JuJuBeBe

Are you a member of the local American Federation of Government employees? Can you find a manual describing what issues have been negotiated before at your hospital? You won't get what you deserve. You will get what you negotiate.

Go to a nursing school near where you want to work. Oftentimes one of your clinicals will lead to familiarity with a unit/hospital and their staff. It's harder to sell yourself to a hospital to which you are a stranger. Even better, get a part-time job as a patient tech while you are doing the pre-reqs. Lots of my fellow students segued into full-time jobs where they were patient techs/CNAs.

Monique, Seriously, have courage. Most of us do not start as RNs able to handle 4 acute patients. Do not expect others to give you courage or feel sorry for you, especially after all they've been through in 2020-2021. Project calm, good humor and confidence in your cover letters and interviews. Emphasize what you know and what you're interested in becoming good at. Don't volunteer information about what you may have missed out on in nursing school. Exercise to increase those endorphins. Get counseling if you're bummed, so that you can build up confidence for interviews. Pick the place where you want to work and ask about working as a CNA to prove yourself, with the understanding that they'll consider you for an RN slot after a certain amount of time. It's a frightening world out there, but also a world of opportunity in our field. You will have to be persistent, day after day, week after week. Best wishes. A lot of us have been where you are! You passed a nursing program and the NCLEX! You have the power and intelligence to move ahead in this field.

Has anyone reading this worked at an SSM Health clinic? Did you feel it was a good place to work. (I'm a new RN grad and trying to decide between clinic and med-surg).