Job hunt advice for a second career nurse

amoLucia · May 28, 2016

A couple of things just jump out to me -

1 - a wait of 3 weeks is NOT a realistic window of response time expectation. In today's job market, the wait time is typically much longer for many places as you may have read here on AN. It's true that some things do MIRACULOUSLY happen when all the stars in the heavens line up but that's infrequent. Give it some time ...

2 - are you licensed yet? Or even NCLEXed? Some places don't even want to know you if you've haven't crossed those thresh holds yet. It all depends if the state of MN can hire nsg grads as 'GNs' to practice without a license. There is always the possibility that the new employee may fail, and the facility is left holding the bag having oriented a new nsg empl, one that they might no longer be able to use as a nurse. That's too costly for many a facility to take a risk.

3 - how are you addressing your previous teaching career? And you don't state your age in your post. I wish I didn't have to say this, but ageism is real in the nsg career world (altho there will be some here on AN who will disagree). If your resume/cover letter details an extensive previous teaching career, some reviewers may do the arithmetic and consider you as 'too old'. Sorry to say that. Just something to think about if you want to get past that first paper review.

You're in a job market that just has supply & demand inequalities. Some areas sound better than others, and it sounds as if your area may be a bit better than others.

4 - don't know if you've considered this, but have you thought about school nursing? New grads have started their nsg careers as school nurses and have done well. With your teaching school background, that just might be an 'ace in the hole' if you're interested (altho I can understand if you want to distance yourself).

Good luck and hang in there. ((hug))

RescueNinjaKy · May 28, 2016

As someone near the twin cities, I do have to say that a lot of new grads don't get jobs there right away. There are a lot of people who go to hospitals in smaller cities in the North Dakota/Minnesota region to get their 1 year experience before moving to the cities.

MellyMN · May 28, 2016

amoLucia

thanks so much for the responses. I am fully licensed in MN.

You may be right, maybe three weeks is not enough time. I just started to get a vibe when I got a lot of identical responses from multiple hospitals: "reviewed and not considered". I am continuing to apply to everything that will consider a new grad.

As for how I addressed my previous career - I have it listed on my resume with my work experience, and I mentioned the "people and organizational skills" I gained there in my cover letter, but other than that I don't focus on it. I guess I assumed it wasn't a positive since it's not remotely healthcare related. Also, I have a three year employment gap after my last job (full time nursing student).

Thanks for pointing out school nursing. Hadn't even thought of it. I'm not against it, but I'm worried about losing skills. I was told by my nursing instructors to try and get a med surg-ish job out of school so I can solidify the clinical skills I learned in school. Was that bad advice?

I'm 32 and married with a kid. I know that's not "old" but I feel old to be starting a second career. Is there anything I can be doing to avoid ageism in hiring?

RescueNinjaKy - It would be awesome if I could move for a job, but I'm stuck in the twin cities area for my spouse's job.

Again, thanks for the input.

amoLucia · May 29, 2016

To OP - identical responses from multiple hospitals suggests to me that the facilities may be all part of a corporate chain. Sister facilities will freq use similar/identical documentation as they prob follow the same P & P from "corporate Mama".

Your age shouldn't be a problem. I do know folk who have 'softened' the dates when possible upon recommendation from career coaches. My BF really, actually was having problems with his job search for top school superintendent/administration. He changed his CV to avoid the 'arithmetic dates' and began to interview. And just to tell you, many nurses have started nursing well past age 32 - so by some standards, you're still a young'un!

Don't be too worried as school nurses freq perform much the same clinical skills (and more!) that nurses in hosp, LTC, HH, PDN, etc do. They deal with special needs kiddos all the time. The nurses in the 'School Nurses' forum here can attest to that - they are an awesome group.

You do need to 'look outside the proverbial box' incl part-time (?) for opportunities in other nsg fields. Selectivity isn't much of an option for newbies.

Again, good luck.

Jensmom7, BSN, RN · May 29, 2016

OP, Home Health is not the place for a new grad, whether you've had healthcare experience or not.

You need good clinical skills and should be comfortable working without a safety net of other staff around you.

If you think you might have an interest in school nursing, go over to the School Nurse forum and talk to them. The only caveat I have is that once again, you're kind of on your own in your building(s) and need great assessment skills.

