tuttle13

Thanks to everyone who responded. I am in Connecticut BTW to the poster who asked. My issue is that there are not that many hospitals or clinics within an acceptable commute. I will just keep applying to psych units and hope that someone will give me a chance.

I would love to work on a psych unit in a hospital, but there are no jobs at this time. I have been trying to get into a hospital to work for two years, but none of them in my area are hiring any new nurses. Any openings are for "internal staff only". That is why I have been looking into private rehab facilities. So I guess I will have to wait it out until the economy recovers enough so that hiring freezes are lifted. Can you believe that it is still so difficult for qualified RNs to get a job? Anyway, thanks to everyone who responded so far.

NO - That is why I said I want to "eventually" get my CARN. Can't get certified without working for at least 2 years in additions unit, yet can't get hired without experience. It is the same old catch 22. That is why I don't know if going for the counselor cert classes will help me get hired as an RN in addictions because at least I will also be able to run therapy sessions. Still will have no experience but additional education that may help to get foot in the door. Anyone else try this approach? How did you get your first job in addictions?

I am a RN for 2 years now, and I want to specialize in pysch/addictions nursing and eventually get my CARN. My problem is that facilities only want experience, but you can't get experience if no one will hire. I have been working on a med/surg rehab unit where I care for as many as 20 patients. I also deal with a lot of Alzheimer's patients, as well as many pysch patients and substance abusers who end up on my unit with medical issues. Unfortunately employers do not view that as "pych/addictions" experience. I had to start my career in LTC/med/surg due to the lack of nursing jobs for new grads in my area due to the economy, and now I want to get back on track as to why I became a nurse 2 years ago. I was wondering if it would be helpful to get certified as a substance abuse counselor in order to get into this field. Are there any other RNs who are also certified as counselors, and does it help to get a job? I have looked into taking some classes specifically for RNs for psych nursing or addictions nursing but there are none that I can see. I had my typical semester of pych clinicals in nursing school, but so has everyone. Any advice would be appreciated.

Where I work (and I assume everywhere else) we are NEVER allowed to score a narc in half or otherwise. A nurse did this at the facility I work at and got fired on the spot when it was found out. Not only was she changing the prescribed dose, but had no way of showing what happened to the other half. All unused narcs have to be wasted by two RNs, or administration will think you took the med yourself. Most patients think "what's the big deal" since they would be taking less than prescribed and they should be able to do that if they want. They certainly can take a lower dose, however they will have to wait until I can get a hold of the MD to prescribe it and then wait for the pharmacy to deliver it if none is available in our emergency supply. Don't mess with meds, especially narcs - it could mean the end of your job or your nursing license. Document what the patient is requesting an call the doctor. End of story.

My state also renews based on your birthday. Last year I passed NCLEX in July, didn't get my license in my hands until September, and then had to pay the fee again in November (my bday month)! Two license fees within 6 months of graduating with my nursing degree. And my state does YEARLY renewals, so I will be forking out a third payment this November after only being a RN for 1.5 years. Yes, it does suck...

I graduated last year and started in LTC/rehab 9 months ago. I float between 4 units, but I am primarily on our short term med/surg rehab unit since I am an RN,which is basically like working in a hospital. Lots of ortho pts as well as cardiac, COPD, PNE, strokes etc.. I also work on our geriatric LTC units either as charge nurse or med nurse. I never imagined that I would end up starting my career in LTC, but the bad economy left me no other choice and I am lucky I got this job. I actually have learned ALOT and I love my job, although I still want to work in acute care once they decide to hire again. I don't know if you will float or do more than just pass meds. I wouldn't be able to survive in LTC if I only passed meds in the same unit because it can get very boring. If your facility does rehab like mine, try to work in that unit as much as possible because that is where you can get the most experience. Good luck!

I agree with you about not giving them on the sly. However in a case where the patient has ALZ and really cannot make a clear decision to refuse meds, I would think that permission to "sneak in" the meds would need to be obtained from the family or whoever has power to make health care decisions for the patient. This is just my guess, but I would like to hear a clear answer from a more experienced RN since I am about to work with many ALZ patients. Sweetlemon - you absolutely need to talk to the doctor, your supervisor, and the family about this as you stated. This patient could be in serious trouble if she continues to refuse her meds, and you do not want to have that on your hands. Protect your license as well as your patient.

The only diploma program in my state is hospital based, and people I know who have done that program came out wonderful and competent RNs. The only disadvantages I saw was #1: clinicals were ONLY at that one hospital, therefore they did not get clinical experience at various settings like my ADN program. Being only at that one hospital did not allow for exposure to the majority of hospitals in our state, which may or may not hurt your chances at being hired in a hospital other than the one you are doing the diploma program at. Not sure if your program is only at one hospital, but it is something to think about. #2: It is a diploma, not a college degree and I would rather have the degree, especially since the time to complete each program is relatively the same in time and cost. I am not sure what can be transferred over from a diploma to a BSN program. At least with my ADN, I know what I still need to take in order to get my BSN and that my credits are college based and will be accepted. If the diploma carries the same weight as a ADN in relation to credit transfer and getting your BSN later, then I don't see a problem if that is the program that is best for you. You should check it out first.

