freeflowchi

Sometimes you can call the HR office where you did not get hired and they may tell you why you did not get the position. I had a similar experience earlier this year. I called HR and they still could not give me a valid reason why I was not hired. I had to take a position outside of nursing to re-group and collect myself. Recovering from rejection takes some time. I feel for your situation. Sometimes, being exceptional gets in the way, especially when looking for RN positions. In my experience, the first graduates to get jobs were the LEAST qualified, youngest and most naive. Being exceptional does not help anyone get a nursing position. Hang in there. Do all you can to maintain your sanity. And do NOT believe that any of it is your fault.

Take any job you can get...

Working as a manager in a spa getting all of the massages, facials and jacuzzi time I can until the hospitals start hiring again. ;0) Oh yeah, and taking a skills refresher course at my old school, completing CEU's and waiting for now. It has taken me a while to recover from not getting a position in 2009. 3.8 GPA, excellent clinicals, recommendations, networked, etc. Sometimes, you just have to get by until something opens up for you. Good luck everyone! Keep your heads up and do NOT listen to the naysayers who will tell you here on this site that it was your fault for being too picky, lazy or unwilling to move. We will succeed.

I have also looked into this as I am a May 2009 grad with an ADN, previous BS in another field and no RN job. There are generic MSN programs, but you need to pick between educator and some kind of practitioner. You can also get a generic MSN and a specialty certificate in women's health or critical care for example, later. But I think the advice posted here is also good. I chose not to go back to school because it did not make sense without the experience. Have you tried the military? I think the Army takes ADN grads and you may be able to get at least a BSN by signing on and completing proper training. This was not an option I wanted to take, but it might get you experience and a cool flight nurse position ;0) Good luck!

In California, you can challenge the CNA exam after one semester in an ADN program. But it does cost money for the application, fingerprinting and certification fees. About $150. Good luck!

For LA, Farsi would be good. However, most who speak Farsi also speak English. Better in central LA. Korean or Armenian would be my second choice. I lived in LA several years, and these were the languages, aside from Spanish everyone seemed to speak.

Of course we have tried this already.

May 09 grad. Same situation. Not quite giving up. I have given up trying to find a new grad position at a large acute care hospital, however. You will be amazed by the reduction of stress if you change your strategy. I went to a volunteer orientation at a very large hospital yesterday. You can do home health agency after one year of licensure (here in CA). The military might be a good option if you have a BSN. Some branches offer programs to get your BSN if you have an ADN. The Army accepts ADN grads, but it is competitive. I have also been told to try surgery centers.

If you are in Ireland, you will have better luck in England or Australia/New Zealand. There is nothing here in the states for new graduates. If you have been working for at least two years, I would contact travel nursing companies that will bring you over. There are positions available for specialty nurses, based on my friends from overseas who have them. Good luck.

I am in the exact same boat. ADN grad who graduated in May 2009. Nothing anywhere. In July I will be coming up on my one year anniversary for my RN license and found out that home health agencies will hire after you have been LICENSED for one year. Is there any way you can go back to school again for your BSN/MSN? You will probably qualify for loans if your income during school was low. And there are programs out there that only require you pay 10 years (vs. 30) of student loan payments if you work in public service (county hospital, VA, military, etc) for those 10 years. That might help. Hang in there. Times are tough for all of us, not just new nursing graduates. I feel for you and wish you the best of luck. It is NOT your fault. Do not let anyone tell you so. And for those of you wanting to post these types of comments: Maybe your standards are too high? What kind of specialty are you looking for? Are you willing to relocate? Have you tried travel nursing companies? If you have been out of school and working for more than 2 years, our current situation does not apply to any of you. EVERYONE is requiring at least one year of acute care experience, travel companies, agency nursing, LTC, rehab...ALL of them.

You should seek ANY experience right now.

I graduated in May of 09 and have yet to find a position. I just interviewed this week for a Versant program in a very rural area. Did not get the job, but did secure an interview. Some programs will accept you, others will not. You are more likely to be considered by a smaller demographic area. Large urban hospitals seem to be more selective regarding year of graduation, type of degree (no ADN's, BSN and MSN only need apply) and even when you are no longer considered a new grad after getting the first position (some say 6 months, others 1 year). Each facility is different. Good luck with your search.

I have waited for about six weeks before hearing about an interview before (in San Diego, no less). There is no standard time frame, it just depends on the institution you are applying to. Some will get back to you, others will not. I have waited six weeks and still obtained an interview, but never a job offer. I have waited one month for the conciliatory "thank you, but you did not get the job. please try again later" email. In my experience with trying to get a position over the past 14 months, the longer it is without a response, the worse the news is. I would try to follow up with a recruiter. Maybe try to email or send a resume and cover letter to the nurse manager directly in addition to the online app. It will be very difficult to get a phone number. Have ANYONE you know in the facility speak on your behalf. Best of luck!