Good luck in your search. I've been doing this almost 40 years, and am looking forward to retiring in 6 years. You will find something, but depending on how saturated your area is with experienced nurses and new grads, it may take awhile.

RNrhythm, BSN, RN · May 30, 2016

Like yourself, I am a second career BSN-RN with no healthcare experience upon licensure. Frankly, it is harder for us to find new grad jobs but it is not impossible. I live in an area with the hardest new-RN job market and everyone I know found jobs within 6 months. I am working in acute care and looking forward to my first anniversary so I can upgrade my job. 40% of new grads change jobs during heir first year.

What I would do differently: Not hold out for acute care, though I would keep looking for acute care (if that is your interest). While I was looking I started doing flu shot clinics and should have sought out some per diem home health gigs just to get something on my resume and to get my confidence up. It took 4 months to land my first RN job because I limited myself to acute care jobs only. I noticed my peers who took other gigs had more to talk about during interviews and were more confident.

MellyMN · May 30, 2016

Thank you so much for posting. I have begun to look at openings in TLC/rehab and LTC facilities. I'm realizing that I need to chill out a bit. It's been less than a month! I appreciated hearing from another second career nurse in a similar position.

38pearl · Jun 1, 2016

I agree with other posters that it usually will take months, not weeks, to hear back from places, and 1 month in if your resume is still being considered isn't a bad sign.

Also, as another second degree student, I actually felt that that experience and maturity helped me, not hindered me. I was just a tad younger than you, 28, when I graduated but I talked proudly about my previous career, despite the fact that it had NOTHING to do with healthcare. It's something that made me stand out in a stack of resumes, and during all of my interviews it came up and I was able to talk about how it relates more to nursing than one might originally think (I used to be an engineer). Teaching is VERY related to nursing and you shouldn't skim over it.

Keep your head up! You're doing all the right things!

HeyJune · Jun 2, 2016

amoLucia
As for how I addressed my previous career - I have it listed on my resume with my work experience, and I mentioned the "people and organizational skills" I gained there in my cover letter, but other than that I don't focus on it. I guess I assumed it wasn't a positive since it's not remotely healthcare related. Also, I have a three year employment gap after my last job (full time nursing student).

Having previous experience in a non-healthcare field can still be used to your advantage. Working with people and being organized are great transferable skills. You'll still be working with people in healthcare and those organizing skills will especially come in handy if you move up (e.g., clinical manager). Plus, who knows, maybe down the road you'll use your experience as a nurse to teach again, but this time to nursing students!

I used to work in retail before becoming a CNA and would talk in interviews about how working in customer service helped me become a people person and a team player that works well under pressure. I know my situation isn't the same (CNA vs. BSN), but I hate to see somebody use their past as a crutch. The environment may be different, but many skills are similar!

lavenderskies, BSN · Jun 12, 2016

Keep applying, update your resume and talk up your prior career experience, get letters of reference, look for residency programs, try to get unit manager contacts, and again keep applying. I returned to nursing after leaving for an extended career in an unrelated field. It took me 3 months after getting my license back to find a position and I agreed to a residency as if I was a new grad. Also you might want to consider applying to other places like dialysis clinics, outpatient clinics, LTAC etc.

MellyMN · Jul 1, 2016

I'm leaving an update in case my experience can help anyone else.

After 6 weeks and about 50 applications to 10 different hospitals with no response, I started researching home health positions. I found a company that looked really good and submitted an application. They called me the next day for a phone interview, and afterwards scheduled an in-person interview for the next week. I was offered the job a few days after the interview. I feel good about this position because they offer a lot of training to new nurses and it will allow me to gain experience in a patient population that I am interested in. The schedules are also super flexible which is ideal for my family situation at the moment.

Of course, that is not the end of the story. Two weeks after accepting this position I received a call from one of the hospitals I applied to. They wanted to interview me for a Med/Surg position. It was difficult, but I thanked them and declined. It didn't feel right to bail on the job I had accepted. This particular hospital was also a LONG commute, so I didn't feel too bad.

Then, one week after that, I received a call from my top choice hospital for an interview. This was a full 8 weeks after I had submitted my application. Declining that interview hurt, but again, I didn't feel that I could bail on my new job, and I'm actually really excited about the home health job.

So the moral of the story was - you guys were right - I really needed to be more patient. I was surprised that facilities would be calling 2 months after I applied! I believe I made the right choice, so I hope I don't regret my decision down the road.