not so new new grad

[sweet0ne]

I enjoyed this web site very much when I was a student. It helped me so much. Then, right after graduation, life took me overseas for a few years. When I came back, getting into nursing field was very difficult. It took me many months to find a job. I feel lucky working at the doctor's office for the last three months now. I like it, but the pay is very low (as much as medical assistant), no benefits, and sadly, no opportunities to grow professionally. My resume is very modest. Would you recommend some sort of certification? What would help me to get a job at the hospital? I think I would be great ER nurse. I am planning on continuing my education and getting BSN but it will take time. Any advice is highly appreciated. Thank you for reading my post.

[llg, PhD, RN]

To get a job in a hospital, you might need a refresher course. If you have been away from acute care, inpatient nursing for a few years (and never transitioned from student to nurse to begin with), it is doubtful that a hospital would take a chance on hiring you without one.

If you are not interested in inpatient, acute care ... you might simply need to spend more time in the workforce before being hired elsewhere. Perhaps you could expand your experience by doing some volunteer work ... or attend some nursing conferences and network like crazy.

[sweet0ne]

I like your idea of getting more experience. Two-year gap is a lot but things come back fast to me. Thank you for the reply.