Losing Hope.

[AFwife727, BSN, RN]

I am starting to feel like I will never get a nursing job. Graduated May 2012 with my BSN and obtained RN in August. I did not seek employment right away due to many personal factors - I had just recently had a baby, had to finish nursing school,then my Air Force husband got orders to deploy to the Middle East. I was studying for the boards, meanwhile we had to move out of our apartment and our things into storage, then my husband deployed. I was left with our daughter and we stayed at my parents' house for the duration of the deployment. I realize that it is MY fault that I chose not to seek a job during this time, nor did I volunteer. My parents both work and aren't able to watch my daughter. I've been searching since December and have had several interviews - for pretty much all of the Tampa Bay area hospitals - and even 2nd interviews for some facilities. I have been turned down by all of them so far (6+) and the rejection emails keep coming for the RN positions I've applied for online. Seems like NO ONE will hire unless you have some experience or you apply to a New Grad/Clinical Nurse Resident program. Or unless you know someone and manage to get your foot in the door.

I should also mention that I have a disability in which I'm not able to speak on the telephone. I'm hearing impaired. I use a relay service to use the phone. Otherwise I communicate normally in person and without any sort of interpreters. I am very lucky. I know that working as an RN somewhere would require thinking out of the box in terms of accommodations for me, as well as support from the employer and staff. It sucks that they seem "afraid" of someone with a disability working as a nurse, and are "afraid" to try something different and think out of the box for once. They are looking after their own butts and are not willing to help out a new nurse. I have been nothing but successful in my life. I graduated nursing school with cum laude honors. Guess that doesn't matter. I worked as a nurse tech for about a year until I had my daughter - which I thought was a golden nugget on my resume. Also, at this point, I'm starting to wonder if the problem lies with my references as well. I've been told to keep re-applying, but what is that going to do? They already interviewed me and didn't want me, so why would they want me later on? And I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as the "nursing shortage"!! What a joke. Nursing schools are pumping out new nurses and there is no one willing to TRAIN them unless they have experience. I'm AT A LOSS as to what to do right now.

[mvm2]

I have no words of wisdom. I just wanted to give you a Hug and praying that soon you will find that right job for you. it just is not fair that employers will not give new grads a chance. They can be just as good of a nurse as the next person.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Gosh, what a dilemma. I have no exact data, but based on my own experience, hospitals are becoming extremely reluctant to hire anyone that requires any sort of special treatment, no matter what it is. Since they're deluged with applicants, they can be very picky. Your inability to speak on the phone would probably be a deal-breaker for most inpatient settings because communication with physicians, families, and other departments is an important aspect of the job.

You may need to expand your job search to other areas such as physician offices, clinics, etc. in which there are others who can manage telephone communications for you.

[llg, PhD, RN]

What types of jobs are you applying for? I hate to have to say it, but HouTx raises a good point. Staff nurses in acute care settings spend a lot of time on the phone -- and the information relayed by telephone can be critical -- and the speaker on the other end of the line can be flustered, in a hurry, have an accent, etc. The ability to communicate effectively and efficiently by telephone may be considered a necessary skill for many jobs.

Have you identified types of nursing jobs for which your issues with telephone use might not be a problem? That's how I would approach career planning, if I were in your situation. I would also volunteer and do as much as I could to meet nursing managers in face-to-face situations so that they could see that I had no problems communicating in face-to-face situations. How much of that sort of networking are you doing?

I say these things to be helpful, not hurtful. I have an inner ear problem that affects both my hearing and balance. And I have learned that there are some things that I am simply not well-suited for. Fortunately, I was already a nurse when my problems developed and I have been able to transition into a role in which my disabilities are not a big issue -- just a minor one. But your situation is different -- and you will probably have to make some adjustments to your career planning and job hunting strategies because of your disabilitiy. I wish you the best of luck.

