sallynRN

I'm 47 & I've been a RN for just over 2 yrs. Five months after graduation I took a job as a telephone triage nurse in the adult internal med dept. at a large group practice. Before nursing school I was a CSR for 14 yrs, so this job was fairly easy to step into - just needed to apply my nursing knowledge & hone my assessment skills over the phone. Then, I started feeling like I was missing out on something, since there really wasn't much hands-on or face-to-face patient contact, so I left for a job on the LTC unit of a SNF close to home. I lasted 7 wks, then I think I went CRAZY. I started having panic attacks - heart palpitations, stomach pains, diarrhea, headaches, SOB & I was crying all the time - on the way to work, on the way home from work.... It all started about 2 wks ago. I started to question myself - did I even want to be a nurse anymore? I had no confidence in myself. I was afraid I was going to miss something all the time & I felt like I was running in circles. The way I was feeling had nothing to do with the facility, the staff, or the residents - everyone said I was doing a great job & coming along in my orientation, so what was my problem? It got to the point that I felt like I was going crazy. I was so overwhelmed by my feelings that I seriously started thinking I'd have a heart attack or stroke! My last shift was Sunday (3p-11p) & I barely made it out the door before I broke down. I could barely see through my tears as I drove home sobbing, hysterically. I woke my husband (who was totally blind-sided, by the way, because I hadn't said a word about how I was feeling) & told him I couldn't go back. We decided my health is more important, so I quit the next day. What happened to me? Did I have a mini mental breakdown?

I won't be in a "call center," if that makes a difference. I'll be in the adult internal medicine dept. of a group medical practice (so no pedi - they have their own triage nurses). I will have 8 weeks of training, and the support of the other nurses as well as the physicians if I come across something I'm unsure of. Starting out in Med-Surg is easier said than done in the current economy/job market -- there are NO hospitals in my area hiring inexperienced new grads at this time - NONE! And, nobody can say when they will start hiring again. Maybe they ARE hiring me because they're "willing to hire anyone with an RN," but I'd like to think that my background of 15+ years in customer service, as well as my exemplary work ethic, 3.82 GPA, and glowing recommendations from my instructors have something to do with me getting the job as well.

Hi kittykatty! I'm on the east coast too (MA). I'm not sure I can give you any pointers on how to land a job..... I stumbled upon this job because my sister is a pt. at the practice, and she saw on their website that they were hiring. Perhaps you could look up large/group medical practices in your area, and see if any of them have open positions posted, or contact the HR Directors directly. Good luck!

Hello kittykatty: I'm in MA, and it's a private group practice - not national. Try the "Telephone Triage" section under the "Specialty" tab for info about national companies, etc. Good luck!

Hopefully by the time you finish school things will have turned around - you never know. If you have the time and the finances to earn a degree now, do it NOW! I was 40 when I started college, and I just graduated w/ an Associate's in May. I plan on continuing my education through a RN to BSN online program, and eventually I hope to earn a Master's degree (before I'm ready to retire - LOL!). I'm happy to say that "New Grad" is now a 5-Letter word, "HIRED!" I got a full-time job as a telephone triage nurse. It's not your traditional bedside nursing job, but that's just fine by me. I won't have to deal with all of the physical demands of bedside nursing and I'll have a fairly normal Mon-Fri/9-5 type schedule - even better!

"Do I have enough experience?" I would think it depends on the company you work for, etc. I'm a brand-spankin' new ADRN, and I just got hired at a large group medical practice to do telephone triage. I was told by the hiring mgr. that this will be a great place to "hone" my assessment skills. I've read a lot of posts where people suggest you have at least a couple of years experience, and that telephone triage is not the place for a new grad, but thankfully my soon-to-be employer feels differently.

Thank you to all who responded to this thread. After a lot of research, and much consideration, I decided NOT to interview for the prison job.

Great advice deyo, thank you! I'll probably at least go for the interview to find out what kind of training/support they have. Right now the position is 24 hrs/11p-7a w/ the possibility of 32 hrs/2 doubles. I don't think I could handle the doubles at my age, and I'm not even sure I could handle the 11p-7a. What I'd REALLY like to do is LTC or Rehab nursing on a 3-11p shift, but again, my options for employment are EXTREMELY limited, and I don't know how long I can go w/out a job. Although I'm not a quitter, I've also learned through life experience, and I've spent enough time being miserable in love, work & life to not waste any more time being unhappy, but instead put MY health & happiness 1st for a change. One of the reasons I went to nursing school (finally) so late in life!

I think they do hire new grads. I had a little mini telephone interview, and she was reading my cover letter/resume and mentioned how I just took the NCLEX in July. She's going to send me a CORI form to fill out so they can do a background check, and she said we'll talk next week to set up a meeting in person. But.... I can't decide if I actually want to go in and interview. I thought it might be interesting when I applied for the job, and it's so close to home, but now I guess I'm getting cold feet with all the negative comments I've read. The other thing is that I applied for a 3-11pm shift, but she told me they had an internal applicant for that so she's looking at the 11p-7am shift for me, or she said something about two doubles (3p - 7a?). Holy crap! I don't even know if I'd be able to stay awake! Would there be enough to do on the 11p-7a shift? And, I don't want to be the only nurse at night! I guess I'm putting the cart WAY before the horse (something I always do!), and I should at least go in and check out the facility, and discuss my concerns. If anything it will be interview experience. I just don't want to take a job (IF it's even offered to me) because there's nothing else out there. I would hate to go into it and absolutely hate it, and want to quit (I'm not a quitter). Thanks for your advice NYRN - I will let you know what happens!

I'm so confused about whether or not prison nursing would be the right job for me. I'm a new grad RN and there is a possibility of a part-time job (24-32 hrs/wk; 11p - 7a) at a max security facility 15 min from home. I've been reading a lot on these boards and many say prison nursing is not for the new grad. I'm 44, and nursing is a career change for me so I have no experience. Right now my options for employment are VERY limited as no hospitals, and even most nursing homes are not interested in new grads with no experience. Don't know what to do!

CONGRATS!

I have been applying online. A lot of nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities in my area are part of larger corporations with facilities across the country, and you can only apply online. I am willing to work ANYTHING! Day, night, full-time, part-time, per diem..... I just want to be a NURSE!

Thanks Selene006 for the well wishes. I hope I will find something soon too! I can't believe someone would quit that soon after being hired, especially with the job market the way it is!

Is there ANYONE in the state of MA who will hire a new grad? It's so disheartening to look at hundreds of RN job postings each day and see the comment, "this job not available to new grads." I spend every day scouring the internet, including web sites for hospitals, LTCs, Rehab centers, etc. only to be disappointed because there is nothing out there for a new grad like me w/ no experience. I REALLY want to go into LTC, but at this point I am starting to think I'll have to take whatever I can get, IF I can get something. I almost wish I were still in school so I would at least be practicing some kind of nursing! I know I'm not alone, and the current economy has a lot to do with the situation, but I just wanted to whine a bit! Has anyone had any luck getting a job right out of school? If so, where and how?

Can you tell us which skilled nursing facility hired you? I desperately want to go into rehab and/or LTC, but even those facilities aren't hiring new grads (I just graduated in May).