NO bites yet :(

A few questions so I'm not assuming what you have or have not been doing in your efforts to secure a job...

Have you been in to any hospitals/nursing homes/human resource depts in person? Have you visited and/or called back on a regular basis - such as weekly or bi-weekly? Have you asked for any informational interviews with nurse managers? Have you asked any nurses you may know (schoolmates, family friends, etc) for assistance in your job search?

Hi KCR411,

I'm sorry to hear that you have had trouble with your job hunt -- unfortunately, depending on where you live these days, a hospital job is hard to pin down.

I agree with jjjoy -- it is better to be a little more proactive with your job search. Even if online job applications are the norm these days, putting a face to the resume always helps. Even if it does not do the trick, at least you tried, right?

I went to one hospital interview last month, and I was informed that being out of the job force for a year is considered to be detrimental to your job search. It doesn't matter what reason it might be -- the main thing is they want experienced nurses, and if you're going for a new grad position, you should have tons of volunteer work and training on your resume to make it stand out. Remember, there are tons of new grads circulating the market right now, fresh from clinicals.

So you have a couple of options: 1)Take an RN refresher course (I was told this, although my fellow RN friends say I don't need it yet); 2)Consider LTC, nursing homes,etc. 3) Go for higher education (if graduated from Associates, try going for your Bachelor's) 4) Relocate...

Remember, don' give up -- that's our worst enemy right now. Keep on going at it, continue keeping abreast with what's new in the field and make yourself more marketable...I'm sure you'll find a job in no time:)

KCR,

Is relocation an option for you? There are plenty of areas where nurses are still in very high demand - like my neck of the woods.