rainbow11

Thank you for your input RN_MishMish!!

Thank you etaoinshrdluRN! I'm going to look into some LTCs in the area.

You are right AXIDR - any experience is good experience! I understand there is so much to learn, and I need to start somewhere. Hopefully after working in LTC (if I find one) for a while hopefully I can move on to a hospital position like you did. That's my plan. My nursing instructor said I need to apply EVERYWHERE! I realized she is right.

Thank you for your reply AXIDRN! I am aware that generally HH require at least 1 year experience. While I was searching for a hospital new grad job out of desperation one time I went to one HH agency. They were interested in hiring me because I speak multiple languages (I think that was the only reason they were interested in me). When I asked about orientation they said I was supposed to shadow another RN during three visits, and that's all! I'm not kidding! They only had part-time jobs. I didn't feel safe about that place.

Hi everybody, I'm a new grad RN/BSN. After searching for a hospital job for several months now I'm considering LTCs & Home health. I have a few questions for those who were in my shoes and found job in LTC or HH. 1) How long did it take you (days, weeks, months?) to land a RN job in LTC? in HH? 2) How many hours can/do you work each week on average in Home health? What kind of schedule do they offer? Can you work like 8 or 12-hours a day? I prefer working fewer days with more hours, like three 12-hours a week, if possible. 3) What things should I consider when comparing LTC facilities other than general ratings? I'd like to work somewhere that is as "close" to hospital setting as possible in terms of developing my nursing skills. Is there any difference between skilled nursing facility & nursing home? I don't know anyone who is in healthcare field where I am living, so I have to rely on my "research" only. Thank you in advance for your advice & time!! :)

If you go to United Hospital System (Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie) website under job description is says "Entry level" but most of them are NOT entry level!! I found out that after talking to HR. I wouldn't hope for a new grad position in those hospitals unless you know someone inside, or you did your clinicals there or you worked as a nurse intern. Good luck!

Thank you for your advice! I find this forum extremely helpful!! I am a new grad RN too. After months of searching for a hospital position (RN Residency programs) I think from now on I will apply everywhere including LTC and home health. I kept avoiding them simply because I was just afraid of not having adequate training and losing my license easily. I just need to start somewhere to gain some experience. Now I'm willing at least to try to go this route. I guess you don't know for sure unless you try. Good luck to all new grads in job hunting!

I was considering MSN option a while ago, but decided not to go that route. What I found out is 1) most NP & CNS programs require at least one year of nursing experience - it's almost impossible to get into if you are a "green" new grad RN , but if you really search hard you'll probably find a few that do not require experience 2) Nurse Educator will probably accept you without nursing experience - but be careful! - I was told by a chairperson of nursing department of one of the schools I was interested in that Nurse Educator entry positions in my state require a minimum of 2-3 years of nursing experience! May be you should investigate all those rules/practice of hiring in your state. I wouldn't want to spend another year or two doing MSN (paying it out of my pocket vs. if you are employed somewhere they are likely to pay your tuition) and still not be able to land a nursing job with my MSN degree because I still won't have nursing experience!! May be while you are in your MSN program it's better if you find a nursing job somewhere, so after you finish your program you have the required experience. I didn't meant to discourage anyone - it's just my thought!

I'm afraid "we-didn't-choose-you" part is right, lol.

My status says "waitlisted".

I've read all your comments here, wow... I'm happy for Bairkr. I have a question for experienced nurses out there: would you recommend a new grad RN a home health agency job or a nursing home job? I understand they are not ideal jobs for inexperienced new grads, but I was wondering which one of these poses less threat to having your license suspended?? Thank you,

Hi Meriwhen, Did volunteering help you to land a nursing job? I'm considering working voluntarily at some place where I can have at least some kind of hands-on nursing experience. Where should I look? What are free clinics? Are they community hospitals? Does anyone know a good place in Chicago area? A few hospitals that I contacted told me their voluntary service wasn't really nursing related, like directing patients & visitors etc. (it sounded really boring). Any input will be appreciated greatly!!

Thank you jsanteler for your input:). I c, they are much more expensive than CPR courses.

