Praying for the nursing shortage

[mariahas4kids]

I found out that I have "niched" myself out of the job market. When I went to nursing school it was for the purpose of becoming a NICU or ped's nurse. I passed my LPN NCLEX and the local hospital doesn't hire LPN's, I didn't want to work LTC, so I held my breath, squinched my scared feelings down, and applied at the local Hospice care center, an acute inpatient facility. I found out then that unless you have experience you get jack for respect or payscale from HR. I thought I would at least I will be getting nursing experience at hospice while I am going to school, so when I graduate, it should be easier to find a job because I will have "nursing experience".

I graduated and started putting in applications to all the hospitals in the 2 metro areas I live near, while keeping my job at Hospice (as a RN!!!). The funny thing is, when I went to HR with my RN license they told me they would have to start me at the bottom of the RN scale because I didn't have any experience!!! Granted I had been there for almost a year, but didn't have any experience as a "RN", my LPN experience didn't count.

A job counselor that I had been working with while at school contacted me and told me about a "State" job. A state prison near-by had just created a position for a RN. Before now they had just operated their medical clinic with a PA and a MA. I was soooo not interested, but she talked me into "just applying" it would be "good interview practice", "Working for the State has great benefits!" And the one that made my husbands ears perk up "Monday thru Friday, 8am to 4:30 pm, weekends and holidays off."

Boy, just the hours make it sound like a dream job doesn't it. Except I am not a morning person and was really looking foward to working nights. I interviewed and the PA and MA were such great people. They are married and have been doing this together for 12 years at the prison and have worked together almost 20 years before that. So, against my better judgement I took the job. My husband was pretty persuasive that the hours were so great, the benefits were wonderful, and once you get hired on in a state job you are set, you won't have to worry about finding a job again.

HAHAHAHHA, Here it is now, budget crisis galore, everywhere. The state has decided that they need to cut the budget in all agencies, and the Department of Corrections has decided that the prison I work for could be closed "to save money". I started looking for jobs again. Do you know it is easier to get hired on as a new grad than it is for a nurse without specialized experience? I called a recruiter yesterday for a local hospital and for once actually got a person. She was very nice, pulled up my profile and the jobs I have applied for and let me know that basically I have no experience that any nursing manager wants.

Because there really is no such thing as a nursing shortage, hospitals will post one job and get between 200-500 applicants. Even though I now am a "experienced RN" I do not have the "right" experience. I just want to cry. How are you supposed to get hospital experience if you cannot get hired because you don't have any experience. New grads can use their preceptorships as experience, but nobody cares that I did my preceptorship over 3 years ago in peds and NICU, that no longer counts.

The good news is the prison isn't shut down yet, I will keep going to work until they kick me out. I will keep putting in my applications because the famed nursing shortage is going to happen some day!

[amazing09]

Me too.......I never knew or imagined it would be so harrddddd to find a job as a nurse. I'm praying it will get better and hopefully real soon .

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

I'm so sorry you're having it rough, Maria.

I'm not holding out for that mythical nursing shortage... that ship has sailed long ago. However, based on your story it doesn't sound like you made any wrong decisions. You did the best you could under the circumstances. Sometimes we have to take the job that's available to us rather than holding out for the perfect one (and staying unemployed that whole time). It stinks that nurse recruiters are not giving you any credit for your experience. I don't have any advice to offer but I do wish you all the best in your job search -- the right thing (or at least SOMETHING) will turn up for you.

[lkwashington]

A couple of days ago my department had a meeting. We talked about staffing. Staffing is one of the things me department is famous for. They staff the hospital. We do have a nursing shortage. We have a problem with retention and recruiting. Guess what, it is going to get worst. Nurses dont want to come on their own units and work extra on their days off. Nurses are still leaving. Admin just trying to work on budget cuts. I work two prn jobs. I dont get in the politics of the units at all.

[almost.there....]

I had a friend who was a new graduate in the Kansas City area. She said that she applied to soo...(over 30) many hospital positions that they had available. But they told her that they were having a hiring freeze..........I still am taking the preqs for my nursing. However, I'm worried that in 2 more years are there still going to be problems. Or is they nursing shortage just a myth now??

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

A couple of days ago my department had a meeting. We talked about staffing. Staffing is one of the things me department is famous for. They staff the hospital. We do have a nursing shortage. We have a problem with retention and recruiting. Guess what, it is going to get worst. Nurses dont want to come on their own units and work extra on their days off. Nurses are still leaving. Admin just trying to work on budget cuts. I work two prn jobs. I dont get in the politics of the units at all.

Where are you? I'll go.

[lkwashington]

Where are you? I'll go.

HCA in VA

[Blackheartednurse]

If you wanted to be a pedi Nurse or NICU nurse you should have gone for your associates or bachelors not LPN.Most peds floor require Bachelor of Science in Nursing,I dont know about Nicu though.I dont mean to sound harsh but you should have done your research before you decided to go the LPN route

[Miss Kisha]

I hear you. I hope things get better for you, I'm a new grad so I don't know much but have you thought of Pedi Private duty Nursing. There is far more work than nurses available. Some of them even contract with families that have multiple children. Keep your head up and many decisions can be made right. It's never to late.......

Take care.

[RNDreamer]

A nursing shortage...looking forward to one :-)

That is, if it ever happens, with all these new RNs being pump out every few months.

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

If you wanted to be a pedi Nurse or NICU nurse you should have gone for your associates or bachelors not LPN.Most peds floor require Bachelor of Science in Nursing,I dont know about Nicu though.I dont mean to sound harsh but you should have done your research before you decided to go the LPN route

It doesn't sound like you read the post in its entirety. She IS an RN now. As far as whether she should have "done her research" before pursuing LPN, there is no right or wrong in this situation. Some people choose to start out as CNA's or LPN's and work their way through school, and they have a leg up on the competition when it comes to applying for jobs. NOBODY anticipated that the job market would get so tough, and that includes people who are LPNs, ADNs and BSNs.

[Sandwitch883RN]

Thanking my lucky stars that I graduated and got into L&D when I did. Been a full time L&D nurse since graduating in 06. I also live in an area largely unaffected by recession and work for a military hospital so again, I thank my lucky stars. Best wishes to everyone pursuing jobs at this time, hang in there!