StillSeeking

Wait, did you receive the letter from the manager or from HR??

It does sound like your interview went well, but it's true you won't really know until you get the offer! Don't forget to send those thank-yous to the interviewers!

A state university in my area that offers a BSN program also has a Rural Nursing Preceptorship Program. It's basically a course you sign up and pay for. I have done two of those in addition to my nursing school senior preceptorship.

Hi! I have had a few 'behavioral' type interviews and have a pretty good idea of how to survive those now. Send me your email and I'll send you some tips and a list of questions I've compiled from my own actual interviews.

I am still in disbelief that after 10 months, 3 preceptorship, some serious hustling and networking, nearly 250 applications and a HORRIBLE 2 month stint working in a SNF, I finally got a job in an actual HOSPITAL!!!! I was able to get an interview by getting to know the managers at the hospital where I just completed my last preceptorship (rural, far from home), and NOT from filling out ridiculous online applications and talking to friends of friends who knew somebody who had a friend, etc.. because for me (just another ADN RN among hundreds or thousands) that was all a huge waste of time. I just wanted to share my great news, and also to say to others struggling that I know how you feel because I was feeling VERY depressed, on the verge of giving up and I think my husband was too... I never experienced unemployment until I went into nursing!! I was going to quit looking after a year (we are on the verge of financial ruin) and just get a job doing SOMETHING. All that said, I know saying "good luck" and "hang in there" or "keep looking" is not helpful, so I will just say that I sincerely hope and pray that things turn around and everyone here is struggling will find some light at the end of the tunnel! It may take a HUGE effort though, so if you're just starting out know that the search itself is quite a learning process. Hugs to everyone struggling!!!

I got the job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so freakin' happy right now my head is about to explode! It's been 10 months, 3 preceptorships and nearly 250 job apps. I am so happy right now :-)

Oh, and I will say in defense of foreign nurses (I am not foreign) that I am not seeing foreign nurses being hired over locals. I am hardly seeing *anyone* being hired. Most (all??) of the hospitals around here are unionized, so they can't exactly start one nurse making less than another.

To answer the "what city do you live in" question, it's the Bay Area, CA for me. Knowing how few jobs and how many layoffs we've had I've focused my search well out of the area (all of CA in fact!), despite the fact my husband can't just pick up and leave his job in SF. :-(

ADN, 3.9gpa, 3 hospital preceptorships completed, about to start a 4th, a long list of amazing references and letters of rec, looking for 10 months, over 200 applications (in-person, online, you name it), 3 interviews (none near home), 1 brief HORRIBLE SNF experience (also far from home), 0 other offers and 40k in debt. Of the 3 interviews, one was just the other day, so I'm hoping, really really hoping this is the one (even though it's 120 miles from home!). If this doesn't pan out I am going to have to give up and just get a job doing *something*. I quit a decent paying job with bennies when I *finally* got *lucky* with the nursing school lottery, and I have felt like it was the worst move of my life. :-(

Thanks everyone for the advice and kudos! Well, I ended up doing the awkward/embarrassing thing and calling the unit to ask for the spelling of their last names. The woman who answered the phone actually had to go to one of the RNs to ask her for the spelling! They were nice and personable enough in the interview that I think/hope they'll understand my wanting to get it right and forgive that bit of awkwardness. When it came down to it, it felt disrespectful to send out two cards properly addressed to the managers (Ms. SoAndSo) while addressing the two RNs by first name only. Like somehow they didn't deserve to be addressed the same... I'm probably sweating the small stuff, but I'm getting to be an OLD grad and really want/need this job! Plus the hospital is awesome! I'll post an update once I know about the job. The wai-ai-ai-ting is the hardest part!!!

I like that idea, and it will save on postage too :-) Thank you! I should send you a card ;-)

Ok, I know the rules for sending out thank you cards (right away, to each interviewer, etc..), but this situation is a little awkward, and I'm wondering if I could bend the rules a bit. Yesterday I had a interview in a VERY small acute rehab unit. It went great, and they've already started checking references! I was interviewed by the manager, assistant manager and two RNs. I was unable to get the last names of the two RNs and I feel uncomfortable calling this very small unit and asking for that info, especially since one of them could easily answer the phone. In this case, do you think it would be ok to send one really nice thank you card that included everyone?? Any other suggestions for how I could handle this? Oh, and I called the staffing office to ask for their last names, but they wouldn't divulge that info (good for them :) I need to get the card(s) out today, so I really appreciate any advice!!! Thank you!!

