New Nurse Competition in San Diego

[Starbeck]

hi, i am a new nurse since june this year and i have yet to get a position here in san diego. i am wondering if i am missing something? i am retired us naval with a strong medical background.

everybody in the country hears about a nursing shortage that is except new nurses and the recruiters in san diego who are overwhelmed with applicants. this is a nice place to live and many new graduates are migrating here. yes and there are many who had planned to retire and are not, for economic reasons. the economy is in a hiccup but i am wondering when the hiccup will change the new nurse orientation openings.

i have managed one interview out of over 100 resumes. i am sending resumes for out of state & overseas positions as well. i have formatted my resume many ways. i'm sure that an associate degree in nursing and being 55 is a major reason i am not getting selected for an interview. i will be certainly finishing bachelors and counting on things changing in the next few years.

some facilities in san diego are getting 600 to 700 applicants for 30 to 40 positions. having a bsn and being in your twenties is what i am competing against. am i missing something if a plan to stay in san diego?

respectfully

[NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN]

Did you try applying at the naval hospital down there? I don't think it's your age, it's just the market at the moment. Too many appliants, foreign and domestic that are applying for these positions and little openings. I would keep focussing on local because from what I hear hospitals like to hire locals vs someone who's coming from another area. Keep calling back to check the status of your application, and you might want to try the prison system to see if they hire new grads. Good Luck

[Melshaneah]

Its not you. None of us can get a job in San Diego. I have been searching since August and the only jobs I can get are with temp agencies. Maxim works me a few days a week but its still not a full time work. Ive only gotten a couple interviews out of HUNDREDS of applications and they always go with someone who has more experience. Only positive thing about the temp agencies is I am getting the experience. Granted its trial by fire but one does what they must. I wish you luck in your search but until something gives here in San Diego we are all going to have to play roulette in getting a job and hope that the thousand ways we revamp our resumes and the thousand ways we try to impress them when we do the interviews (when we actually get them) will impress someone enough to give us the job over the other 600 applicants.