because he was so cocky about it. he thought that now he has 7 months of med-surg experience (coupled with his master's in psychology), he had what it takes to survive in er. then after less than a year in er, he wanted to go back to med-surg.

and this is why i tell new grads to work at least 6 months to a year in ltc or snf so they get used to the pace and rhythm of a nurse's life.

whenever i meet someone who wants to be a nurse or someone who just passed nclex, i always tell them this:

"nursing is not a glamorous job. nobody worships the ground you tread on but this is the most fulfilling job on earth so if you can leave your ego at home, you will find happiness as a nurse."

xtine618 · Feb 21, 2011

i don't know if i posted it in this thread or in another thread but i hope new grads are aware that it generally costs $80,000 to train a new grad. it is that expensive and managers have to pick those who are willing to put it in the effort, willing to go the distance.

oh so true! it is very expensive to train a new nurse. you have to think that most places give new grads 12 weeks on orientation. that is 12 weeks that they pay someone's salary who can not yet take patients on their own. managers need a good reason to hire a new grad. and think of how many resumes they see. if that is all they have to go off of, it's no wonder that new grads are the first ones to be eliminated. you're afraid that you're going to be "bugging" them by going to their office. it may be true for some managers, but most will be impressed by your initiative. the worst that they can say is they don't have time to talk. but i'm sure if you go to each unit, you will find someone who does have 5 minutes for you.

you might also want to try something creative like "top 10 reasons to hire me" with your cover letter. it's different, but you can be witty and professional at the same time. this will help you stand out in their minds. emphasize the great things about yourself and new grads. one thing that my manager told me when she hired me as a new grad was that she loved hiring us because she didn't have to untrain us of bad habits.

keep plugging away. you will be working as a nurse soon, i know it!

kids · Feb 21, 2011

yep, i too, would advise trying to bypass human resources.
leslie

I have to disagree with bypassing HR.

At my hospital system the only applicants eligible for hire are those who have been screened by HR first.

It's the rule and has been since before I started here 5 years ago, it is clearly stated in multiple spots when doing the online app. Managers are supposed to forward any resumes they recieve directly to HR so the application can be rejected. My manager has told me she sees a lot of potentially good applicants sabotage themselves doing it, but agrees with the company's position on it: if an applicant can't follow the rules when applying for the job why would they follow the rules if hired.

MomRN0913 · Feb 21, 2011

Being on the other side now, doing the hiring for the LTACH I manage..... I can tell you why new grad apps are not getting past HR. You could be the best in your clinicals with a 4.0 But when a place needs nurses to start, they want ones with less orientation who needs less on the job instruction.

However, my facility did a new grad hiring spree. But now we need expereience. For a few reasons. we need nruses on the unit now. 4 weeks of orientation, not 3 months. And we need experiences nurses to train any new grads for the future. So, what I am saying is follow up all your applications. because they may soon be hiring new grads. Maybe not right now, but soon.

I do feel greatly for you, I was lucky enough when I graduated that you were getting hired even before passing your NCLEX. I couldn't imagine coming through all that school and having such a hard time.

I don't know if this is for you, but a friend who i knew int he same position ended up getting a job at a fertility clinic and loves it. It was her niche (I almost did the same when I was semi offered a position at the fertility clinic I went to to conceive my daughter)

Try EVERYWHERE you may find you like something you thought you never would!

thekellyone · Feb 21, 2011

When I called HR...I just said Hi...this is ...and explained that I had put in application and hoped they could keep me in mind...

Also before I got the job I am at now...I drove around in my suit and would visit different nursing home / assisted living facilities and ask to fill out a application....this worked too and I was offered a position at a assisted living home.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2011

Karleena,

How are you getting on? Please keep us updated and come on here occasionally so you do not get too depressed or discouraged.

elai · Feb 23, 2011

hey! i'm a 2008 graduate of nursing,too. I was never given a chance to be a practicing nurse but hey, don't lose hope!