new grad residencies or start working

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi,

New grad RN in SoCal trying to find a job in a hospital. During school I focused on my studies and volunteer work. Obviously I am getting beat out by applicants to new grad residency programs because others have CNA, tech, or student nurse experience etc etc.

I have heard mixed reviews of working at snf or sub acute/rehab as experience for a hospital job. What are your thoughts on this? I am currently unemployed and debating if I should get a snf job while continuing to apply to new grad programs and get my ACLS. Do you think this will help?

I have a Kaiser recruiter contact who told me that they won't consider it as experience so what do I do? Continue to wait and apply? Or get a job that may or may not help even though I will hate it. Haha.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

It depends on if you can afford to be unemployed. I'll also let you in on a little secret: the hospital is not the end all to be all of jobs. I will never go back to a hospital setting unless it's the last paying job available, and I'm starving to death! Try dialysis, SNF, LTACH, or working in prison infirmary. Beyond that, you may need to be open to relocating, many in CA have had to.

Do not try home health, hospice, or school nursing without some kind of experience under your belt. You have to be able to make independent nursing decisions which require some experience. There are unscrupulous companies out there that will hire you and leave you high and dry. Good luck with your job search!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

If you can get a SNF/LTC position, take it. Lots of them administer IV antibiotics; so you will be gaining valuable experience. Plus, this will count towards ‘paid’ RN experience. You don’t know how long it will take to find a slot in a residency program (it could be longer than a year, and I believe that is the cut-off post licensure for these programs...I’m told).

Try not to sit idle if you can help it. It’s your career. Keep it moving forward. Good luck to you!

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1 minute ago, BSNbeDONE said:

If you can get a SNF/LTC position, take it. Lots of them administer IV antibiotics; so you will be gaining valuable experience. Plus, this will count towards ‘paid’ RN experience. You don’t know how long it will take to find a slot in a residency program (it could be longer than a year, and I believe that is the cut-off post licensure for these programs...I’m told).

Try not to sit idle if you can help it. It’s your career. Keep it moving forward. Good luck to you!

Thank you so much!! ?

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Hmmmmm -

get SNF job = salary and work experience; or

stay home = no money and no experience.

First person I ever heard this from was another wise frequent member here, the Commuter. Giving her credit.

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Specializes in Dialysis.
2 hours ago, amoLucia said:

the Commuter

I miss her. I wish she'd come back, along with a few others (NOADLS, etc)

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I got a job at an ortho rehab that was attached to a SNF. I worked there 10 months, when I was offered a position as an ortho nurse. The best part is that I was considered a new grad for a year and got a position in a new grad residency. It was amazing!!

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I’m not in SoCal but I’ve heard the job market for new grads wanting to go into acute care is extremely difficult. Add no tech/CNA experience and a pandemic, and I’m guessing your chances are next to zero. Not impossible, but certainly very unlikely. Where I am, we went from hiring new grads by the dozens to hiring a handful that were techs or had preceptorship. Some places here still have nurses furloughed

So, you can stay unemployed and hope something pops up or take a job out of acute care or move to some place that’s desperate for nurses.

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4 hours ago, mmc51264 said:

I got a job at an ortho rehab that was attached to a SNF. I worked there 10 months, when I was offered a position as an ortho nurse. The best part is that I was considered a new grad for a year and got a position in a new grad residency. It was amazing!!

thats awesome!! I'm hoping that'll be the case for me

4 hours ago, beekee said:

I’m not in SoCal but I’ve heard the job market for new grads wanting to go into acute care is extremely difficult. Add no tech/CNA experience and a pandemic, and I’m guessing your chances are next to zero. Not impossible, but certainly very unlikely. Where I am, we went from hiring new grads by the dozens to hiring a handful that were techs or had preceptorship. Some places here still have nurses furloughed

So, you can stay unemployed and hope something pops up or take a job out of acute care or move to some place that’s desperate for nurses.

yes exactly. so then would you say that having snf experience applying for a new grad residency later on be beneficial? even though its not in an acute setting?

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Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, Geriatrics, home infusion.

OP sounds like it would be an incredible long shot to get a new grad residency in SoCal. I would apply anyway, but never rely on a hail Mary. If you are willing to move you might get into a new grad residency in another state.

If your end goal is getting into a hospital period then your current goal is acquire skills/ experience. I would be cautious of long term care (LTC); it can pigeonhole you into just passing meds all day. Long term acute care (LTACH) you will see everything and gain excellent time management. You will also see a lot if you work in a prison infirmary. After you get 1-2 years of that under your belt you're loaded with highly transferrable acute care skills and experience.

As a previous poster said the hospital is not the be all/ end all. You may find since you liked volunteer work that you like working in the community better.

Good luck to you!

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Specializes in NICU/Mother-Baby/Peds/Mgmt.

And though you'll be working long hours maybe you can do some volunteer work at a place where you will get more experience. I'm assuming free clinics do some IVs, caths etc. Keep track of your hours and what procedures you do. Wouldn't hurt to keep track of how many people you give patient education to also, as well as daily/monthly/yearly number of patients seen overall (if it's a busy clinic).

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
2 hours ago, Madeline Tran said:

thats awesome!! I'm hoping that'll be the case for me

yes exactly. so then would you say that having snf experience applying for a new grad residency later on be beneficial? even though its not in an acute setting?

ANY experience is better than no experience. Also, employers are suspicious of time-gaps in your resume. Having worked in any nursing job should not disqualify you for a different job later. Being willing to twiddle your thumbs while waiting for your dream job can be highly counter-productive.

There have been several posts lately by newbies worried that taking the "wrong" job will be a career killer. Don't put one bit of creedence in that.

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