10 months later, hospital please

SunSurfRN · May 3, 2011

Hospitals dont consider that to be acute care experience...its kinda ridiculous though because a subacute or LTC or even Homecare are all skilled positions. In homecare I've got vented/trached pts with enteral feeds, pathologies of all kinds, I insert foleys...give meds. Its not like non hospital experience isnt nursing!

LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN · May 3, 2011

I have a couple of classmates that are now getting jobs in hospitals, but I am the Pacific NorthWest.

My classmates have about the same 10 months experience, I did home health for awhile and I have been working LTC/SNF senice January and I keep applying, but nothing yet.

Which where I work we have a vent unit where we will get patients directly out of the ICU, there are mutiple IVs, G-tube, foleys and unlike, it is skilled care, but because it is not in a hospital setting it is not looked at as acute care....... :uhoh3:

Art_Vandelay · May 3, 2011

SunSurfRN: So, are you in a similar position as me as far as wanting a hospital position? Are you in AZ?

I realize it's not acute care but (seriously) I have gained a lot of experience. I would venture to guess that those patients whose IVs therapies I am administering, PICC dressings I am changing, and blood I am drawing think I have enough experience. :) Ugh. So frustrating. Just let me in the door!

breathe12 · May 3, 2011

Hi, I am also a new RN with about 9 months experience. I work in a hopsital on a Step Down until from ICU. I have been applying for hospital jobs and what I've been finding is that technically I'm still a "new Grad" and have to apply for RN Residency programs and the like. I have been unable to get a call back/interview as well since I'm competing with all the other new grads coming out now. I live in the Northeast. I wish you the best of luck with your job search!

FrogKissingNurse · May 3, 2011

make sure that you are explaining all your awesome experiences you are gaining in your skilled facility, when you write out your cover letter and also put it on your resume. this is a recurrent thing i keep reading here over and over: nurses with ltc experience have a hard time getting hospital jobs. it doesn't make sense to me!

[color=#483d8b]i guess you will just have to work that much harder to sell yourself

[color=#483d8b]good luck!!

netglow, ASN, RN · May 3, 2011

Yup it's a snobbery.

Very odd as SNF often requires much more than many hospital nursing jobs just by ratio and care level. SNF doesn't do in and out appys :uhoh3: . I have heard of one or two nurses successfully getting out of LTC/SNF, but that is really rare these days. If they cannot move on to hospital as most in the past have wanted to do, nothing opens up for the NGs. The only LTC/SNF available are the license jeopardizing hell holes that you read about on AN. Years ago you might and it was encouraged to start in LTC and then move on to hospital. If you ask around, people will still say that is a good strategy, but, often those people don't know the current hiring practices. Mostly it's a family employee or best friend of the DON or city political contact with the hospital board type thing still that gets ya in. And believe it or not that wait list is a very long one. Also remember that the hospitals in the immediate area of your LTC/SNF get patients cycling in and out of your facility. If the hospital staff sees sores or decline that THEY think your facility contributed to, that has an overall negative cast seeing that you work there. Sometimes its a lose/lose situation.

alphabetsoup · May 3, 2011

I was in those shoes a long time ago. First, have someone review your resume for you. You might need to have it tweaked or re-written. Second, apply for the "foot-in-the-door" positions. That is typically med-surg. It may just be that you have been applying for jobs that are not entry-level. Be flexible. If there are no open regular positions, can you pick up extra hours prn? Prn can be a good way to get in. If you shine as a prn nurse, they will consider you for a regular position when one becomes available. The plus is that they will know they have an employee who was so enthusiastic that they were even willing to work prn to be there! Another strategy is to go back to school for additional certifications. The more you bring to the table, the more attractive you are as a potential employee for a hospital. You will get there eventually :)