I am not going to be popular with this thread, but here goes...I have seen quite a few posts about the older workers that are new grads thinking they deserve a job more because they had a previous career. Many times, these former careers are NOT healthcare related, so it does not help with their nursing career at all. My question to the older workers who are new grads is why do you feel like you deserve jobs over the younger new grads?
I feel like if anything, the older workers seem more entitled than younger workers. When you get a second career, you are starting at ground zero. So, let the opinions fly.
Life taught me not to turn up my nose at any job... which is why I was working 2 months after I was licensed and ended up in just the department and just the hospital that I want.
Technically, it is not completely from being picky. I have only been looking since January because I am in HPMP. I had to be approved to look for work first.
In wish_me_lucks case, it is not a matter of turning up ones nose at job opportunitie but following the BONs conditions with regards to job applications.
What dishes said. The thing is, I truly do not care for ER, ICU, OR, L&D. And I truly love med/surg, psych, and public health. I consider it the silver lining of my situation. I was very blessed to love areas that deal with little to no narcotics. I do not know what I would have done if I fell in love with ICU or something. Those areas I do not care for use a lot of narcotics and other addictive drugs. I did end up with a restriction for narcotics, just less time than average as I didn't have a narcotic problem.
I do however like home health and I cannot do home health to start per my contract. So, I mean, I could be considered picky (which I might be) or it could be I am staying within my contract. I was told I could apply for anything and everything except home health, but I realize with my restriction, it could be a huge inconvenience on co-workers to constantly be giving meds to my patients.
Again, I am quite blessed with what I ended up liking. I found out with applications, it isn't really the number, it is the quality and relevance of experience that you could bring to the table and being somewhat different than others. Plus, where you live. I am serious in that I started applying slightly outside of my area (not too far though) and I started getting interviews. In my area, I got one interview. the rest were from the other area. Turns out the other applications in my area were just either posted (no plans to fill) or there was a hiring freeze/lay offs.
Also, I want to mention, you have to be careful with ambition. I was rather ambitious in one interview and it didn't bode well. I was looking into a Master's not too long ago (I didn't get in, but I think it will actually work out in my favor that I did not) and I mentioned that and that I would eventually like to move up. I have 40 something years of working left. To me, it didn't seem like that was bad to want to advance at some point. However, in advancing I was wanting to take the interviewers positions. Some people find that cute and everything; some interviewers get really agitated at that and turned off. I could see it on their faces.
So, a lot of experience can actually be a turn off. Just a thought.
Wow, just wow. I went to nursing school with plenty that babble on like this...wow, just wow. Hiring young, hiring old, it is in the hands of HR and the DON, so everyone, just do your best and be good at what you do. In nursing, just like in life, age has its advantages and disadvantages. Be on with it!
Well first, M/S has a LOT of narcotics. So be prepared for that.
I do have a non healthcare related volunteer position. It actually compliments what fields I want and on my interviews, I am able to relate this to those positions. It is not technically healthcare, but it's a direct parallel volunteer thing...great experience I have been there for a little over half a year and still there.
So YOUR volunteer work in a non-healthcare field translates to nursing, but you can't imagine how SOMEONE ELSE'S non-healthcare work translates to nursing? Who's entitled here?
I do not have children. See previous response on that--I watch children. I truly, truly am really considering not having children. I do not want them. Maybe I will change my mind after a hiatus from children, but not now.
I do not understand why people look down on living at home. Even adults.
But on the whole, people who have a mortgage stay in their job and will put up with whatever crap their management gives them because they HAVE to. They don't have the luxury of depending on mom and dad to keep a roof over their head. THAT makes them attractive to hire. They'll stay no matter what kind of crap their employer throws at them.
And it's illegal to ask about pregnancy, but subconsciously, hiring managers are aware of the female reproductive system. Young women are more likely to have kids and take maternity leave than older women/men. The younger woman may not want kids, but they can still get pregnant. Case in point, my sister that had no plans to have children will be taking a maternity leave soon.
ricksy I am unemployed. I do not have a nursing job. Therefore, I do not have patients. Again, I will tell you the same I told Colleen, ignore my posts.[/quote']
Have you previously worked as a nurse and are currently unemployed or have you never been offered an RN job?
"My question to the older workers who are new grads is why do you feel like you deserve jobs over the younger new grads? "
It's not about deserving anything. It's only about ability and skills. You have to have something to offer an employer WML, I mean, really.. Best get yourself some provable skill, something an employer would want
Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.
well at 64yrs, I just got drafted into a Director of Nurses position, from semi retirement, I did not even apply for, it has been over four decades since I was a new grad
I don't know, Alison...somethings you mention are personality. In a way, you come across as somewhat smug and cocky. I think confidence is cool, but I don't know, smug is not. Just my opinion, anyway.
If it was a job traveling, I would give it to a 20 something year old, then, if that's what you view the difference between 20 something and 30 something. That description of a 30 something screams "I am tied down and cannot be flexible". Twenty something being free birds (which I am, but I love public health and there is traveling in it) can be helpful. The free bird thing though has to do with my personality. I am very much a free spirit and probably always will be.
You are right on the last part . The 20 somethings on my
floor do the most OT and are least likely to complain when mandated. They never miss work for child or parent care. but i guess without kids and a mortgage they do amd are more likely to jump ship and not feel tied down. Not pc but reality
wooh, M/S has less than ICU. The volunteer work I do, one is using my nursing license (MRC), the other volunteer job (non healthcare services; info and referral center that deals with crisis intervention, including suicide, mental health, and sexual assault). If one of the other activities pans out with this volunteer job, I probably will have to get approval from my case manager because it is using my nursing license and it's not even really a healthcare organization. That's how close my volunteer job is to nursing. I think the one thing I have learned from this volunteer work is how much a "lay person" can do that nurses do. It's not like having a finance or business degree and then going into nursing. That's apples and oranges.
About the kids thing, wooh. I would have an abortion if I became pregnant right now (abortion doesn't bother me). It is not happening anytime soon. Maybe in many many years (maybe even never), but it ain't happening now or anytime soon.
*Maybe a better way to put it is that you do not need a license to do what I do as a volunteer*
dishes, BSN, RN
3,950 Posts
What existing skills does a pysch degree major have to leverage with nursing?