Please help, almost 2 years and no job!

[cc8671]

I have graduated from a RN diploma school almost 2 years ago and have since been actively searching for jobs. All this time I have not gotten a single phone call or anything. I am from the NJ/Philly area and everywhere around me is only hiring BSN now. I enrolled in an RN to BSN program but my graduation date is in another 2 years.

I haven't been slacking though, I have ACLS, PALS, IV therapy certification, BLS Instructor (cannot find a class to teach),and I also do basic volunteering at the ER near me. However, I have 0 work experience in the health care field. I have applied almost anywhere and everywhere, and had my resume checked many times.

I feel like giving up, I really just do not know what to do anymore. By the time I finish my RN to BSN program I will have been 4 years out of my nursing student clinical experience and I fear that will look terrible. Should I just start looking for jobs other than nursing in the healthcare field then apply for an RN job again when I graduate? I really need advice. I have also tried looking for RN residencies but they all require BSN. I am also unable to relocate.

I don't want to give up, I enjoy nursing.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

Unfortunately, being a new diploma nurse in modern times is extremely difficult more than being an ADN RN grad. Have you tried getting hired by the hospital to which your diploma program is affiliated? If a hospital has a diploma program in this day and age, it only makes sense that they would hire their grads with the condition they enrolled in a BSN program (which you say you are in one now). WHy have a diploma program if you are not gonna hire your own grads? Diploma programs are almost obsolete throughout the US, even though diploma programs were known for producing the best nurses as diploma programs involve the most hospital clinical time.

Exactly! This I never understood. It's like having a baby you want but then not raising him as you naturally should. I think we have the same situation right here in New York City, there is a well known and reputable ADN program affiliated with a major hospital but they seem to prefer BSNs for new grad positions. That makes no sense.

[caliotter3]

And don't forget the job website of your state employment department. I found a job there one time.

[JackiRN, BSN, RN]

You could always try DaVita or one of the Dialysis positions. While it may not be what you want to do, it could be an in!

I finished my ADN in Philadelphia and could not find a job anywhere! I moved to DC where I found a little outpatient job, (while taking care of my grandmother) and finished up my BSN online. THen I got a job with a well known hospital outpatient setting (because I had a little bit of experience) and then now I'm inpatient. It took a while, but I'm planning on working a year in each setting until I can get where I REALLY want to be! I would try nursing homes, pediatrician offices, doctors offices, or anything ambulatory that has an affiliation with a large hospital that you can transfer within.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

I went to an excellent hospital based diploma program back in the 80's. There were probably a half dozen in existence in and around Chicago at the time and I chose that over an ADN program due to the high standards they maintained.

Now, most schools have closed except for a few in the east, and Illinois is down to one school.

Seeing all the "what's a diploma school" comments, I suspect that many HR reps and hiring managers under 50 may also be clueless about what a diploma grad is. Perhaps the OP could network with her school, or other diploma grads and get a sense of where she might be hired. Also, after 2 years of not working, a college based refresher course may look good on her resume.

FINALLY...since the OP is a certified CPR instructor, perhaps she can get in with the Red Cross or heart association to teach some classes. maybe even do it on her own as a side business.