So, I'm one of those once-upon-a-time new grads who is no longer a new grad but who has been unable to find employment. I'm building this little patchwork of short term employment situations (camp nurse, flu shot nurse) and was idly looking at the requirements for licensure in a neighboring state recently when I saw that this particular state has, as part of its maintenance requirements, in addition to CEUs, a practice requirement. To wit, 400 hours. And if you do not have the 400 hours you are required to take a refresher course.
My state appears to be a little lax in the keep-your-license-active department, 15 CEUs every two years. For this I am thankful, even though I actually think it is wise to require a minimum number of hours of practice. But I wonder how many of us are going to fail in this regard because WE CANNOT FIND WORK?
400 hours = 40 hours/week for 10 weeks. I guess being a flu shot nurse might get you there.
- Graduated May 2009
- Excellent student, top of the class
- Revived the student nurse's association
- Got a nationally known speaker on nursing to come to campus, offered CEUs for attendance at her lecture
- Received the department's highest award for academic, clinical, and leadership excellence
- I've taken a refresher, I volunteer at a free medical clinic and as a vigil sitter in the palliative care program at a continuing care community; took a medical Spanish class last year; occasionally attend grand rounds at local teaching hospitals in areas of special interest.
- "Mature," i.e., old, and overweight. I'm working on the weight thing; down 15 lbs so far, thank you Weight Watchers. Can't do anything about the age, though I have considered, for the first time ever in my entire life, dying my hair.
What was I thinking, going back to college in my mid-50's? I get the occasional interview but never seem to click.
Hey, you, hiring managers: I thumb my nose at all of you who will not hire me because I have no experience. I hear horror stories from friends who work as PCTs (because they too cannot find jobs but were smart enough to be working as PCTs before they graduated) about the bad behavior of many of the nurses they work with: mocking their patients, speaking of them derisively, not attending to a particular patient because they don't like them, and in general doing as little as possible because they want to be in Facebook or fooling around online. Why are personal devices even allowed on the floor? Oh, because nobody hires real live people to answer telephones anymore. Duh. God help me if I ever have to be in a hospital and have no one to advocate for my care.
Off for my morning walk, it'll probably cheer me up.
