shivone

Maybe you're in the Lehigh Valley area? I work at Lehigh Valley-Pocono (regular staff). We are currently utilizing agency nurses for some positions. Geisinger is another large health system that seems to use a lot of ageny nurses too. Also look directly at the websites of some of the local hospitals. if you know you're in one place for a while you may want to see if there are some temporary positions where you can go direct thru the employer instead of an agency.

I took the 8-week MBSR course last year and it was a game changer in helping me deal with long-standing issues related to anxiety and depression. By the time I took the class my work-related/nurse role-related anxiety (coupled with some significant personal losses and setbacks) had reached an untenable pitch. Mindfulness practice has not made me impervious to stress or discouragement, but it has made me more resilient - able to move back to an okay place far quicker and easier. For me, it's about bringing moments of mindfulness into my every-day experience. It's wonderfully simple and really doesn't require you to change anything external in your life. You increase the aggregate of "being okay" moments and over time you find that your set-point has subtlely shifted to a happier place. Some hospitals actually offer the course to employees. If it's not offered directly by your hospital/employer, you might be able to use your health plan's Wellness initiative benefit to offset the cost of taking a course from a local college or therapist.

Best of luck getting into the great ivory tower that is LVH. I graduated last winter and have worked a year in geri-psych at a small community hospital. LVH would not look at a new grad at that time - and now they won't look at anyone without a year of med surg. I don't bother looking on their website for jobs any more. For St Luke's and for Pocono you can set up email alerts from their websites so you'll see new jobs as they are posted. I've had these alerts set up and there has been very little activity for quite some time now. I had the same experience as you with Easton - your application seems to float away in cyberspace like it never existed - I tried to call them a while back and couldn't get anyone. I think I saw a L&D opening at Sacred Heart (downtown Allentown). Other options: try Good Shepherd, an inpatient rehab network with some specialty units. Blue Mountain Health is a network of 2 small community hospitals in the general vicinity. Finally, there are pediatric home care providers in the area that always seem to be hiring. I have friends working for Luvn Care and for PSA. Best of luck to you!

I say go for it. Getting both psych and med surg experience as anew grad sounds like a great opportunity. I am a few months into my very first nursing job, which happens to be in geri-psych. I think the main concern with going right into psych nursing as a new grad is that you don't get to "cut your teeth" in med surg. This job will allow you to experience both. Psych patients and psych issues are in every field of nursing. You will be learning to deal with the issues head-on and it should serve you well anywhere you want to go from here.

Yes it's been really difficult for our graduating class too (December 09). It is so discouraging after spending all that time and money on school and then having the student loans lurking over your shoulder. I think the worst was when I lost out on a job to someone who isn't graduating til May (this was a couple of months ago too). She was an employee at the facility so of course I understand they wanted to give her the job. But it was a rude awakening to realize I was not only competing with all my classmates, but with the oncoming flood of May grads! I finally got offered a job in mental health at my community hospital down the street (will start in a couple of weeks). A huge relief. lmsj9: I'm in the lehigh valley area in PA. In our area very little hiring is going on - not even in long term care. I keep hearing that Reading Hospital is hiring (they were too far from me, but maybe not for you). Some of my classmates have had luck with private duty nursing services doing pediatric home care. I know it's not the ideal experience, but maybe with your trach/vent experience it would be something to keep you busy and you'd be able to say on your resume you;re working as an RN. I know for sure PSA and Luv n Care have hired a few of my classmates. Also, again not sure where you are located but Good Shepherd in Allentown has an LTACH facility, and they also have some pediatric specialty units. you never know.