Need advice ASAP!

Nurses New Nurse

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Hello everyone :)

I need advice from RNs that have experienced how the job market has been recently and can offer some input based on their personal experiences. My situation is as follows:

I graduated in late April with my BSN and got my RN licensure in Mid-June and this past week I went to my first interview this past thursday and received a phone call yesterday about an offer. Mind you, this hospital is about an hour drive from my home [quite far!]; it's about a 200-bed facility not necessary my "dream job" but they are willing to train me through a residency program that comes with a 2 year commitment of working for hospital. I'm not sure how the job situation is elsewhere in the country but in Miami, Florida it is horrible! The jobs that are available are for RNs with at least a year of experience, and I have applied for another residency program closer to home for which I will interview sometime this week or next week but wont receive an official offer [if accepted] until early August.

SO I HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE! because I must give the other hospital an answer by tomorrow. The salary/benefits, etc they are offering me is very competitive, but I would definitely prefer working closer to home and relacating is not an option at the moment. I know that my first months or year as an RN is going to be the most difficult time and I dont think I need added stress. However, if I turn down this offer I am not very hopeful I will get another one any time soon. Miami is overpopulated, one of its major hospitals has laid off many nurses, there is a surplus of new grads [so it is highly competitive getting into RN residency/versant program] & most positions are perDiem/PRN and I'm very fearful I will be unemployed for months before the next offer comes along.

Please give me some advice, hope or input from your personal experience on the job hunt! I will really appreciate it and it will probably help me make this very tough decision so please reply :)

Thanks in Advance!

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Specializes in ED.

I live in Miami and i have to drive to Fort Lauderdale 35 mins for my job. Yes, Miami is still bad. If miami wouldve have an opening for a job, i would so jump immediately back home. I got an ER job here and im willing to endure it for a year then immediately leave. My sister just got her license and is looking around too. Btw what hospital is this? Have you applied to holy cross and UM?

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I live in Hialeah and the position I was offered is in Palm Beach which is about an hr drive. Yes I did apply to UM for their residency program and the HR rep said I should receive a call sometime this week or next week to interview. She also said they had received about 300 applications and only 30 will be selected, so my chances are quite slim; hence I'm unsure whether to accept or decline the offer I received! That's great that you got an ER job, I did my practicum in ER and loved it!! Once you have that yr of experience under your belt i'm sure lots of opportunities will open up for you.

Thanks for your input :)

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I live in Hialeah and the position I was offered is in Palm Beach which is about an hr drive. Yes I did apply to UM for their residency program and the HR rep said I should receive a call sometime this week or next week to interview. She also said they had received about 300 applications and only 30 will be selected, so my chances are quite slim; hence I'm unsure whether to accept or decline the offer I received! That's great that you got an ER job, I did my practicum in ER and loved it!! Once you have that yr of experience under your belt i'm sure lots of opportunities will open up for you.

Thanks for your input :)

Hi LGarcia,

Palm beach is a very long drive..you will probably spend more money on gas and have stress with the traffic. Why don't you try doing something through agencies whilst you wait for an answer from a nearer hospital? I also live in Hialeah, and these are the nearer hospitals I'm familiar with: Memorial in Ft. Lauderdale, Baptist (including homestead hospital and the main Baptist), Palmetto General, Hialeah Hospital, Palm Springs (although that's not the best hospital, I've heard they offer discounted rent at the nearby apts), Coral Gables Hospital, South Miami, Mercy, North Shore, Kendall Regional...also that hospital on Tamiami..I think it's called Metropolitan. My sister-in-law recently left Jackson due to the bankruptcy issue, but she was able to find a job elsewhere.

I hope you are able to find a job.. I am going to start nursing school this Fall at Barry. Where did you attend school?

Cary

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Hi Cary, thanks for your response :) I did turn down the offer because as it turns out I was going to be working nights and I would have been going with traffic so the drive would have definitely taken me at least 2 hours :( I have applied everywhere, including all the hospitals you mentioned [to over 160 positions, no exaggeration!] and most of them say experience "preferred" so I have received many rejection emails. I am waiting on phonecalls from recruiters to set up an interview with 2 hospitals for an RN residency program, that seems to be practically the only way to get a job as a new graduate. There are jobs out there, believe me! Every hospital has at least 5-10 full time RN positions if not much more, however most of them require/prefer experience and since new graduates are notoriously known for job hopping most hospitals have now implemented residency programs which require signing a contract in hopes of retaining the nurses they hire. I went to school @ FIU and although we were warned that the job market was not like it used to be, I never imagined it would be this bad. I am definitely looking into agencies, flu clinics and other options while I wait; its just really disappointing to go to school for 4 years and get a bachelors degree to get rejected because you're a new nurse or don't meet the hospital's "qualifications".

If there is one piece of valuable advice I can give you [which I now regret not following myself] is signing a contract with a hospital prior to graduating. Many hospitals award scholarships to help you get through nursing school in return for your commitment to working x amount of time upon graduation [the time varies but is usually 2-3 yrs] I never did this because I didn't want to feel "tied down" to working for one hospital but now I realize that signing a contract like such gives you job security when you graduate. Hopefully by the time you're done, the economy picks up and the job market is more promising for new grads, but don't take that risk! I know that Memorial Health Systems and Baptist Health offers that and if im not mistaken Kendall Regional or HCA also has a scholars program so definitely keep that in mind and look into it. Best of luck to you! :)

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Specializes in ED.

you graduated from FIU?, i guess you know my sister then :p.

Check out Mt Sinai and expand your horizons to Ft. Lauderdale. I heard Westside Regional in plantation (HCA) was hiring

btw im a Barry graduate (09) if you have any questions just ask me

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Thanks! :) I'm definitely going to broaden my search, I just want to start working a.s.a.p. I have an interview this coming week, so i'm keeping my fingers [and toes] crossed :p hopefully it will be like my first interview and I get an offer!

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