Bre14

Have you tried all the SNFs in your area? I know exactly how you feel, I really do. I charged up my cc getting ACLS etc and still could not find a hospital job after walking into facility after facility. I realized that in my area, SF bay area..the openings are slim and none for new grads. I dressed up everyday with resumes and walked into SNFs..even they wanted experience. But I landed one,then another and another. I work at a Skilled nursing facility that is converting to a TCU..we will cardiac monitors and IVs on most patients soon. Not Ideal but I'm getting experience. It is hard,but nursing is and I'm getting experience with juggling many patients. Good luck! The economy is really bad right now but it will change, it has to. Try and keep your eyes to the sun so you don't see the shadows. :) Things will change for you soon, I'm sure of it.

Lets see we started with 88 students and 48 of us ended up graduating in May of 09.

I know what you mean..I left my job of 9 years to go to nursing school and for months could not find a job. But I got out there and hustled everyday til I found something and am getting experience. I would much rather work in a hospital..but that just really is not an option right now. I'll get my experience and move onto a hospital in the next year or so I hope. If you really want to be a nurse and really want to work you will make it happen.

Honestly..yes. I live here in the SF bay area. I graduated in May 2009 and passed boards the end of July. From the beginning of August to October I dressed up and pounded the pavement everyday. I went from hospital to hospital talking to hiring managers and unit managers. After I had applied to all those and all the prisons.... I started hitting up SNFs (skilled nursing facilities) Everyday I would go to a different city, walk in dressed up and apply and hand out resumes. I probably applied at 70 SNFs before I started landing jobs. Then everything came in at once. 4 different facilities hired me and I was doing flu shots. I do now have a full time nursing job in a SNF. About 10 of my classmates out of 50 landed hospital jobs ( connections, or previous experience..ER Tech, EMT, LVNs.) Some are working at SNfs like myself and the rest are unemployed or went back to their previous jobs. I don't mean to be a downer but that is the state of the economy right now. Hopefully things will change before you graduate..but even though I am in a SNF with a large patient workload I will not be there forever..SNF experience is better than no experience. good luck.

I hope so. I was not lucky enough to get into a hospital. Im working at a SNF..and most days I feel like I don't want to be a nurse anymore and that I worked really hard towards something I'm not good at and don't seem to enjoy now. I have found alot of my fellow nurses to be catty and backstabbing. There is more than this right?

Guys..everyone feels like they fail after taking the NCLEX. I thought I bombed it bad with 75 questions. I only "knew" about 5 questions. Whats really hard is the wait for the results..much harder than the test. Post Traumatic Nclex syndrome my friends and I call it. The Pearson Vue trick seems to work from everyone I talked to. Try and stay really busy these next couple days...you will get that good news before you know it.

I agree..as a new nurse I can agree that our job is taxing and stressful. If you are not able to laugh then the job may become more of a chore than something you enjoy. Stay happy and keep laughing..you will bring a smile to more than just your patients.

As an RN student no. We stuck strictly to the hospitals in clinicals. From talking with my LVN friends yes they in fact spent alot of their clinical rotations in SNFs. That is an experience that I did not receive. I was aware that SNF nurses did in fact have more than 15 patients a day.... I am also a new grad and want to work. Most of my classmates still are not working. Only a handful were able to get jobs in a hospital. Any advice or pointers if you were able to accomplish this would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.

They have me in the complex care section with 16 patients. So tube feedings, IVs, diabetics, BS checks, those with liver failure with constant dropping blood pressure, and almost all are rehab. There is a large rehab office on the lower floors so each has approx 3 appts per day that need to be taken into account when trying to medicate etc.

Thanks Gino, That is something I will do today. The training I got was very half assed and now I feel lost because I don't have a system down yet. I will go in tomorrow with much more of a plan than last week. Good advice,thanks.

Oh yeah. It literally took me all day to do the two med passes, all the BS checks and tube feedings. The SNF has a large PT,OT and speech therapy office on the lower floors so that is also something than needs to be time managed because you have them on your butt everything you turn around. They say we get about 60 discharges a month on the 80 bed unit. You started in August..how long til you felt you knew what you were doing? I started out an an LTC with 31 patients but this is far different. I dunno.

Its a skilled nursing facility.

Finally was able to land a full time nursing job. Its in a SNF...and dear lord I don't know how I will make it. Had 15 patients today. I seriously don't know how to accomplish this on a daily basis. It feels next to impossible..and while I want to sympathize with those who are having a hard time with 5, I can't even fathom how I will get a hold of this workload. I am worried about getting completely burnt out or making a mistake. I had to hunt so hard for this job its not even funny. I know I should " hang in there" but any advice from those who started out in a SNF. My coworkers say if you can get this down 5 patients is a cake walk..but how did those who went(or had to) go this route pull through? Thanks!

As a new grad here in Cali, the SF bay actually, I thought I'd hit up every hospital.. then if nothing panned out I'd start hitting SNFs. Well I have personally walked into every almost every hospital in the bay area or applied online. I started going city to city everyday dressed up and applying at SNFs. I was shocked at how hard even getting hired at a SNF is right now. In my opinion, I think we should take a job at a SNf or LTC. I would hope that future hospital employers would look at the fact that in this economy we were able to find nursing work no matter where it is as a positive thing. I have many many classmates who are not working or doing various jobs that are in no way related to nursing. While the road to our ideal nursing job might be a longer one I believe we will get there. These are hard times. I also have an interview tomorrow and a second interview at another facility.. send me some good vibes por favor.

God to I relate to what your writing. I graduated May of 2009. I dress up day after day to pound the pavement and nothing. 3 interviews at SNFs who decided to go with ..... yes you guessed it... someone with experience. I'm at a loss. What do I do? Sadly I am in Cali, the bay area actually and its dismal. Thinking of hiting up the malls for retails jobs. I'm trying to stay somewhat positive but I hardly ever smile and it truly feels like groundhogs day. Please let this economy turn around soon!