Thank you Chris for the link! Did anyone take online ACLS, PALS courses? I just wonder if I should take in-class course vs online, any suggestions? Thank you!

It seems like some people think that US-trained foreign nurses are the ones who haven't played by the rules. That's so wrong!! As I said before, and I'm repeating myself again, we have been playing by the rules too!! It's just there are some steps in the application process that we are allowed to skip, such as - TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), Spoken English Test --- I think it's a common sense that these exams are waived for us since we managed to successfully complete nursing programs (taught in English!) in the States; - CGFNS certificate - we took NCLEX-RN, and have US RN licenses, thus we do not need to take international licensure exam (i think that what CGFNS certificate is, I just know I do not need that) - since we are in the States we do not need to schedule a consular interview which seems like has a long wait period in many countries, instead we wil have to apply for an adjustment of status here in the US. - there is also a Premium Processing fee. My understanding is that if you pay this optional fee (about $1,000 I think) you can have your application processed a bit faster. I think this Premium processing fee applies to all applicants whether your are US-trained or non-US-trained. There are might be other steps US-trained RNs can skip. So, without knowing the details plese do not jump to a wrong conclusion!! I agree with Hashdawg, it seems like i'm talking to a 'dead' wall!

I don't think 20,000 foreign-born RNs will be hired in place of American nurses. The stats say that there will be ONE MILLION open nursing position by 2020! I don't know the current stats, but I'm sure there are position that you just can't fill with American RNs. Look at this bill http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-2536 It talks a lot about how the fees from from foreign nurses will be spent etc. Also, I'm not sure about the cost of recruiting, but I know NOT all 20,000 RNs will go through recruiting agencies. People like myself (US-educated Rns who are already in the States) will probably deal directly with the hospital, and there is no need for airfare etc. Thus, the idea of charging 30K from every one of 20,000 foreign-RNs is ridiculous.

I would imagine that all employers sponsoring foreign-nurses would ask for some kind of contract or commitment. I heard most hospitals ask a foreign-born nurse to work for two years in exchange for permanent visa sponsorship (aka green card). I have a friend who worked for two years at a hospital which sponsored him. I'm glad that some people noticed $1,500.00 application or filing fee that a foreign-nurse has to pay if this bill is approved. $1,500 * 20,000 visas = 30, 000, 000.00. So, this 30 million will go toward improving US nursing programs and training more US nurses after all.

Oh, I forgot to say that when I was in my BSN program I was NOT planning on going to a grad. school at all! Even now I do not really want to do master's in nursing. Seems like most NP, CNS programs require nursing experience (I learned that's another disadvantage of nursing major even though there are programs for non-nursing majors to get BSN, and go directly into MSN without experience?!), but I only applied to a few schools. If I try hard I might find schools that do not care much about experience. Also, if I change my concentration & choose something like Nurse Educator etc. I know I can get easily accepted into a grad. school. MSN is still an option if there is no bill, and I want to stay in the US. Again, there will be no financial aid, no tuition assistance/reimbursement from an employer for foreign students. At this point I'm a bit hesitant of spending more money, and seeing no benefit afterall...

I'm glad that at least you, or perhaps others, who are reading this forum, are looking at Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act from this angle (US-trained foreign nurses who can NOT work because there is NO visa for them). Yes, I heard about J-1 visa, but I didn't know that FMG's could use that. > - That's EXACTLY THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE. I wrote about my situation to make some people understand what some of us have gone through (went to US nursing schools, got US RN license etc.) and that there are different interests in regard of this bill, hoping that people will not look at this bill from one angle/interest only.