[AFwife727, BSN, RN]

Doctors' offices and clinics really only hire nurses with experience. Sounds like this is going to be nearly impossible. I'm on LinkedIn and I'm on there everyday trying to find people that might be good to network with but I think I've hit a wall at this point. Volunteering is a good idea but I have my daughter and my husband is active duty military so day care isn't an option unless I have a paying job. At this point I'm wondering if I made huge mistake choosing nursing.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Could you find someone to swap baby-sitting chores with? She watches your kid for a few hours while you volunteer and you watch hers for a few in return. Or take in a little work (e.g. do a little housecleaning for someone ... go grocery shopping for them ... etc.) ... things you can do with your child ... to earn enough money to pay for a few hours of baby-sitting per week so that you can volunteer ocassionally and meet people face-to-face.

Online efforts are just not good enough. People rarely get hired because of online contact only. Face-to-face is particularly important in your case as you need to show that your hearing impairment does not interfer with your ability to communicate effectively in a work environment. After all you have invested in your nursing education ... don't waste it all by not investing a little more to get a job.

[AFwife727, BSN, RN]

Llg - thanks for your advice. I really appreciate it! I've actually gotten in touch with my state's vocational rehab dept and hopefully they can help me. I have an appt next week. You have a good point about the volunteering. I don't know any other moms here, which doesn't help either. I've also reached out to my former clinical leader to see if she has any contacts in nursing research or clinics. I haven't heard back since my last inquiry to her. Unfortunately I'm getting the feeling that she's avoiding me at this point. I did spend 5 years working my butt off in college to make honors. It would really upset me if I couldn't do anything with my degree so I'm going to do what I can to find something.

[MissM.RN, BSN, RN]

AFwife, I'm sorry for what you're going through. I hate to say, but I agree with previous posters - if you're not able to communicate by phone very well, then I doubt acute care is for you, and I know that most other types of jobs want that "perfect" two years of experience. Here's a shot: try local community health centers. I know someone in my former city who was a brand new grad, zero experience, and got a job doing triage - but she did use the phone a lot too, to talk with insurance companies. Also - try your state's disability review office. I used to work with some women who just reviewed medical records and made recommendations to the office's MD for approval/denial. And one of them worked from home! maybe that would be good for your daughter too! I really hope things start to improve for you.

[josh2]

Seems like you are trying to come up with more reasons why you are not working than you are trying to find a job.

Get creative. You dont have to work at just a hospital. What other facilities are in the area? Nursing Homes?

[AFwife727, BSN, RN]

Thanks for your words of advice. I've sent my resume to a staffing agency via a referral from a former recruiter there (Maxim staffing and home care) and I've put in 2 apps for a dialysis company that hires new grads. DaVita kidney care. I'm hopeful about that opportunity because I like what I'm reading about the company.

[tortorRN]

Just so you know I am an Army wife with a cochlear implant. Please check out Association of medical professionals with hearing loss (AMPHL). They have a fb group for support. There are tons of technology out there that can help you utilize the phone. Do you wear hearing aids? CI? Look at Captel. It captions telephone conversations for you. I don't use it but I've heard good things about it.

I personally don't have problems on the phone unless there's a lot of background noise or the volume isn't turned up. But, I have seen this so many times on AMPHL. There is also another organization called Exceptional Nurse. It's a group of nurses with disabilities. Check these two out. And the vocational rehab is an amazing thing to have. They will pay for special equipment to help you with your job. They offer a ton of services.

Please PM me if you have any other questions. I don't get on often but I will check back to serif you have other q's for me :)

[tortorRN]

Also one more thing... I know you said it's difficult to volunteer. But if you volunteer like 4 hours a week, it's so invaluable because you will meet so many ppl... Faster than LinkedIn and they actually see you perform. I've gotten job offers this way, I've turned them down but I still volunteer so that my résumé looks shiny and that I'm not sitting on my butt all day.

This experience would be worth spending the extra cash on daycare or a teenager sitter because in the end it will truly help you get a job. Another possibility, take some cert courses like EKG, ACLS, etc. so that you seem more hirable. Look at the VA. Apply to the jobs that say they require 2 years exp. even if you do not have it. Sometimes they make exceptions for the right candidates.

Stay positive you can do this