Looking for Advice

[asims646]

Hello fellow nurses!

I am looking for advice about how to be hired "back" into the clinical setting as a RN. I have my BSN and my RN license is current, active, and unrestricted. To make a long story short, I graduated nursing school with a 4.0, was accepted into a residency program, but then about a month later I had to quit my job and tend to my severe anxiety, depression, and eating disorder (all of which are stable or in remission). I had odd jobs here and there, some in a nursing position and some not (2012-2015). From 2016-2017 I worked as a school nurse for a private school. This job was amazing and I loved every minute of it. However, due to a "business decision," I had to be let go after a year. The school had 3 part-time nurses and I was chosen because I had the least amount of tenure (even though just promoted and set to become nurse manager) and no child enrolled in the school. It broke my heart. From 2017-2018 I did not work and took time to just process everything. I really miss nursing but cannot find a job. I do not know what to do and I think that as more time passes not working as a nurse, the less likely I am to be hired as a nurse. Does anyone have advice or a similar situation? I just don't know what to do.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

You are likely going to need to take what you can get for now. Your work history appears unstable and your experience is not in line with your years of being licensed, so you will need to be able to explain that without divulging your medical history.

For now, hospital/acute care is likely out of reach. Apply for LTACH, SNF, home health, corrections, rehab hospitals and the like. When you get a year or two of solid, dependable experience under your belt you will be a more competitive candidate in the job market.

Good luck!

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

I have to agree with not.done.yet. Your work history in the nursing field is spotty with a lot of significant gaps in employment. Finding an acute care position, especially in a competitive job market might be difficult at best.

Starting your job search outside the hospital setting will likely yield much better results. You might not find the job you really want, at least initially but you should hopefully land a job you can thrive in long enough to get that stable experience you will need to progress to acute care eventually if that is even your long term goal.

I suggest starting by getting some help with tweaking your resume to minimize the impact of your gaps in employment and learning some good interview strategies to explain those gaps without divulging your mental health history.

Adding another point, depending on your state and the licensing requirements you might also need to make sure you are current with required CEU's. Since you've been out of work as a nurse so much you might not have reached the required contact hours through an employer.