AniRN

I cannot thank you enough for all the valuable information you just gave me! I understand this is going to be a very long and very expensive process, but I can be patient (maybe :)). Just one more question, because I am trying to figure out how much money I need to save up before planning to immigrate there, how much do you think it will cost you once it is all said and done? I mean, are we talking tens of thousands of dollars (nursing registration, competency course, living expenses while taking course, work permit, and immigration fees)? I imagine so. Plus, I have dogs, which I already know will cost a fortune to immunize and quarantine. I am sort of at a juncture right now between deciding to get my BSN and therefore going further into debt or just working and paying off as much of the debt as I can before moving. And, of course, it all depends on whether or not the nursing council of NZ deems me an acceptable nurse. Oh, and I am sorry, one more question. Would you recommend working with a recruiting agency to try to find a job, or is just looking on the web good enough? I don't remember how long you've been out of the US, but right now, it is impossible to find a job as an RN here, experienced or not; most hospitals are on hiring freezes now, so I hope that NZ actually does need nurses and I won't find myself having to work at Walmart (wait, they don't have that there do they?). Although, at this point, I'd do whatever it takes to get out of this country. Again, thank you so much for the information. It has helped shape my process, or at least the idea of it, more than you know. -Ani

I have heard rumors that having a BSN doesn't help much in terms of getting a job in a hospital... they still want you to have experience. I don't live in FL, but I do see the same thing here in CO. No experience? Well tough luck. I applied for hundreds of hospital positions (both new grad and not) when I first got my RN and was rejected from everything, then I tried again after 6 months to no avail. Finally 9 months after getting my RN I was offered a position at a home hospice agency that my former boss worked for. So, I guess what I'm saying is, you gotta have connections and in order to gain the connections you gotta start somewhere. Nursing homes are not ideal, they work you to death and you feel like a drug dealer most days, but a job's a job. I am watching my boyfriend struggle right now because he got his degree in philosophy and has been unemployed for a year now and having to take a position stocking shelves at Safeway for $8/hr... and he worked damn hard to get that degree, just like us RNs worked damn hard for our degree. But at least a nursing home will hire us, and pay much more than $8/hr. I know how frustrating it is, believe me, but it could be worse.

Thank you so much, woman, for all the great info. I have been looking and pondering a move to NZ from Colorado for over a year now, and nowhere have I found a straight answer about whether or not I need a bachelor's degree to work there. And if you say I don't, then I am applying for my license right away. I have my associate's degree and have a nursing home and hospice experience, so the competency course may actually be good for me (aside from the cost). Would you be willing to share a bit more about the application process to get your license in NZ? I know I need a police certificate and letters galore, but for some things, like the police certificate, I have no idea how to go about getting it. How long did the whole process take? How much money would you recommend having saved up before beginning the whole process (licensing, immigration, visas, pets, cars, moving, etc)? I can only imagine that it becomes pretty insane after a while. I really appreciate any additional information, and I thank you greatly for your time. Please feel free to private message me! -Ani

Hello all. I am an RN with a home health hospice in Denver. I have worked in hospice for 2 years: 8 months as an RN and the others as an LPN (I was an LPN for 3 years before getting my RN). Before hospice I worked in LTC and sub-acute care in a rehab facility in San Francisco. I really enjoy the philosophy of Hospice, and I enjoy my job, but I don't think it is my calling. Or maybe it is, but I would like to try another area, more in the acute care areas. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to switch "specialties"? Since I am a newly graduated RN, I have that obstacle in front of me, and I also have no acute care experience, well none that hiring managers will take into account. My hospice has an inpatient unit, and we do a lot of acute care things, like PICC lines, ports, lots of med administration, lots and lots of wound care. But anyway, all of the nursing recruiters I have talked to say I need more experience. My hope is that after working as an RN for a year I can perhaps get into a hospital, but I really have no idea where to begin as there is that catch-22: you can't work in a hospital unless you have experience, but you can't get experience if no one will hire you. I know the job market is pretty much nonexistent right now, so I am not in a hurry. But I will do anything (almost) to get into the system. My dream is to work in labor and delivery. How do I get there, from helping people leave the world to bringing them into it? Thank you for any advice!

