New nurse stuck on verge of homelessness

Jules A, MSN · Jul 19, 2015

Do you have any contacts from your clinical rotations you could touch base with? In a tight market having an in is invaluable. Anyone at your school who was particularly supportive and might be able to pass along an introduction?

BirkieGirl · Jul 19, 2015

try agency nursing or a staffing corporation, like Kelly services. you work for THEM, so you don't have to interview with the hospitals. agency nursing is a great option because you get to choose where you want to go, when you want.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Jul 19, 2015

try agency nursing or a staffing corporation, like Kelly services. you work for THEM, so you don't have to interview with the hospitals. agency nursing is a great option because you get to choose where you want to go, when you want.

Agency nursing isn't for new grads. It's intended for experienced nurses that can work on short notice with minimal orientation.

ixchel · Jul 19, 2015

(((Hugs))) I hope you are able to find something soon. If you have old scrubs from school, textbooks you can do without, you can probably sell them to other students. If you have friends or family who hire someone to care for elderly relatives, or special needs children, you might ask them to keep you in mind. (My third year of school, my husband's grandmother had a fall that resulted in a hemorrhagic stroke, which led to dementia and she required around the clock supervision.)

I have to be honest with you, and I'm sure I'll catch some heat for saying this, but if it kept a roof over my head and I had no choice, I'd go apply to restaurants and not mention the degree. Restaurants don't spend much training you, and they won't struggle much, if any, when you quit. Just be good about it and give adequate notice before leaving. That's me, though. You have to do what feels right to you.

In the meantime, look up what aid might be available to you. Your state or county may have job search help, temporary cash assistance, stuff to help you get on your feet again.

I'm so sorry for these circumstances, but I do want to say congratulations on your graduation and licensure. I hope success comes soon!

GuEsT78 · Jul 19, 2015

I've been there and done that and know it isn't fun. I live now as a writer and have even done three books on nursing topics. Once, a scientific publisher I'd done editorial work for (Wiley-Pearsonâ€”"Boo, Hiss") was several months late paying me, citing a change in corporate bookkeeping. Money got so tight, I was digging in the back of cabinets and eating cans so old, the food inside was almost petrified. Not an experience I like to recall.

Nursing through an agency is probably out because, as others have noted, you lack any work experience. Agency work in general, however, is still a possibility, particularly if you're willing to any sort of work imaginable. I've done that from time to time to subsidize my writing. The work was often interesting, in my case including checking tickets for two marvelous, world-class art exhibitions. For such work, you need to prove you're dependable, flexible, and sensible. It won't pay like full-time nursing, but it will put food on the table and mean you won't have to sleep in your car. (Evening work will interfere less with your classes.) Since they're dealing with people who come and go anyway, the fact that you'll hope soon have a full-time nursing job will matter less.

You might also call agencies to see what their policies are about hiring a nurse without work experience for positions such as a home care aide. Your clinical training in school should provide more than enough qualifications for that. At some point, that work may even evolve into something better. At any rate, it is income and, as nursing-like work, it'll look better on your resume than waiting tables.

Look for a family needing someone to care for an elderly relative, perhaps as a live-in. In some cases, you'll get housing, food, and pay as well as practice your nursing skills. My sister hired people to do just that when my mother needed full-time care. There would, however, need to be an agreement that you might be leaving on short notice. In my sister's case, that mattered little. She had a number of other people she could call in. Call around, including to hospice services, and ask for recommendations.

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Find ways to save money, so you can afford to travel for job interviews and dress well.

1. Look for a friend or family member you might stay with, perhaps exchanging housework or child care for rent.

2. Save on groceries by visiting local food banks and looking for free meal nights at churches and the like. Next to rent, food is probably your largest living expense.

3. Look for ways to cut back on other expenses. For many, the quickest way to save money is to convert an often pricey per-month cellular to a prepay plan where you only pay for your actual talk-time. Then slash the time you talk down as much as possible by using regular phones to talk with friends. That cell phone now exists only to get calls about job interviews. Even if you are caught in a two-year contract, you might try seeing if the cell company would work out an arrangement. They'd rather get some income from you than nothing.

And as others have noted, take advantage of every nursing contact and connection you have. The key to getting a job is often knowing someone who can make sure your application stands out from the others.

Remember, hang in there and the situation will get better. You're almost an RN and that is a big plus. Just a few more months and all these financial bumps will smooth out.

--Michael W. Perry

xxdiscoxxheaven · Jul 20, 2015

Have you considered LTC or home health? I know it may not be what you want but their money is as green as anywhere else. Also, apply for government assistance! We pay for it for people to get on their feet. Might as well use it until you get settled

FL_Nurse92 · Jul 20, 2015

Look into residency programs... they only take nursing graduates. I can't say I know the feeling to the full extent but I went to school in Mississippi and only applied for jobs in Florida. I got no calls back for a month after putting in applications. When I finally started getting calls all my interviews were over the phone, which was not very ideal. So I moved up to FL on my own dime and had a job the next week! Most hospitals will reimburse you for travel and moving expenses so look into that. Also the hospital you precepted at or had clinical at will almost always hire you!

817nurse · Jul 20, 2015

You posted about getting offered a job at a nursing home at the beginning of this month, OP. Did you decline the job offer? If so, that probably wasn't the brightest decision considering you are on the verge of homelessness. Good luck.

luvsltcrn · Jul 20, 2015

I find it hard to feel any sympathy when you just turned down a position making 30.00 per hour.

ixchel · Jul 20, 2015

Let's be fair here. That was a month ago, and the job offered was one that most of us would turn down. One week orientation with no experience is scary.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2015

Let's be fair here. That was a month ago, and the job offered was one that most of us would turn down. One week orientation with no experience is scary.

When one's financial situation is dire, you've gotta take whatever job you can get.

This is a cautionary tale to all the new grads who are considering turning down a competitively paying job offer at a nursing home: you don't know when (or if) the next job offer will arrive. You're holding out for the hospital job at your own risk.

My first nursing position was in LTC. I received one day of orientation. However, I had to take the job because no one else is going to financially support me.