symplicatedRN

It's really quite simple for me. If you're a coworker that I feel comfortable sharing a bit of myself with, I'll add you. However, because not ALL my business should be privy to the eyes of the people I work with, I add them to a group called "Coworkers". Everyone in that group is set in my privacy settings to a have limited view of my profile and blocked from certain statuses that might be deemed "Not work safe" or "Incriminatory". I try not to rely too heavily on the privacy settings, because I don't completely trust them, so I do a little self-censoring as well. Anything that I post on FB, I can live with it getting out . P.S. I also have groups titled "Church", "Family", "High School" etc. Why? Because everything ain't for everybody!

Goodness gracious! First of all, I am sorry things went the way they did for you. I am 6 weeks into my 8 week orientation in the grad nurse residency program at my LTC/Rehab center. My mentors have been great, I feel well-trained, and the patient load for nurses is as little as 8 (on the TCU unit) to 30 (on the LTC unit). I've taken about 80% of the patient load so far on my own, and despite the fact that the nurses tell me I am ready to fly on my own, I feel a bit frazzled at times. I agree that you should just leave them off your resume. With 3 months or with 0 months, you are still a new grad. It looks better to have a clean slate then a negative mark, even if it was at the fault of the facility. Nurse Managers have a way of anticipating all the bad that can happen based on your past mistakes, and they may interpret this scenario as an inability to advocate for yourself and perform safely. You handled the situation like a pro otherwise, and it sounds like given the proper orientation, support, and assignment, you will be a superb nurse at your next job!

Sorry, I forgot to follow this topic, so I missed responding to you all. I still have not found a job and I wish I had stayed in FL for my year of experience. I had no idea it would be this bad up north.

nowwhat? OMG thanks!!!! That was very helpful advice. There was something that you said that confused me a little bit: My list of qualifications didn't have any dates. The only sections that have dates are my education and my professional experience (clinicals, practicum, and hospital experience). Most of my sentences are fragments already with the exception of that opening objective and community service descriptions. Should I tweak something specific a little more. Thanks so much for your advice, it is much appreciated!

RedRobin8 Yes, I have worked at Florida Hospital for 5 years, however I moved to Maryland to take my boards (stupidly leaving behind two grad nurse offers). I had NOOO idea it would be this difficult to find a position or I would've just stayed in Florida and taken my pick of the offers. Hindsight is 20/20, but I cannot afford to move back there, and so I'm just trying to make a breakthrough here. Donnuh I've been applying in NYC, MD, DC, and northern VA.

Bariq Congrats! I didn't know they hired new grads into charge nurse positions. I thought there was at least a year or two of experience required. That's awesome. I was called by a SNF 4 days before I took my boards and they couldn't take me on until after I passed. Now I can't get a hold of them. I also interviewed for an ICU position at Johns Hopkins, but I was told I didn't have enough experience (even though it was a grad nurse position). Your prayers are much appreciated. RNTutor yes, that is how I got all of my jobs for the past 5 years. Today though, I just got a call back from a NR who reprimanded me for going over her head. She said it is inappropriate to speak to Nurse Managers, and that I need to go thru HR. It was really weird that she was so angry, but I guess she felt guilty because she had told me there were no jobs and then I went to a unit and found one. Oh well. I apologized for stepping on her toes, but at the end of the day, she has a job! My main concern is for my situation. I actually though about applying for a NR job, but that wouldn't be right... I'd just use it to get myself an RN job and then quit! LOL.

sfbayarearn, do keep your head up! we have to support each other. can you tell me what the difference is between the hr rep and the nr? everytime i go to hr, i deal with one of two people: the person at the front desk, or the nr (who also do the interviews). maybe i can try that angle tho, but i need some more information. my resume is very simple, modern, and clean-looking. i always use laser printers at kinkos on high-quality paper, and i've worded it according to the many examples/advice i've found on websites such as the johns hopkins' site. i'd love to post a link to it, however its not advisable to post identifying info. my name, number, and email are listed in a strip that runs vertically down the side of the main resume body. here is a text example of the layout i used coupled with some strategic coloring and clean fonts: your name, rn | 222.001.4477 | [email protected] qualifications summary [color=dimgray]* objective [color=dimgray] i'm an enthusiastic professional who is calm under pressure, a quick learner, and gets a great deal of satisfaction from helping my patients achieve their physical and mental goals. i crave knowledge and desire to excel in everything i do. this is not just a career for me, this is a passion! [color=dimgray]* clinical and practical skills -[color=dimgray] strong communication, creative thinking, and leadership skills. -[color=dimgray] superior organizational and time management skills. -[color=dimgray] ensures accuracy and patient confidentiality. -[color=dimgray] proficient with electronic medical records, ekg monitors, and microsoft office. credentials * registered nurse license, state of maryland - [color=dimgray] february 2010 * basic life support -[color=dimgray] march 2010 * ekg certification -[color=dimgray] june 2006 (refreshed june 2009) education * florida state university -[color=dimgray] tallahassee, fl -[color=dimgray] bachelors of nursing distance program |[color=dimgray] january 2008 - december 2009 -[color=dimgray] associates of science |[color=dimgray] january 2006 - december 2008 professional experience * st. john's hospital -[color=dimgray] tallahassee, fl -[color=dimgray] nurse tech |[color=dimgray] renal transplant unit |[color=dimgray] may 2008 - december 2009 -[color=dimgray] senior nurse tech |[color=dimgray] congestive heart failure |[color=dimgray] june 2009 - august 2009 -[color=dimgray] clinical rotation |[color=dimgray] multiple units |[color=dimgray] january 2008 - june 2009 -[color=dimgray] practicum |[color=dimgray] neurosurgical pcu |[color=dimgray] june 2009 - august 2009 -[color=dimgray] ekg monitor tech |[color=dimgray] multisystem pcu |[color=dimgray] july 2006 - april 2008 -[color=dimgray] department of transportation |[color=dimgray] november 2005 - july 2006 community service * healthy heart presentation -[color=dimgray] florida state university educated students on the risks to cardiovascular health, offered free blood pressure screening, and provided printed materials and a visual presentation. * postpartum depression education -[color=dimgray] beta center educated pregnant girls ages 13-17 on the potential stressors following pregnancy. provided a visual presentation, and printed materials. * skin cancer prevention education -[color=dimgray] st. john's hospital educated patients on ways to protect skin from malignancies. * sexual health and hygiene education -[color=dimgray] regina gamble project assisted rn-led education on sexual health and hygiene topics. aided in the organization and running of the event. answered questions and offered resources for further information. references available upon request.

