New LPN and no jobs available.

Jo Dirt · Oct 13, 2004

Folks, if you are considering an LPN program I'm sure you are hearing from the school about the wonderful opportunities for "nurses" in this country. How the jobs will await you wherever you go. Well, just be aware that is not necessarily so. Don't let them give you any illusions that you will be working in a hospital, let alone a specialty like OB or peds.. People may tell you it is worth becoming an LPN *first* to see if you even like nursing enough to invest the time in an RN program. This is good advice for people who want to make a career out of going to school, but for people who are there because they need to be fairly sure of gainful employment from their efforts this is bad advice. If you can spend a year in an LPN program it is worth the extra year to get an ADN or a diploma so you can at least get a job! I say there should be a petition to shut down the LPN programs. The places that do hire LPN's (like nursing homes) want to pay LPN salaries for RN type duties and responsibilities.

When I chose to go to LPN school it was solely because the LPN program was 45 minutes away as opposed to 2 1/2 hrs. to the nearest ADN school (I was ready to take the plunge but DH wouldn't hear of it).

So, here I am, four years after getting my LPN license. I was lucky to find a job (though it was 45 minutes away) at a LTC facility. I make $2.50/hr more than when I first started working there, barely cost of living raise if even that. And I am taking steps back...here I go again...having to basically redo what I should have done right in the first place: going to get my RN diploma.

Please make sure your school is giving you the real dope about where your LPN diploma will likely take you (which is nowhere).:stone

Limik · Oct 13, 2004

I have to say, reading most of these posts has made me a little angry. :angryfire I have been an LPN for 10 years and have worked in a wide variety of settings including acute care, public health, education, and office nursing- never in LTC. I agree that LPN jobs are not as numerous as they were, and I have even thought of going back to school to get my RN. I think the reason that LPN's aren't valued is because so manyof us (as evidenced by comments on this thread) don't value ourselves. If we think our License is worthless, why would anyone else think differently? It is possible to find a good job as an LPN, ma not be easy but it is possible. Get involved with the national and local LPN organizations to change how an LPN is looked at. Be proactive, we all worked darned hard to get where we are and shouldn't be told that our only option is to go back to school to be an RN. I wish all of you who are struggling luck, but I think we as LPN's need to show that we are nurses and do have value, because if we don't no one else is going to!

Limik

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2004

If I remember correctly, the original poster said she was disappointed that she couldn't get a hospital job. It might be a regional thing but the hospitals in my area don't hire LPNs at all. However a look at today's paper shows that MD offices do as well as insurance companies, our prisons, the school for the deaf in addition to LTC.

There are opportunities. Sometimes not every region has every option. Best wishes to all who are hunting for a good nursing job.

CHATSDALE · Oct 13, 2004

sometimes you have to make the best of a bad situation...no new graduate is worth much when they first get out of school and maybe the hospitals can charge more if they are "all rn"

but to say that ltc residents do not deserve good care or that you are so good that you can't learn anything from ltc work is a bit much

look at it this way..if you were an employer would you hire you? get some experience anyway that you can...if you decide to go back to school it will be a valuable boost up for you...i hope that you find what you are looking for

Kaelie · Oct 13, 2004

There is a 100% employment rate for both RN's & LPN's in Alberta..... The pay is great, if you don't mind living in rural areas.

happylush · Oct 13, 2004

I received my RN license about two months ago, and there are NO JOBS available where I live. I am working at a local hospital as an LPN still and am just sitting and waiting around and keeping my fingers crossed. I am afraid I will lose all my skills the more I sit and wait............................ ugh...............

Jo Dirt · Oct 13, 2004

I received my RN license about two months ago, and there are NO JOBS available where I live. I am working at a local hospital as an LPN still and am just sitting and waiting around and keeping my fingers crossed. I am afraid I will lose all my skills the more I sit and wait............................ ugh...............

Of course this situation is not typical.

happylush · Oct 13, 2004

Of course this situation is not typical.

Well, apparently it is in Minnesota!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CHATSDALE · Oct 13, 2004

I can't believe the posts i am reading...really...we have a college, a university with rn programs and a vocational school with lpn courses and we can not find enough warm bodies to fill the vacancies....however it is wise to find jout if there is a going to be a demand for your services b/4 you invest time and money into career training...sometimes we have to bite the bullet and relocate...at least you will get experience and some good things to put on your resume so that if you choose to return you can get a good job...wit the baby boomer retireing and becoming health care receivers and not hc providers i still think that the future is rosy..rethink

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Oct 13, 2004

To add to Chatsdale...I know a lot of people who bemoan their job situation but it turns out the "dream job" must be in a single town in a specific county of a certain state. Sometimes, that isn't realistic, even in nursing. Broadening your scope, even considering relocating, can make a huge difference!

miraclebeliever · Oct 14, 2004

Dear ladybay,

I too had a time finding a good job. Many of the people I went to school with settled for a nursing home job but after 4 rotations there I knew that was not for me. I have an 8 yr old and did not have childcare for weekends, the hospital where we did clinicals paid LPN's less than CNAs and I refused to go to work at Walmart for minimum wage after all my hard work. I am 46 and it took me from October of last year until June of this year to find a position so don't give up. I am now working as a middle school nurse, I run my own clinic, do my own triage, and have a consulting nurse I can call if I run into an issue that I need help with. The beauty of it is that I always have nights,weekends, and all holidays off and we are considered part of the teachers retirement system so we have full benefits/medical. The downside of it is that you have a lot of diabetic and asthmatic kids to deal with but you get used to it very quickly. I can't wait until I have the summer off. They divide your pay up into 12 month increments so that you still receive a check in the summer. I love my kids and for me this was a much better alternative than night shift or nursing home. Good luck honey, you will be fine, just trust that God would not have brought you this far if He didn't have the perfect place for you to be. YOU ARE A NURSE AND DON'T LET ANYONE MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE NOT A VITAL PROFESSIONAL!

Pbelle · Oct 18, 2004

:rolleyes: I know how you feel when you call an agency/potential employer and hear 'we require 6 months - 1 year experience'. When I asked one, 'well, where do I get that experience?' I was told, 'go work in a nursing home'. That situation holds nothing for me, my experience doing LTC during clinicals was that the LPN's were pill-pushers, and nothing more. (Maybe this is different where some of you LTC LPN's work, but it wasn't where I was).

Here in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Allina Hospitals are cutting all LPN's from their hospitals. But there are plenty of clinics/LTC/Acute/Home care facilities that are hiring. Where did you do your internship? Did you inquire with them? I graduate in December and have already begun my job search. I'm planning on going onto an LPN-RN mobility program within the following year, so I figure I'll be able to earn some $$ and gain experience at the same time.

One thing the nurses at my last rotation told me to do was to bypass HR and go directly to the DON in the area you're interested in. Many times they'll speak with you (ask for an 'informational interview'), and once you've sold yourself to them, a position will be made!

Good luck!