I completely agree with the above post, and for those reasons I would politely decline her request to exchange personal info.

Exactly, but if for some reason you need to get your aide certification in CA (although I'm an RN one SNF would only hire me as an aide with my cert!), here's how to do it. I got my paperwork back from the Health Dept. in about a week. https://allnurses.com/cna-nursing-assistant/how-become-cna-451773.html

Congrats to the OP! That is a great story! I'm an RN, and recently applied for a CNA position at a hospital I like and just finished a med-surg preceptorship at. I have an interview on Tuesday (first one in 10 months!) for an RN position (there weren't any when I first applied)! They were actually impressed that I was willing to do just about anything to work there (rather than seeing me as desperate and pathetic, which at this point I am, LOL!).

Surprised to hear the LA BON hasn't returned your call, but keep trying. I got through to them relatively easy. They will send you the application packet (the online application/forms are incomplete) and mine came pretty quickly. You'll need to have your state board sign their form, get fingerprinted, submit to a background, and I can't remember if transcripts were required.. at any rate the whole process took about 6 weeks. I DID have to hound them after a month to ask them what the holdup was (I'm impatient). They did end up making a mistake with one of my forms because they were waiting on my employment info and I told them a million times I didn't have an employer and that's why I was moving back to LA! Good luck.

Haha! Being in the stressed-out jobless for 9 months phase, I wish someone had scared ME away!

Oops, that last paragraph somehow got chopped and pasted below (I was wondering where that went, LOL!), sorry for the redundancy!

Wow, that's crazy! Here in the CA bay area it's nearly impossible to get a job as something other than an RN (aide, med. asst, LVN) for a different reason; because employers are concerned you will leave as soon as you get an RN position. They say, "you need to get an RN job. Ridiculous, because we all know there aren't any! :-( Luckily I'm doing a preceptorship where I applied for the aide position (of course I applied for RN positions too), so even if I have to wait a month for the CNA cert it sounds like I have a good chance of getting into their new aide pool, which will be great exposure. Fingers crossed! It's the closest I've come to any hospital job in 9 mos!!! Good luck to everyone else too. It's so tough out there! Luckily I am in the middle of a preceptorship at this hospital where I applied for the aid job (of course I applied for RN jobs too, but they like to hire from within and several of their RNs worked as aides first).

Just wanted to say thanks to the OP! I'm already an RN, applied for an aide job today and was told I had to have my aide cert! I am both under and over-qualified for the same job!!!

Gosh, I got my rejection email just a couple of days after the deadline. Guess they *really* didn't like my application.

Caliotter, if I may ask, where did you end up going?

Hi there, I hate to bring you down with what you're already going through, but the Bay Area has to be one of the toughest places in CA to get a job, even for experienced nurses right now, and especially for one who's been out for a while. I would advise you, if you can, to find a job before relocating here. As a new grad, I've been searching for 9 months now and can only score the rare interview well out of the area. Many hospitals have even been laying off staff this year. Anyway, I just had to reply to your post, because coincidentally I am from Louisiana and live in Oakland, and ironically I recently acquired my Louisiana license because I am actually thinking of moving back home to start my career because friends tell me the job market is less hostile there. Life is so weird.

Sad to say, I do now. I quit a good job with benefits to pursue the dream of becoming a nurse, and here I am 2.5 years later trying to find a decent job, with huge student loans to pay off. My brief employment at a SNF was the worst job I can imagine, with 28 patients (rehab and skilled), no clerical support, money-grubbing administrators and backstabbing coworkers (not all of course, just the ones that had influence). But, I had two amazing hospital preceptorships, and I'm really hoping I can turn my next one into a job on a good unit. I love caring for patients, don't even mind the difficult ones, love teamwork and love medicine. But today, I really regret going into nursing.

I've been riding for years (sport, dirt and dual-sport), and even raced and taught track-riding for a few years. Nursing defines my professional life (if I could ever find a decent job, that is), and being a motorcyclist defines my personal one. I live for long road trips with my riding pals, and I don't think anything could make me give that up. :DI would *never* dream of riding without a helmet, even if the law gave me the option. Sorry, but that's just asking for trouble.