Philadelphia Area "New" RN: 30 applications rejected : When will my dream come true?

U.S.A. Pennsylvania

Published

Hi everyone :redbeathe

30 applications now, and each one denied.

2 of them, were actually for an entry level.. so once they were declined, i actually shed tears.

::sigh:: well im just here to vent. I am so exhausted with applications, i'm starting to feel I might as well give up for a few months.

how are things for you new jersey grads? My paper work for obtaining my licenser in NJ is nearly complete. however, i wonder if its worth the $200.00 and other fees? :redbeathe:crying2::nurse::uhoh3::redbeathe

Hey hiddencatRN, can you post some advice on how to get registered? I went to the PA DoH website and found the employment section but it looks like the only way to sign up is to register for the civil service exam.

Keep going: at some point you select the jobs you want to register for the exam for but there's actually no exam, the nursing jobs are all by licensure and experience. I was given a ranking based on my "score" of 0 experience plus licensure at the bottom of the barrel and have still gotten 3 per diem job listings sent to me. You select the job grades you are interested in being considered for and then fill out a lengthy application that you want to be very complete with as that is going to be your "score" for ranking. Select the counties all around you- I think the jobs were all outside of the immediate Philly area BUT if you're willing to relocate or are willing to commute having even a per diem job on your resume will help you out.

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=614755&mode=2

So go here: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=590498&mode=2 and scroll to the nurse jobs (2010-055 Community Health Nurses (State and Local Government) ; 2009-137Licensed Practical Nurses ; 2009-038 Registered Nurses and Supervisors (State and Local Government); and 2009-182Registered PRN Nurse).

Read the requirements: some require experience but not all do. Pick the job codes that don't require experience and use those codes to apply online here:http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=590494&mode=2

So for example, if I scroll to the Registered Nurse PRN position and click on the hyperlink, a file downloads with the job details and I see that the job code is 30480. When I go to apply on the online application, I use that number to add that job to my application.

When I did it I applied for Registered Nurse PRN, Community Health Nurse, and State and Local Registered Nurse job codes. It's a little confusing but once you have all the job codes you want to apply for, you can put them all together on one online application.

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Hi,

I'm an RN working at a LTC/Rehab facility in the Lehigh Valley. I graduated in May 2010, got my license in Sept 2010, and got hired here in Nov 2010. I worked on the Alzheimer's unit for 6 months, and I just transferred over to the post-acute rehab unit. I plan to get a year of experience here, and I'm going to start looking for hospital positions around Christmas time. I would highly recommend starting in LTC to all the new grad RNs out there still searching for jobs. There are A LOT of RN openings, and no it may not be the job of your dreams, but it's a start, and it pays the bills. I work for Genesis HealthCare. They have more than 200 nursing homes on the east coast, and the most are in PA. Apply online, AND call the recruiter in your area. Here is the website if you are interested... http://www.genesishcc.com/index.cfm. Good luck. I hope you find something soon!

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Specializes in med surg.

Are you willling to relocate? I live in PA. and know that some of the facilites here like LV and GMC and Hershey have hired and continue to hire. Probably if you are a BSN you will have a slight edge because all 3 of them are Magnet hospitals but they do hire ADN.

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Hi,

I'm an RN working at a LTC/Rehab facility in the Lehigh Valley. I graduated in May 2010, got my license in Sept 2010, and got hired here in Nov 2010. I worked on the Alzheimer's unit for 6 months, and I just transferred over to the post-acute rehab unit. I plan to get a year of experience here, and I'm going to start looking for hospital positions around Christmas time. I would highly recommend starting in LTC to all the new grad RNs out there still searching for jobs. There are A LOT of RN openings, and no it may not be the job of your dreams, but it's a start, and it pays the bills. I work for Genesis HealthCare. They have more than 200 nursing homes on the east coast, and the most are in PA. Apply online, AND call the recruiter in your area. Here is the website if you are interested... http://www.genesishcc.com/index.cfm. Good luck. I hope you find something soon!

Hi, I'm interviewing for a Genesis facility in LV tomorrow....... How do you like where you work? what is the starting salary in the region (I'm from NJ, so i have no clue of what to expect in PA)? Thanks for any info....

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Hello, I am a new nurse as well from Philadelphia. I graduated in May 2011 and still have not found employment. It seems as if I submit 100 applications a day and no one is calling me back. Uggghhhhh!!! I just don't know what else to do at this point.

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Specializes in PCU, LTC.

Philadelphia is a tight market right now, when I started school, many RNs that I knew commuted in to Philly, I live 1.5hrs from Philly, and I planned to do the same. Today, most of the RNs getting hired at the facilities where I work are commuting from Philly. If you're willing to commute to a job that, quite frankly, sucks, but will get you that all important experience, I can give you a direct contact at a facility that's always hiring.

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Yes please. Any nursing job will do at this point. Thanks

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Specializes in PCU, LTC.

E-mail me at [email protected] and I'll give you the info.

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Try upstate PA and upstate NY. other states with large rural populations also if you can relocate that far.

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Specializes in ER.

There is a little hospital in Philadelphia that was hiring nurses like a month ago,is not a big hospital but at least you can adquire some experience,Kensigton Hospital is located at 136 Diamond st. Philadelphia.Not a Big place but like I said is good to obtain some experience.

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You need to check hospital websites daily for new job postings and try to be among the first to apply. It's not a matter of finding the one place that hires new grads but finding the new grad job postings before they become stale.

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KEEP APPLYING, I applied 75 times to Harrisburg Hospital before I even got an interview (not to mention all the other applications in other hospitals), and because I had so many applications in I got 3 interviews on one day and got the job I wanted on a Cardiac Telemetry unit! Just keep applying that is what I tell all my friends who just graduated. And, now that I have my first job, I find people telling me about other RN opportunities left and right, this profession is limitless, I LOVE IT!

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