new grad having extreme difficulty

guest52816 · Jul 26, 2017

As other posters have stated, NOT relocating is probably not an option in your case. Have you tried applying upstate, or NJ, western MA or CT? If you relocate to these areas, you will still be close to your base of support.

And as another poster stated, you can apply for a hardship deferment, due to your unemployment for your loans. Of course, this will add to the overall interest you will pay on those loans, but it will remove the stress of making loan payments when you have no job.

Best of luck. You will find a job, but it may not be in the geographical area of your choice!

Rebeccakb · Jul 26, 2017

I had to move to a bigger city to get my first job, and it was in a doctors office rather than a hospital. Although you aren't working as a nurse you can still work as a nanny or nurses aid and save money so when you find a job you'll have some money to move and get started. I also stayed with a relative for the first 2 months to get on my feet. It's an exciting time in your life full of changes.

caliotter3 · Jul 26, 2017

Hospitals are not the only source of jobs. That is what I got out of reading the beginning of your opening post.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2017

So I graduated nursing school with an accelerated BSN from NYU in January. I have a former degree in psychology and some work experience just not in a clinical setting. Its almost august now and I've gotten no offers from any hospital.
I can't relocate because lets be honest relocating isn't cheap and requires money. As a new grad I'm living with my parents and applying for jobs.
My loans are almost due... I'm open to working in any specialty, any shift. Not sure what is going on. I've applied to hospitals in Long Island as well.
I really need advice on what to do or if anyone has information on who I can contact.

Are your loans due before you start working?

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2017

I was originally hoping for a speciality of my choice but I really have no preference at this point. I apply to all positions. As for relocating I'm sorry but I don't see how one can move to a new place with out having money. You would need money for rent and food and that's just for basic needs. How do you move and relocate with out a job or income?

Teach "fundamentals of Nursing" or at an LPN/LVN/aide school.

espress099 · Jul 26, 2017

I think summer is a very hard time to get a job, census is low and people (recruiters/hiring managers) are on vaction and hospitals/offices aren't as busy as fall/winter. I have faith that you'll be able to get something if not soon, then in a few months. I know relocating is tough when you don't have a job but I know that a lot of hospitals in the DC area are always hiring- it's a 4 hour drive so not too far if you need to come check it out. Don't let people tell you that's it's too expensive to live here either, it's not that bad and the pay is on par :) George Washington Hospital is always recruting- find the recruiters info on linkedin and email her directly, she's very nice. Maybe if you have a job offer than you can get a place and it'll all align nicely. good luck!

chacha82, ADN, BSN · Jul 27, 2017

Print out a paper with "NO" on it in rows and rows and rows. Every time you get a "No" back, cross one out and do one more application. It may take awhile to get to "Yes" but ANY job goes at this point. Prepare yourself to relocate. After two years you can start looking for the specialty or location you want.

ella2990 · Jul 27, 2017

I relocated from CA to VA. I was a nursing assistant at a teaching hospital in NorCal, I was unable to work in CA because I was a foreign grad and it's too complicated for me to process my RN license in CA at that time and I wanted to start working as an RN right away so I thought I'd move to another state that I can endorse my HI license to. That's how I ended up in VA. No prior RN experience. I applied at multiple hospitals in VA and eventually was called for an interview for a FT med/surg tele floor. I flew from CA to VA just for the interview. Before the week was over I was offered the job! I told them to give me 2 more months to save up before I relocate, and they were very supportive.

FYI tho, our hospital is hiring new grads!!! :)

allnurses Guide · Jul 27, 2017

I was originally hoping for a speciality of my choice but I really have no preference at this point. I apply to all positions. As for relocating I'm sorry but I don't see how one can move to a new place with out having money. You would need money for rent and food and that's just for basic needs. How do you move and relocate with out a job or income?

Some jobs in rural locations that have a need for nurses do offer relocation bonuses. Have you looked into working in places like Wyoming (Beautiful), Montana or even Alaska. You might also think about looking on the Indian reservations a friend of mine went to work on a Hopi reservation on New Mexico and she absolutely loves it there. It doesn't mean you're going to stay there forever. The other plus to these places is the cost of living is much lower than New York Wyoming has no state income taxes.

Good luck on your Job Search

Hppy

momo42 · Jul 27, 2017

Thanks everyone. So I actually got an interview for Long Island hospitals :). I hope it works out. It's far from where I live but it is manageable. I also didn't realize the thing about summer possibly being slower because most people do take a vacation. Most of my class mates got the job offer around June to start in July or started working in march and had their offers by February. I feel I just had bad timing and missed the cut offs. I gave a call to my loan people and got an extension for 3 months. I'm going to give working in New York another month and if not I'll look into upstate ny or more places in Long Island. I'd love to move to CA but I guess for the time being I need to work on applying to more places.

espress099 · Jul 27, 2017

Just FYI it took 6 months to get my California RN license .... so start early if that's where you want to end up.

3ringnursing, BSN · Jul 27, 2017

I agree with other posters that applying for a student loan hardship deferment while seeking employment is a smart decision - contact your student loan advisor you had throughout nursing school to discuss your options. This will prevent undue financial stressors on you while you continue your search giving you one less thing to worry about, and keep you sweet with your loan benefactors to show solid responsibility.

Have you spoken to your nursing school clinical instructors? If not, contact one or two you really connected with while in school perhaps to meet for coffee, and lay out the problem with them. Perhaps they have solid ideas regarding employment for a new grad?

Also, what about the places you did your clinical rotations? They've seen your clinical skills in action - if you haven't applied there yet this would be a great move. Maybe you could even contact the nurse managers to ask to meet with them, remind them of your work on their unit while a student, and that you seek employment now? Tell them how much you enjoyed working on their unit in particular, and how you never forgot the professionalism of the staff, nor the variety of patient's they receive. This is where I got my first nursing position.

Contacting your preceptors too (the staff nurses you worked under while doing your clinical rotations) may be beneficial too. They may be willing to lend you a hand by either knowing of open positions, or giving you a letter of recommendation. My last preceptor while I was a student became my new grad preceptor - we got along very well while I was a student and when I asked her how she felt about being my preceptor as a new grad she said she would be happy to do it (asking is always a good idea, because it is a big commitment for a nurse - some really like teaching and mentoring. Even though we all had to start somewhere, better to find out how individual nurses feel about it ahead of time).

Are your classmates working yet? Network with some of them - they may know of open positions on their unit or in their facility and would be willing to give you a good reference.

Lastly: Have a few professional people check your resume - there could possibility be a typo, or other misnomers within that are preventing you from receiving call backs. This is easily remedied if that is the case.

Good luck in your Job Search. Your educational qualifications sound great and unique - especially for a behavioral health/psych setting, now getting the clinical experience under your belt will be the icing on the cake.