Do you think that I'm unable to work because I do not have a Social Security Number?? HA HA. That's funny. I'm sorry you made me laugh again (I see you have no idea). This has nothing to do with a SSN or the nursing school. This is an immigration issue (there is NO VISAS for RNs!!), I do not have a legal right to engage in employment! There used to be a Schedule A visa category for RNs and physical therapists to get a permanent visa, but that category ran out of visa about 2 years ago when I was in school. The problem is a new bill hasn't been approved since that!! NOBODY knows when another bill will pass, if it ever happens!! I think there is a big difference (in terms of the process to apply for a visa) between foreign-born RNs 1) who went to school in the US, passed NCLEX, and got US RN license vs. 2) who are non-US-educated and waiting abroad! The ones who didn't get their nursing education from the US, and do not have US RN license they have to take some kind of international Nursing licensure exam, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), Spoken English Test etc etc. I'm sure it is a loooong process for them to prove that their education is equivalent to US system. http://www.cgfns.org/sections/programs/vs/ there might be some info about exams etc. here. Even I have to pay money to get a Visa Screen to prove that my US-education is US-equivalent (even though my BSN is from an accredited US university!). That's another nonsense! (There are many stupid rules that don't make sense at all). But I was told my Visa Screen processing will be much faster than of those who are educated abroad. Filing applications probably has more steps, and papers involved and takes soo much time for them too. Plus they are not physically in the States, thus everything has to go through an agency or something like that. I'm just saying things that I heard, I can't speak for them really. May be there are other reasons that makes the whole process for them soo long, and that's why they've been waiting for years... Are you trying to say that they (non-US educated RNs) have been playing by rules and I haven't? Pardon me! I hope you didn't mean it or you just don't know what you are talking about?! As I said above I know the rules and requirements are different based on where you earned your nursing education, and probably if you are in the States or not. I feel the pain of RNs waiting for years to come to the States! My point is I think there should an easier way that ALLOW US-EDUCATE RNs to be able to work legally after nursing school. We also played by the rules, worked soo hard in school, paid so much money to get the degree (in most cases when you are an international student your tuition is much higher than in-state residents', or even out-of-state residents'; and no there no such thing as "financial aid" when you are a foreigner!). The visa process should probably be handled differently than of those educated abroad. I also think that the Congress should discuss about LEGAL immigration prior to illegal ones! That's just NOT FAIR! Also, it is NOT FAIR for us, who went to the same school, got the same degree and license as our American classmates, UNABLE to work simply because we are foreign-born! If I knew what was going to happen, of course, I wouldn't have gone to a Nursing school here! Probably, I wouldn't have come to the States in the first place. Why waste money & time for something where the Government doesn't give any value and turns out to be WORTHLESS! I wanted to work here for a few years, because I went to school in the States. Hope that makes sense. I don't understand people who are opposing this bill. The stats say that there will be about ONE MILLION open nursing position by 2020. So, how much of a difference will 20,000 green card visas to foreign RNs will make? one million vs 20 thousand?! That 20,000 is a one time deal, and it's for only 3 years (probably the first year they'll ran out of visas again).

I'm giving more hope in this H.R.2536 "Emergency Nursing Supply Relief Act" than a Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR), which focuses on illegal immigration, borders etc. unless CIR will include a section about legal nursing immigration. In my opinion these politicians should discuss about legal immigration FIRST before illegal ones. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this ugly situation. There are hundreds and thousands of US-educated, but foreign-born RNs, who are in the same shoes as I am. They just CAN NOT work. Unlike other majors we can not just go to a grad. school (if we decide so) because of lack of nursing experience. It does not make any sense to me, this is just one example showing how screwed up the immigration system in the US. I'm not sure if getting a specialty in nursing will help at all. Personally I do not want to spend another cent for something, like my BSN degree, which later turn out to have no use at all! But thanks anyway!