Then why is it that there are numerous posts from new grads ALL ACROSS THIS COUNTRY who cannot find a job? Saying to move is ridiculous when moving would involve several other people's lives being turned up side down. Not to mention the house that would have to be sold in this terrible housing market. Relocation is great if you are single or a single parent with young children not in school yet. I am not going to ask my husband who is a VP in a company he has worked for, for 20 years to give up his job so that he can be unemployed in another state so that I can make 1/3 of his salary as a nurse. Many of us cannot just relocate. I appreciate the suggestion, and I am sure that is a viable option for some, just not me.

i wouldn't go into home care for the same reasons that i wouldn't work for an agency. i would never think about being on my own in someone's home without at least 1 or 2 years acute care med/surg experience first. i am not experienced enough to make those life an death decisions in the seclusion of one's home. vna won't hire new grads for that same reason, so there is another option out for us new grads. lack of experience pretty much excludes us from employment for any area that is not hospital based preceptor training. i understand your frustration, as i have had my moments of wishing i never bothered to work my behind off for the past 3 and a half years to get my nursing degree.

First of all, let me say that I am NOT interested in agency work what-so-ever for the same reasons you stated. That is not the issue. However, the person who started this thread was looking into temp agencies (I assume) as a means of getting some work for a few months until new grad positions open up. I would not go this route myself, but it has gotten to the point where we have no options. Of course the ideal position is one as a new grad in a hospital, which I stated early. That is where I want to be. But at least for me in my area, there are no new grad jobs and no matter how hard I look they will not magically appear out of thin air. There will not be any more new grad openings in acute care until 2010 for me, and with no one else wanting to take a chance on a new grad in other settings, it has become frustrating beyond words. I am an older first time nurse with my own kids to put through college in a few years and I need to work. Relocation is not an option. Anyway, the question I stated earlier was "...does anyone have a REAL solution to this unemployment problem that exists for us new grads?" And saying there are jobs out there if you only look is not an answer. It depends on the area of the country you live in, and my area has none for new grads right now, but I will keep looking every day until there are.

This is the kind of attitude that explains why none of us new grads can get jobs. I understand the concern that we are new and inexperienced, but how are we to become nurses that patients and employers can trust if we are not allowed to get our first jobs? I don't mean to sound snarky, but seriously, what are we supposed to do when no one wants to hire new grads? How are we going to get experience when there are no "safer" new grad jobs available that provide 12 weeks of orientation and preceptors? I'm getting really sick of people in the health care industry looking down their noses at us because we are "new". We were begged to go to school to become RNs to ease the nursing shortage, and now that we have our RN licenses, we are told that we are not wanted because we have no experience. Give me a break. Once all the older nurses start to retire and there is no one to take their place except for stale grads who have been waiting tables for a few years due to no nursing jobs, then that is really when safety concerns will come into play more than ever. I am sorry to rant, and I mean no offense to anyone because I realize that patient safety is number 1, but does anyone have a real solution to this unemployment problem that exists for us new grads?

Yes - most of us new grads are experiencing the same thing. I have been looking since January because I was told that I would have a job a few months before I graduated in May, but that was simply not the case for us 2009 grads. If I graduated a year earlier, I would have had at least 3 offers from hospitals competing for me, sign on bonuses, and gifts of leather breifcases to woo me over to work for them. That is how it was for the 2008 class at my college. I just did some prying and have been told by the nursing recruiters in my area that new grad positions will not open up again until earily 2010 - then we will have the 2010 grads trying to get jobs before graduation to compete with. You are not alone, and it doesn't seem to matter where you live in the good old USA.

Hi Ronald, If you work as a CNA in a hospital or even in a LTC facility, many offer tuition reimbursement. So if you want to become an LPN, your employer will most likely pay for a good chunk of it. Just check out the employee benefits for the facilities you are interested in working for. I would be surprised if they didn't offer it. You may have to commit to working there for a period of time after you get your LPN license, but it would be worth it if it saves you some money. And no - you are not too old! I know a man who was a dental assitant, and then he became a CNA. He is about your age as well and he is the most AWESOME CNA I ever had the honor of working with when I was a student nurse. I think that those of us who go into the health care field once we are older, with real life experience, and open eyes, tend to be better equipt to deal with all the BS we need to swim through in order to reap the rewards of our chosen field. Good luck to you!