I might leave off the Reiki. As an acupuncturist, I have received feedback to remove this from my resume. It depends on the corporate culture of the hospital. Good luck!

This is not correct. I believe Pacific University in San Diego, NYC and Chigaco has western science classes that are accredited. However, I agree that you should do nursing first. It makes more sense financially. I have been an acupuncturist for over eight years and finished my ADN program last May (2009) and am having a lot of trouble finding interviews. I received feedback on this site that any Master's degree threatens nurse managers. Alternative medicine is also frowned upon by many western institutions. If you can, do an accelerated BSN if you already have a bachelor's in another field. On a positive note, I LOVE practicing acupuncture and my clinical skills were very useful during nursing school. Send me a message if you have any more questions. I would love to speak with you.

Call or check your state's nursing board website. In California, I challenged the CNA exam while in nursing school and just paid to get a certificate. Most jobs want you to have a CNA license. Maybe search for a CNA position after getting a license and let them know you have an RN license after being employed. It might get you in the door. Best of luck!

With great respect to the poster, this advice is not accurate. I suggest you look at the graduate nurse forums on this site and look at the current trend of hiring new grads. Also, many hospitals are canceling tuition reimbursement programs. p.s. I just found out that due to the current economy, California state schools will no longer let an ADN student with a previous bachelors get another bachelors. We are being pushed into MSN. Again, best of luck!

Do yourself a HUGE favor and do the BSN. If you need money, work as a CNA in school and take your time to finish, but DO NOT get an ADN degree. I did the ADN with a bachelor's in another field due to financial concerns. The result now is that I cannot find a job anywhere. I cannot relocate to the east coast (where I grew up) because most facilities only accept BSN grads. Current large university hospitals here (Stanford, UCLA, etc.) are only accepting new grad applications from BSN or MSN grads. So, I guess if you do not have plans to relocate, the ADN might be a good idea. But the experience in the field working as a CNA and the BSN now will save you time and money later. I would definitely make a different decision knowing what I know now. Good luck!

How did you get THREE jobs?

I do not have a story right now, but have to say how much I enjoyed all of the stories told here. We can almost all relate. After being involved in some contentious postings, I am relieved that there is humor and light on this site. Thank you all for posting and keeping me laughing in difficult times!

I am so sorry you had this experience. I had a similar thing happen to me in the hospital I spent two years in doing clinicals. Great rapport with everyone, good feedback from managers, excellent references from instructors, etc. I could not even secure an interview. I knew some of the managers and nurses personally outside the hospital as friends and they could not wait to start working with me. I came to the conclusion that for some reason, the hospital did not want me there. I had a lot of difficulty with HR. There was definitely something discriminatory happening. I made appearance after appearance with follow up phone calls, emails and messages. Nothing was working. Many of my classmates were hired immediately and without much effort. I believe my problem was too much confidence. I know how difficult it must be for you to consider working as a CNA there with your classmates supervising you. This is something I could not easily deal with either. I decided to move out of that small town to a larger place. I know this might not be possible, but I encourage you to consider it. I still have not found a position, but I believe I will soon. I am choosing to work for someone who will value what I have to offer, rather than fight a losing battle. Even if you eventually do get hired, you may still have some difficulty or resistance later. If they don't want you, look elsewhere. Network. Tell your instructors what happened and ask their advice. Get recommendations about other places or positions. Ask them where they believe your best talents lie. You might find that a non-hospital position works out better for you. Most of all, please know you are not alone in this. It happens all the time in every town to someone. Good luck!

"However, since the healthcare system's fiscal year is coming to a close, I am remaining optimistic about future positions that are "application friendly" towards new grads. I personally only have experience in Student Affairs (i.e. RA for dorms, supervisor, etc), and long gone are the days of being a "well-rounded and thus enticing" applicant! Right now, I'm about to work for Mollen Immunization Clinics and this will help bide my time as well as spruce up my resume while I search for jobs in Chicago. " This is not necessarily a bad thing. Everyone without experience from my nursing program got a job and none of the "older" graduates even got interviews. I have been told by some that managers prefer younger, more flexible hires. Good luck!

I feel like an expert in this area, as I have been applying for jobs since Feb 09! There is usually a field for you to cut and paste a cover letter independently, usually at the end of the process. The resume gets uploaded in the beginning because a lot of programs will auto-enter easily identifiable information (name, address, telephone, etc.) into the appropriate field. Hope this helps!

Hang in there. You are not alone in your frustration. Many new grad programs now are only accepting applications from BSN or MSN grads, so you may be able to get an entry-level position with a MSN. Good luck!

Find out if the hospital you want to work will accept online diplomas. I know Stanford will not.