Yes, I did contact immigration attorneys, basically everyone is suggesting to KILL SOME TIME until there is NEW BILL. There are attorneys willing to do paperworks, and hospitals willing to sponsor, but they do not want to, or I should say CAN NOT HELP until there are VISAS AVAILABLE. Unfortunately, generally nurses with BSN degree do NOT qualify for work visa, H1B. In order to apply for work visa the position should require a BACHELOR'S degree MINIMUM. For someone to work as a RN in the States you do NOT NEED a bachelor's degree, associate degree is enough (even though they seem to prefer BSN.) When I find nursing positions that require BSN degree, they also ask for many years of experience. These are Nursing supervisor/manager positions. As a new grad. with a BSN, who is NOT ALLOWED to work how on earth am I supposed to have experience? I applied to several NP programs. It's not like I wanted to do master's in nursing. I'm running out of patience waiting for a stupid bill, so I thought I might as well go back to school instead of KILLING SOME TIME. I had all of their admissions requirements, even GRE and TOEFL tests were waived for me, but they are denying my applications because of the lack of nursing experience again (they should really say so in their requirements instead of saying "nursing experience is preferred"!! i guess it's their way of fooling you and making money)! I almost wish I never went to a nursing school in the US - WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY, TIME & EFFORT!!! - in a country that does NOT give credit to people like myself who went to their university to get education, and obeyed their immigration rules and regulations! All that effort, and my US RN license is WORTHLESS really! If I joined millions of illegals from the beginning, I probably would have been much happier, at least nothing to get frustrated about nursing. This country's immigration system is sooo screwed up. They do NOT seem to distinguish someone working hard, making all the effort to be LEGALLY here and someone who does not give a **** about being legal, and falls out of status immediately, works & don't even bother to pay taxes. Oh, I'm from a pretty peaceful & democratic country, so "I can't go home" probably won't work for me. I'm getting really disgusted about this nursing, immigration staff..

To Alex49 and others who are against ENRSA, I'm reading your comment and laughing, ha ha ha. I got my BSN degree from the States, I passed NLCEX the first time I took it, and I have a US RN license. I was the only foreign-student in my BSN program, in terms of my grades I was the 2nd from top. Anyway, I think the US Immigration system is all screwed up, it does nothing to attract foreign-born (many are US-educated) young, intelligent minds. Even though I went to the same school as my fellow American classmates, I have same RN license --- I am UNABLE to work simply because I'm FOREIGN-BORN and there is no damn visa for foreign nurses at present. So, please try to put yourself in my shoes for a second before you jump in a conclusion! I'm sure there are hundreds and thousands of foreign-born new grads from US nursing programs in a similar situation like me. Is that right for us to be "punished" and not be able to work, just because we are foreign-born?! Indeed I am always proud of where I am from (btw, I'm not a Phillipino). Also, the Department of Labor determined a long time ago, that RN is one of professions in shortage. You guys keep argueing if nursing in shortage or not... I do not know, but I do not think they came up with these kind of stats out of nowhere http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-2536 (2) Over the next 15 years, this shortage is expected to grow significantly. The Health Resources and Services Administration has projected that by 2020, there will be a shortage of nurses in every State and that overall only 64 percent of the demand for nurses will be satisfied, with a shortage of 1,016,900 nurses nationally.>> When I check any hospital web site in my area there are plenty of nursing jobs, that I can tell you for sure. So, right now it looks like all my efforts, time and money, put into nursing career here in the States is thrown to "trash". I have a USELESS US RN license lying somewhere around. All I wanted is to work LEGALLY as a nurse in the States for a few years (since I went to school here) and see how nursing is like in real life... You know what? Since I could not work and get paid like everyone else, I decided to work for FREE. I tried to do a clinical voluntary job, but I was told by many hospitals I could not do so because of HIPPA. I can go on like this, but I'm gonna stop it here. My point is do NOT look at this from ONE ANGLE only! I'm sure there are many different interests in regard of this issue. Try to look at the big picture and understand how some of us worked very hard and made all the efforts, but afterwall are being treated UNFAIRLY! I DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU GUYS SAY, I am hoping H.R. 2536 WILL BE APPROVED soon!! Because that will give people like myself opportunity to work legally in the States.

Thanks for your advice. In fact it does NOT matter whether I lived in a particular state for a year or even ten years, as a foreign-student I will NOT be able to pay in-state tuition nor out-of-state tuition. I know that for a fact. Also, I know that I'm not eligible for US government financial aid etc. To my surprise I learned that in many master's degree programs (nursing) international student tuition is the same as for domestic students. There are so many "doors" that are open for domestic students is CLOSED when you are a foreign student in this country (I'm not talking about the tuition)... If I knew that before I probably wouldn't have come to the US, wouldn't have gone to Nursing school and become a RN in this country...