I saw a patient yesterday who is dying of a GI bleed and abdominal mass. All signs point to liver involvement, but she did not want further testing done to find out of indeed that is the case. I met her two weeks ago and have only seen slight changes since. Increased weakness and fatigue, more jaundiced, belly is bigger, but her spirit and her mind are so alive. She has the most wonderful support, you couldn't ask for anything better. Twelve kids to take turns to care for her, and there is so much love in that house, it really is incredible. Anyway, I saw her yesterday and she was describing the hallucinations she was having, she said at first they were scary to her because she was afraid she couldn't tell the difference between reality and not reality. She was seeing her family members who weren't there. But, she said, it got better. "Now when I close my eyes I feel as if there is someone standing beside me, holding my hand, and I don't know who it is, but it feels nice." She says, "I feel as if I am half in this world and half in the next." I was so amazed and honored to hear that. You see, dear computer, when people who are dying start to hallucinate they are usually unable to talk about it because they are so far down the path to unconsciousness. We hear people say, with their eyes closed and a smile on their face: "Ah, hello dad." And we know quite well that dad has been dead and buried for many years. This brings them comfort. But they, for the most part, cannot describe why they are seeing these people. But my patient did. I told her it was a good thing, for her to be aware enough to talk about what she is seeing and hearing and feeling, she is very fortunate. She said as I was leaving, "This must be a hard job." And I said, "It can be, but you make it worth it. Making you smile and knowing that you are as comfortable as possible in this process makes it all worth it." That made everyone smile. God, I love little moments like these. In a day full of hell and demand and exhaustion from doing what I do, a two second conversation like that can make it all bearable. It can make my whole week better for that matter. So this patient is one of the luckier ones, to remain calm and comfortable in her process. Let me tell you another story, of the opposite situation. I have another patient who is 102. Last week she started having delerium, agitation, anxiety, and paranoia. It came out of nowhere. All her labs came back normal, so there was no infection. They put her on hospice on Monday as there was nothing else to be done and after many injections of IM Haldol the patient was still out of control. I have been in with her for the last three days trying to get her under control. Problem is that she is in a nursing home and I don't have the freedom to do what I would do if she were at home. So I had to give her a little bit at a time and prove that the little doses weren't cutting it. I was there yesterday with the intention of getting her symptoms under control and one shot of Haldol in the back of her arm seemed to do the trick. I would have stayed to make sure she was out for good, but the aforementioned pt needed my attention as well. Today I went back, with the hopes that it would be a short visit, that the nurses at the nursing home had done their job and medicated her like I asked. But as soon as I walked in I saw the venom in her eyes and knew it would be a long day. So, 7 hours, 7.5mg of Haldol, and 4mg of Ativan later she is out like a light. That's really not that much compared to what I've given in the past, but remember I had to start out small. I ended up putting SQ lines in her so the staff could give the drugs properly. Before I got her sleeping she was yelling at me, "Open that door! Dammit I told you to get over there and OPEN THAT DOOR!" At one point she sat me down and said, "The man will come in at night and make you spread your legs and put that thing into you and all his fluid will go in. You are next. It happened to my little girl and it will happen to you." Mind you her "little girl" is 86 now. The patient went on and on about the children that were being murdered at night, the man standing in her room, the fires in the building. She would not take any medications, stopped eating and drinking, all because she believed she was being poisoned. The poor tortured soul. And it was so frustrating for me because on one hand I had the daughter telling me "Don't sedate her" and on the other hand I have the staff who are terminal-agitation-naiive and think I would be trying to kill her if I gave her too many meds. Anyway, the pt is comfy now, and what a learning experience that was!

Hi there, Congratulations on becoming a hospice nurse! I have worked with hospice for 2 years now, and before that I worked in a nursing home. I just started a job as a care manager for a home based hospice a month ago. The biggest thing I can tell you now is not to get too involved or too overwhelmed. It can get pretty crazy when you have 15 or more patients to case manage, especially if one or two of them have symptoms that are out of control and they are needing your attention most of the time. I find this job one in which not everything will ever be done (thanks to medicare) and you just have to realize that and not fret. I am a bit of a perfectionist, so it is hard for me to "leave" work at work at 5pm everyday, when I know that not everything got done. The second best piece of advice I can give is to find some support. If you are working in the home setting you will be working by yourself for the most part, and until you get to know your co-workers it can be tough to talk to anyone about what you are going through. Death is an intense subject and unless someone has experienced it personally, in my experience, they don't like to talk about it. And it's not all bad either. Sometimes I just want to burst out crying for all the good I have done, but trying to explain how I helped this patient die to someone who doesn't understand, well it can come across the wrong way. Hospice has been the most rewarding thing I have done in my life, I hope you enjoy it just as much! And feel free to message me if you need to talk!

Hello, An update: It's been 7 months since I got my RN license and 8 months since graduating and still nothing as far as a hospital job goes. I tried making the rounds at all the hospitals again when I hit my "6 months as an RN" mark, but I got the same thing as when I first tried: No response at all or "not enough experience". However, I just accepted a position with a Hospice here (I have been working in this field for 2 years now), and will be making very good money, working mon-fri 8-5, and with great benefits. I am learning that while my dream is still to be an L&D nurse, I am happy where I am at and I need to stop complaining because a job is a job, and right now that's better than what a lot of people have. Nurses are still in demand in areas like LTC and rehab, and they pay better than a hospital. I still hope this counts as experience though. What has everyone else been seeing?

I am not considered an experienced nurse, believe me, as much as I wish my 3.5 years counted for anything, it does not. I have asked all recruiters about this and they say I am a new grad. I have also applied to many experienced positions and they all say the same, "No RN experience means you are a new grad". So yes, I am competing with all the other new grads out there.

