Losing sleep over lack of job offers, is anyone else experiencing anything like this?

[pa0723]

I am a new grad RN. I have a very nice job in a rehab-ltf, but I really want the education and experience I could get as a Grad Nurse in a hospital. Wtih hospital crying for nurses, and using agency nurses to fill there shortages, I am absolutlely bewildered. I am gone on numerous interviews, and they almost always assure me that they want to hire me, and will call me within a week, but they don't. Can you imagine a hospital with 200 openings turing me down. I have a spotless record, 3.5 GPA, excellent references, and I am smart. I have been in a professional position before I came to nursing. I have a BS in ED and taught, and have an excellent record there. My skill are excellent. I feel there must be a reason why I am not getting hired.

I am really losing sleep over this. Can anyone help me understand this, or have you gone thru the same situations. What is the difference between nursing home nurses, and hospital nurses?

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Being 57 and a new grad might be the problem. Try not to get too upset about it. If you don't get a job offer in a hospital get a years exprience where you are and you will be more marketable. If you can't get a hospital job then try for the acute care floor of a nursing home. Ive seen nursing homes with IVs and ventilators. You can gradually build up experince that will ease you into a hopspital job. But why work in a hospital?

Hospitals are realy tough places to work. Most nurses get out of hospital jobs by age 50. I did. It was just too hard. You can learn a lot of nursing in a nursing home. What do you want that makes it essential that you work in a hospital?

Have you thought about home health? It can pay very well and it is a lot less stress than a hospital. Employee health is also a good area. I am a school nurse now. The pay is not great but I like it.

Well, 57 is older for a new grad, I disagree w/most nurses getting out of the hospital by 50. I see many nurses, above and beyond 50s in many hospitals.

The other issue is that while HH and OH are good positions, most will want at least a year or two acute experience before hiring someone. Since these positions require a great deal of autonomy, they also require well developed skills that come with experience.

[catlady, BSN, RN]

Being 57 and a new grad might be the problem. Try not to get too upset about it. If you don't get a job offer in a hospital get a years exprience where you are and you will be more marketable. If you can't get a hospital job then try for the acute care floor of a nursing home. Ive seen nursing homes with IVs and ventilators. You can gradually build up experince that will ease you into a hopspital job. But why work in a hospital?

Yes, you can work in a subacute unit, where you will have twenty or thirty patients instead of four or five, and usually the acuity isn't all that "sub." Very, very hard work.

However, I agree that the OP probably has a better chance of being hired into a nursing home than a hospital, because of the age barrier. Not fair, though.

[roosevelt127]

I don't know if you said anywhere in your post where you live? I'm amazed at the sound of what you've been going through...it's actually the only time I've ever heard a story of ANY nurse having such trouble finding a job.

I graduated 2 years ago at 25 from an accelerated BS program and was hired directly into ICU. I did my integration clinical in my unit and when I asked my NM if I should give her or HR my resume if I wanted to apply, she took me into her office and hired me on the spot - she called HR and told them, after which they 'interviewed' me the next week (I wasn't even licenses yet but would be before I started in the unit) and by 'interview' I mean told me all the documents I had to turn in, scheduled my employee health stuff, etc. Every one of my girlfriends from school had basically the same experience...we all basically had jobs handed to us on silver platters (sometimes from multiple hospitals).

I say this b/c it's a measure of how much most hospitals need nurses that they are, in many cities (we live in a big city), willing to take on brand new nurses and spend 6 or more months of paying 2 salaries for the word of one person (e.g. my preceptor and I both got paid full salary to do basically the work of one person).

I agree with the person who said something very fish must be going on. If I was in your position I would go so far as to call the HR depts. and NMs in units you applied to, and if nothign comes of it, call your references personally and discuss with them the nature of the discussions they've had about you with hospitals that have called. If something is going on there you have to find out or you may continue to have this problem. Approach it to NMs as "i understand this might be an odd question but if something has caused one of my references to speak in a negative way about me, in order for me to fix any problem that might have existed, I have to know about it" kind of way, might help them open up a little??

yikes! keep us posted

[pa0723]

I'd love to do home health, but you need a year of med-surg experience to start.

[pa0723]

Okay, I'm going back to do share time and second interview. They said they did not want to lose me!:heartbeat

[waterlili22]

Hello, Im a recent graduate lpn and I just got hired to start Monday at a nursing home; this will be my first nursing job and I am terribly scared cause the ratio is like 30 patients per nurse. I just hope that I dont get bullied around since I will be the rookie and Im only 21. Oh my Im so afraid of the idea of having to pass out meds to 30 patients....and 30 assessments...and nurses notes...and some may be more critical...oh my...some one please talk to me.

amy

[catlady, BSN, RN]

Hello, Im a recent graduate lpn and I just got hired to start Monday at a nursing home; this will be my first nursing job and I am terribly scared cause the ratio is like 30 patients per nurse. I just hope that I dont get bullied around since I will be the rookie and Im only 21. Oh my Im so afraid of the idea of having to pass out meds to 30 patients....and 30 assessments...and nurses notes...and some may be more critical...oh my...some one please talk to me.

Why are you assuming the worst? If you go in with that attitude, you can be sure your expectations will be realized.

Bullying is not a factor of age. Some of the meanest people I know were 21 once.

You're not going to be doing 30 assessments every day, nor charting on 30 people. In long-term care, charting is done differently. Talk to your preceptor. And please calm down!

[PANurseRN1]

I do not understand why people say "home health is so much easier/less stressful." You have to have darned good clinical and assessment skills, be able to function independently (no one around for a "second opinion"), be able to handle going into some nasty homes in some not so nice neighborhoods, etc., be able to care for seriously ill people in a home setting (no supply room down the hall..your supply room is the trunk of your car).

And then there's the paperwork.