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linRdsNay, you ARE an optimist. I was very happy to see all those shiny new positions, but I guess I let my anger for being lied to get in the way. Thanks for putting some perspective to it, and I hope you find a job soon!! redraccoon, that was actually very helpful advice. Believe me, I know those poor recruiters have their work cut out for them, and it's not their fault that the market is poor right now, but to be lied to about open positions is just as frustrating for those of us who are full-time job hunting. Those applications take a lot of time to fill out, and I hear half the time, the position is already filled by the time it makes it to the internet. Everytime I call, I get a voicemail or I'm told that the status of applications cannot be discussed over the phone because of the sheer volume of inquiries they get. Emails don't get responses. I came into the hospital because I felt like a needle in a haystack online. I told managers that I'd applied online, and they actually approved of my resume. The only reason I walked in to HR unannounced was because the nurse managers that expressed an interest told me that was my next step. I wasn't aware until today that appointments could be made with NR's without a job interview, and I'm still not quite sure how to go about doing this since they never answer the phone and are so highly protected by the receptionists. I actually have made a list of NM's I need to follow up with tomorrow, and I'd love to make it easier for them to hire me, but I keep hitting that HR roadblock, and just can't figure out how to penetrate it. Finally, I think my resume is as RN-looking as it can get without any RN experience. I've included my 5 years of hospital experience, clinical rotations and practicum, RN skillsets I'm comfortable with, my education and licenses, and a statement of the position I'm trying to obtain. I've even gotten several compliments on my resume from nurse managers, and teachers (making an RN resume was an assignment in Nursing School final semester). I'm almost positive it's not my resume, but is there anything else you can suggest that should be on there? *sigh* All we heard throughout nursing school was "nursing shortage" and for some of us, the journey to finish was long and hard!!! Now I can't even get hired as a tech so I'm working at the Limited in the mall and getting more depressed by the day. I really appreciated the people who took time to talk to me today, and I probably sound like an ungrateful whiny girl, but I am just so frustrated that after all of my hard work, I'm at standstill!

I am soooo frustrated, and I have to vent. HISTORY: Graduated Dec 2009 Passed Boards Feb 2010 Have worked as a tech for 2 years, and an EKG tech for 2 years, but now am "overqualified". 100 apps/ week since then. 0 callbacks. CURRENT SOURCE OF FRUSTRATION (as if I need another): I went to several hospitals to introduce myself to the HR staff and some nurse managers. The managers were all friendly, willing to interview, and not at all concerned by the fact that I have no experience, but they all said I need to check with HR for new grad slots. I check with HR's at all the hospitals, and I get one of two reactions: 1.) "Oh I'll CHECK to see if a recruiter is AVAILABLE" . . . followed by hushed whispers in the nearby office . . . followed by "Sorry, she isn't accepting any walk-ins right now." 2) Nurse recruiter comes out looking frustrated or rushed and says. "I literally have 2 min I can talk to you. Sorry, there are no open slots for new grads. You JUST missed it. Don't give up, I know its frustrating. Yadi-yadi-ya." I get home tonight and check the website for one of the hospitals that told me there are no more positions. THERE ARE TWENTY-TWO NEW GRAD POSITIONS THAT WEREN'T THERE YESTERDAY. WWWWW TTTTTT FFFFFFFF!!!!!! AFTERWORD: There is no reason for after nearly 6 months of searching at 100+ apps a week AND plenty of hospital experience AND having a license should I not have an interview, especially when everytime I make direct contact with a Nurse Manager, then are impressed with my resume and have a need for me on staff. Do any of you feel the Nurse Recruiters are botching the job?

I'm currently in the last semester of my Associates of Nursing program. I'm DYING to get out of Florida and head to NY, but I've heard on more than one occasion that RN's are only hired out there with a Bachelor's Degree. I plan to immediately start the BSN, but I'd like to get right to work with the degree I have. Anybody know if the rumor is true?