Hello all, I apologize for not responding to this thread sooner, I didn't know it had gotten so much feedback! And thank you all for your advice, it is good to hear I am not alone in this crap situation. Well it has been 2 months now since the job hunt began and I am no further than I was in Feb. I do have my Oregon license now, but there is nothing out there either. I have applied to new grad programs in Boston, Virginia, North Carolina, Wyoming, San Diego, Portland and Seattle, and have not had any luck whatsoever. I am lucky if I even get an email telling me so. I have contacted nurse managers when I can, and they all say I need more experience. How am I supposed to get experience if no one will hire me?! So I got my job back with Hospice and am picking up shifts at a nursing home that I worked at previously. BTW, someone had mentioned being an LPN before becoming an RN helps... that's not really true. I had been an LPN for 3.5 years before getting my RN, and I am still in this situation. In fact I am back to where I started before school. It is very frustrating, having worked so hard for this and not seeing anything come of it like I wanted. For me it's not the money, and I'm sure it's the same for most of us. I have a passion for nursing, and I want to use it in a new way, other than helping people die. I am hoping against all hopes at this point that if I stick with this for a year or so that it will count as experience and I can get a job in a hospital and hopefully the economy will be better by then. And I found out today that only one person out of 30 in my class has gotten a hospital job!! This really STINKS.

Hello all, I am a recent graduate of an ADN program in Colorado, Dec. 2008, got my license in Feb '09, and was pounding the pavement just as you are now for the entire month of Febuary and some of March. All I got were rejections. I also applied out of state: San Diego, North Carolina, Virginia, Portland, Boston, and Seattle. All places I could see myself living if need be. But I got no furthrer out there, only rejections. So I don't think the problem lies in one state alone, I think it is collective. I decided to stay with my current job as a Hospice nurse and am picking up some extra shifts at a nursing home where I will be trained as a Charge nurse. I am hoping this will give me a step up in the "experience" world and that maybe after a year a hospital will consider hiring me. My fear is that it won't be enough, or the right kind of experience and they still won't hire me and it will be too late for a new grad program. I wish I could offer better advice. The nursing shortage sure seems to be a lie to me, although if you are desperate, nursing homes seem to always be hiring. Good luck to everyone!

I am sorry if this has been posted before, I am sure it has, but there are so many threads to look through! I just graduated with my ADN in December, and last week found out I passed the NCLEX. I was so sure that I would be able to find a job right away that I nonchalantly called the nursing recruiter at the hospital closest to me (who had told me before that as soon as I got my license I would get a job there), and he told me there were no positions currently open for new grads. So I tried another hospital, and another, and another. Nothing. I have applied to nearly all open positions in nearly all hospitals in the Denver metro area and have not had any luck. I have also talked to all the nursing recruiters in all the hospitals. They all say the same thing (IF I even get a response): "We don't hire new grads" or "Our new grad program is full". I know we are in a recession and all, but come on... So I put my resume up on Monster.com and was contacted by a staffing agency who said they do hire new grads, and that I would most likely start out at the VA doing med-surg. I will most likely take the position because a job's a job right? But it is not what I want to do at all, and I know me, I know I will hate it. My question is: Should I take this offer from the staffing agency? Does anyone have any remarks about Maxim Healthcare? If I take this, and can hold out for 6 months to a year, will that count as experience enough to get a position in what I really want to do (OB nursing)? Also, my dream is to do travel nursing. If I take a med-surg job will I be able to get a travel job in OB or will I have to stick to med-surg? And one more: Are other big cities hiring new grads more than here? Should I move? I had no idea it would be this hard, and I know it has only been a week, but I already told my current boss to take me off the schedule starting next month, so I really need to find something else, soon. I appreciate any feedback and/or similar stories!!

I too am looking into traveling nursing, but I just graduated and the companies I have talked to say I need a year of experience as an RN before travelling, even though I have been an LPN for almost 4 years. I am hoping to get into either L&D or mom/baby, are these areas that support travelling nurses? Sorry, techraider, I didn't answer your question, hoping someone will!

I am a 23 year old Hospice nurse, and have been one since I was 22. My boss hired me because she knew me from a previous job at a LTC center and knew my skills were up to par. I think that being young brings a new aspect to hospice care, since I don't have the "life experience" all the older people refer to, I can use my knowledge in a different way. It is true, most hospice nurses are white, female and over 40, which is great, but it doesn't bring much diversity to the hospice experience. We recently hired 2 male nurses who the families absolutely love! I love working for Hospice. I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I am able to be independent and make judgement calls and decisions on my own, but I know that due to the team aspect of Hospice, that there is always someone I can ask if I have a question. I know that for me it is really important that I can be autonomous and work by myself. For some people this isn't such a good thing. I would say go for it! Since you have LTC experience, you might just find someone that will hire you as a new grad. It is definitely a passion, and something only a few of us can do. Good Luck!