LPN..Needing Advice on employment

[j464335]

I graduated from Nursing school in 2002, Right outta school I had Bad experiences, I worked at 7 different places in about 1 .5 yrs., which all but two of them I quit and am not eligible for rehire. I had LTC facilities that were staffed under firecode,One in particular wanted me to do procedures beyond my scope of practice, A hospital that I worked as a float nurse sent me to do HIV blood draws(all day) while I was pregnant, A homehealth care agency I worked for filed bankruptcy and stiffed me 2 wks pay So needless to say... my experiences were terrible!!

The last Job I had was the hospital, since I was pregnant my husband decided he did not want me to work during the pregnancy. This was 2003, I have not worked in Nursing since then. I have kept my license current and have considered going back to school for my RN. My problem is that the school I am most interested in applying to wants you to have at least 1 yr. current work experience in the field...

What do you think is my best route for finding employment ? I have started taking more CE classes ( although not required) My state has no requirments for me to go back to work I am just trying to make myself "marketable"...

Any advice would be great! Thanks!

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

It's a stiff competition out there. I would just keep trying.

Good luck

[j464335]

Guess I should add... there is two places I'm eligible for re-hire at..lol TERRIBLE!! Right?!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I'm going to be straightforward with you and say that your past work experiences are going to look very suspicious to nurse managers, HR, and other people who hire nurses for companies. Let's face it. Constant employee turnover costs these companies plenty of money, and they want to avoid the pain of someone who might quit after a few weeks or months.

When two applicants are standing in front of the person who makes the hiring decisions, they're looking for stability, reliability, and the nurse who is most likely to stick with them for the long-term. One of the applicants has worked for the same facility for five years, has recent work experience, and is looking for a change in scenery. The other applicant burned through seven jobs in an 18-month period, has not worked in nursing in nearly eight years, and has not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that she will remain with this job if they offer it to her. Guess who they'll hire?

Additionally, companies are looking at cost-effectiveness. The applicant with recent work experience is much more cost-effective because he/she doesn't need much training to get up to speed. However, they view someone with no recent work experience as very expensive. In addition, many nurses are unemployed across the U.S. due to the sorry state of the economy.

I would revisit the places that have made you eligible for rehire. I would also look at agencies that specialize in private duty cases and home health, since these places are often willing to train. Good luck to you!