Nursing home hirings

agldragonRN · Nov 17, 2011

why not search the area for ltc facilities and give them a call and ask if they are hiring or if you can come and fill-up an application? it is easier to get an ltc job than a hospital job.

kudos to you for wanting to work ltc!

merlee · Nov 17, 2011

Open up the yellow pages, look for nursing homes in the area you wish to work in. Start calling them, asking for their HR dept.

Best wishes!

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Nov 17, 2011

I sent resumes just as I would a hospital. Or any other job that required an RN license.

Tankweti · Nov 17, 2011

When I got my first LTC job, I had an application that I had had for months from a job fair they had held. I called and asked if they were still hiring and was transferred to the DON, who invited me in for an interview. We hit it off and I was hired on the spot. However, with the glut of inexperienced new grads, alot of nursing homes in my area no longer accept new grads and instead want people with 1-2 years acute care experience. The reason for this is that they expect to put an RN immediately into a charge nurse position over LPN's and aides. That was always the case, of course, but now nursing homes have more options re:glut of new grads but realistically less options because they are looking for experience just like everyone else.

Siddhartha · Nov 18, 2011

Interestingly enough, I found a pretty sweet LTC job via craig's list

:cool:

shaunamarslan · Nov 18, 2011

Look up a list and do some research online about LTC's with good ratings /minimal deficiencies and walk in with your resume in hand. Ask the receptionist to grab the DON for a minute and simply introduce yourself and have a mini interview. I have done this 3 times now and have been hired on the spot when there were no advertised job openings each time

NEXTLOVER · Nov 18, 2011

Thanks so much you guys! Yeah, I think calling may be the first step. But I might also do the "put on a suite and grab the resume!" strategy, too, just in case.

agldragonRN - Thanks! LOL. I know it's not really the "norm" in wanting to work in LTC, but for some reason, I LOVE THE ATMOSPHERE. Maybe it's my love of taking care of the elderly? But this is definitely where my future lies. I plan on becoming an NP - Gerontology.

merlee - Oooh, the yellowpages tactic. I think this might be the "first step." Then if all else fails, I might do the "drive around from facility to facility" strategy. Thank you for the suggestion; never would've thought of it lol!

imintrouble - Yeah, I figured I might have to bring my resume (a very thin one at that!) with me. Thank you :)

Tankweti - Oh man, I always had this feeling that not just acute care might have to go that route (1-2 years experience a MUST!). 2 years ago (when I graduated fr. an ADN program), the norm was if you can't find a job in acute care, go straight to the LTCs and there it is a guarantee that you will get hired! It's really getting harder and harder out there, huh? Hopefully my 1 year experience might count for SOMETHING. Thanks for the warning; it's good to have an idea of what's going on out there :)

Siddhartha - LOL! For some reason, I never ever go to craigslist! I should because, like you, some friends have gotten the best deals (in terms of full-time contracts). I'm always like, "but craigslist is only for car bargains, not jobs." I'm definitely gonna start using this option. Thank you!

shaunamarslan - YES! Believe it or not, this was my initial game plan: go from LTC to LTC until I get some kind of contact with a DON or manager (Ha! Tough chance on that). It's still gonna be in my game plan, but maybe a "last resort, I'm desperate!" type of thing. I've gotta start practicing way before I go this route though; I get knock-kneed & nervous doing these interviews. Thank you for your suggestion :)

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2011

My question is if I don't have a nurse manager's number on hand or an HR depart. one either, will just walking into a facility and explaining my goal to the person be enough? So I'm just literally going in without any notice.

I've worked at multiple nursing homes, and none of them has had an in-house HR department. Just walk into one of these places and ask if you could talk to the person who does the hiring. This approach should help you get your desired result of a job. By the way, dress nicely if you are walking into nursing homes, because this approach sometimes results in an on-the-spot interview if the nurse manager has the time. Good luck to you!

NEXTLOVER · Nov 20, 2011

I've worked at multiple nursing homes, and none of them has had an in-house HR department. Just walk into one of these places and ask if you could talk to the person who does the hiring. This approach should help you get your desired result of a job. By the way, dress nicely if you are walking into nursing homes, because this approach sometimes results in an on-the-spot interview if the nurse manager has the time. Good luck to you!

Thanks for the suggestion and for giving me hope! That on-the-spot interview is my GOAL when I'll do driving around to facility to facility. I'm just gonna treat it like a normal, regular job interview, nice suit, hair & face fresh & clean, etc. I'm actually more comfortable (well, sometimes) when I see the person and there's more chances for me to "warm up" and hopefully have a connection with the manager or DON. Thanks for the suggestion once again; it's greatly appreciated

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Nov 22, 2011

Most centers in my area do on the spot interviews or at least mini interviews then schedule a full one. I second looking at the ratings before you go looking.

The bigger places with around 200 or more beds tend to have an HR person...smaller than that none.