No, We Can't Offer You A Job, But.....

[caliotter3]

I just saw an ad on an employment website that stated new grads could not be hired but they might be able to grant a waiver if the individual was able to make home health visits in areas where they needed coverage. This struck me as pretty crass to state in a job ad. You don't meet hiring standards unless you are willing to do something others are not willing to do? How does that make the difference? Also saw an ad with the title " Bad Ass RN's...." and another asking for "Rare" employees. Not well done, or medium rare, but rare (my play on words). This kind of verbiage in employment ads may be perceived as cute and eye-catching to those who post it, but it leaves something to be desired when one thinks about how they perceive and probably treat their employees. Just an observation.

[caliotter3]

The ad is not distasteful because the employer is asking the prospective employee to do home health, although we know that many nurses look down on the home health specialty; the ad is distasteful because of the circumstances. New grads are not welcome, unless the new grad is willing to put themselves at risk working in areas where no one else chooses to work. Either the employee is acceptable as a new grad, or the employee is not acceptable as a new grad. The exception in the ad is not acceptable (for most people).

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

I might, if feeling snarky and having some free time, mock up a resume showing a series of jobs where I performed terribly in proctology offices, and send it in with a cover letter about how I am a bad ass nurse.

Love this!!! It reminds me of Seinfeld when Kramer had the Ass Man license plate. 😄

[Libby1987]

The HH ad might have potentially been written by us and not refer to a seedy or unsafe area. We have a remote area that had been covered by a nurse who lived there for years and hasn't been able to be replaced. It's not close or convenient to any agency in the area but it isn't unsafe. It might otherwise make the extra expense to train and supervise a new grad to get the area covered.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Home health is growing into much, much more than it used to be. So I am not sure why one would "look down" on it. The independence and the hours can also be so much more flexible.

As a new grad, however, I am not sure that it is something one can do unless they have a really, really good preceptor.

As far as the "bad ass" comment---oh, good, so my attitude issues, smack talking, smart aleck ways are EMBRACED!?!?!?! That is AWESOME!! (or is it that my scrubs make me look fat.....)

[wannabecnl]

new grads could not be hired but they might be able to grant a waiver if the individual was able to make home health visits in areas where they needed coverage. This struck me as pretty crass to state in a job ad. You don't meet hiring standards unless you are willing to do something others are not willing to do? How does that make the difference?

1. How is this different from new grads pulling graveyard shifts with 7-8 patients in med-surg because no one else wants that shift? (Med-surg is usually willing to take new grads, so I guess you could argue it is different, but I think it's the same thing: low demand = high supply)

2. I don't know this organization, but a home health agency has to cover its population or region, and perhaps they can justify the resources to train new grads who are willing to work with an underserved part of that population/region.

[ANnot4me]

As Registered Nurses, we are expected to exercise good judgment and to expect proper training and support in our practice: one nurse's challenge is another nurse's risk and sometimes our registration body becomes the judge of our judgement. We are all human and we all make mistakes, but as nurses, accepting a "challenging nursing job" to pay the bills might be the biggest mistake we ever make.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

The HH ad might have potentially been written by us and not refer to a seedy or unsafe area. We have a remote area that had been covered by a nurse who lived there for years and hasn't been able to be replaced.

I was kinda thinking along these lines too. Medical students have programs where there is loan forgiveness if they will they go in to primary care in underserved areas. This by no means implies a "dangerous" area. My first thought was the HH jobs they were having trouble filling were in rural areas and/or jobs that required a lot of driving to get there.

I would definitely run from a job looking for "bad ***" nurses.

[caliotter3]

I can assure you that the ad was not referring to "rural" areas. And there is definitely no shortage of eager, unemployed nurses, new grads or not, in the areas serviced by the employer. If there is no coverage in any of the employer's service areas, there most likely is a very good reason why no one desperate enough for work would not already be working there. The observation made referred to the most likely scenario, not the one least likely to be the case. These examples are not the only ones seen in employment ads here that exclude certain classes of prospective employees. Usually they exclude new grads, but not with "come hither" suggestions. That was the exception that I took to the tone of that ad. The defensible reason to exclude new grads equally exists for all situations offered by the employer or that reason does not exist at all.

[CKPM2RN, ASN, EMT-P]

I will be when I finally graduate. So many nursing jobs want experience but how does one get experience? I will not be picky when starting out.

[RNNPICU, BSN, RN]

I will be when I finally graduate. So many nursing jobs want experience but how does one get experience? I will not be picky when starting out.

It isn't about being picky, just be cautious, especially as a new grad, you need to think about your new license that you have worked so hard to obtain. You will want a place that will give you a true orientation, back-up in case you have questions, and resources. This description just sounded scary and not interested in professionally developing their employees, especially the bad a** part

[tjmrn]

I completely agree with RNNPICU.

What ever happened to Interim Permittee programs ?

[Jewelsforme]

Agreed. I found myself years ago in a situation that was uncomfortable, but I accepted it because of circumstances. Still I felt used.

With the ongoing nursing shortage and more acute patient care loads, some facilities just have a lot of nerve, especially if they are close to a college or university with plenty of new grads constantly looking for a job. It happened to me. For several years I was working as a CNA/NAC at a larger hospital while completing my RN degree. The last year when I did get my LPN degree, the hospital refused to allow me to work as an LPN, even though they had LPN positions open in depts I would have loved to work in, and in fact, was working in as a house float CNA and RN student. They gave me two choices: continue to work with full support and benefits as a house float CNA/NAC at those wages, but which afforded me continuous learning in the ICU, Medical, Surgical floors, OB/GYN and OR as well as the rest of the large hospital, a luxury I enjoyed doing, or 2) move out of the area to find a job as an LPN for that last year of school. They knew they had me because I didn't want to leave the area I was completing my RN degree at. But seriously, I felt they take advantage of new grads who need to keep working to pay their tuition, stay at the local school, and when there are not other hospitals locally to change jobs. Just infuriates me. I did get my RN license but moved and went on to other hospitals, and took all that experience and knowledge/skills with me because I didn't appreciate their attitude of "using" LPN grads and last year RN students. Shortly after that I read in the paper of all kinds of scandal in the top administration, and a state supported nursing strike there for unfair labor practices. It's too bad but over the years, they continue to iron out those labor issues. Sometimes, you can learn a lot about hospitals by the ways they treat their staff. Just sayin'