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I too would like to know what is going on with this. I currently work in KY on my WI license.

I have applied to positions in Pediatrics, PICU, NICU, SCN, Nursery, and OB/LDRP. I haven't had any luck with any of them.

I know this thread is basically for New Grads in search of information about NICU, but I want to know if there are any hospitals out there that hire inexperienced nurses into NICU? I graduated in 2007 with my BSN. I went to school to become a nurse to work in NICU. This is my dream job and my passion. However, my first job as a new grad in a Level III NICU was a terrible experience. I did not get the support that I needed during orientation and the orientation "program" was not at all what it should be. When I brought up my concerns to the manager at that time, they basically stopped orienting me and then fired me on the last day of the 90 day orientation (that's right, only 90 days orientation to a level III NICU!). I have applied to every NICU/SCN position in multiple hospitals in IL, WI, and TX (and a few in OH and CO). I have not had any luck. This manager at my first NICU job has had be blackballed from getting any jobs at the 3 hospitals in my area, and so I have been stuck doing Post NICU/PICU Pediatric Home Health for the last 3 years. I miss being in the hospital and feel like I have lost so many skills because it has been so long since I have been in a clinical/hospital setting. Out of the hundreds-thousands of jobs I have applied to over the last 4 years, I have only had a handful of interviews. Most of them have said that they are looking for nurses that have 3-5 years NICU experience. How am I to get this experience if no one will give me the chance. I've worked in Med/Surg/Tele for a short time, but was extremely unhappy in this position and was bullied by other nurses to the point where it was too stressful and I dreaded going to work everyday. So, I went to Peds Home Health. I'd really appreciate any help or information. TIA

I graduated from nursing school in 2007 (BSN). I have applied to every hospital in the Chicago area, including the suburbs, and still have not received an offer from any of them. I've had interviews with RUSH, Northwestern, Mt Sinai, Advocate Lutheran, Advocate Good Shepherd, Advocate Condell, Alexian Bros, etc. with no luck. I have put in hundreds of applications per month in IL and WI. I have emailed my information to recruiters and managers. I have tried contacting HR. I have gone to many nursing job fairs. I have revamped my resume too many times to count. I follow up the interviews I have had with thank you letters and phone calls or emails. But yet, after all I have done, I still do not have a hospital job. I have some experience in Med/Surg/Tele, but am not interested in a career in this area. I have little NICU experience, which I want as a lifelong career, but it's not enough experience to get hired. I have been doing Pediatric Home Health for the last 2.5 years (no benefits, no guaranteed hours). I drive/commute 1-2hours to cases in the suburbs and don't get any reimbursement for any expenses. I am on linked-in and Monster jobs. Most of these places that I apply to, I received an email within 24 hours stating that I am not being considered for the jobs that I applied to. I am pretty sure that my application/resume does not get looked at by an actual person most of the time, especially when I receive these emails. I am sorry I can not offer any advice, I am dealing with these same issues and I have been a nurse for 4 years. When I ask managers what I could have done differently in the interview, I am told that they just went with someone that had more area specific experience than what I have.

So, talked to my recruiter today. Most of those that were/are alternates are being called to see if they are still interested and if they would accept certain COT dates. Recruiters were also sent a list of specific "non-select" names that the recruiters are calling to see if they are still interested in the particular positions they applied for and their packets are being resubmitted. I was a "non-select" whose name was on the list for resubmission. Sooooo, my packet was resubmitted a few weeks ago and my recruiter is waiting to hear if they will accept me. He said that all of this is going through his boss and passed down to him. If not accepted/selected again this time around, I can re-apply/submit for the July boards, but would have to apply/submit to a different job/area. Crossing my fingers for selection and August COT!!!! :)

"I was led to believe by my recruiter that only RN experience and hospital experience counts. I will check again." Hospital experience counts if you are trying to apply to a specific specialty area, but all of your combined experience as a nurse counts. Not being rude but as an FYI, you can't always believe word for word everything your recruiter tells you. If you were to ask a handful of recruiters, you would get a different answer from every one of them. This is coming from someone with prior military service. If the recruiter is never available, try to speak with someone else within that office. If they can't help, find another recruiter. If this is something that you really want to do, you can't sit back and wait for it to happen or wait for them to contact you. There are timelines of when and how things need to be done. You are responsible for staying on top of it and getting the things that need to be done, done. Keep on them. If they aren't there to help you do this, you may have to find someone else. The recruiting office that I am working with now is awesome. They all work together to get things done and I have stayed on top of them through the whole process, and this office is a few states away from my home state. My home state recruiter was not helping mr get anywhere.

Any experience as a nurse counts. It does not have to be all hospital experience or all experience as an RN. LPN experience counts. It's just that the military does not accept LPNs, so they must get their RN in order to apply. I am considered a fully qualified nurse. I have been a nurse for 4 years and have spent a majority of it in Post NICU Pediatric Home Health. I originally wanted to apply for OB NTP and was told that I could not apply to NTP because it is only for those that have just graduated nursing school or had graduated within the last 6 months before applying. Even though I have absolutely no OB experience, I can not apply to NTP because I have been a nurse for more than 6 months. However, I also can not apply to OB because I do not have 6 months OB experience. So, if you don't have 6 months or more experience in a specific specialty, they would submit your application for Clinical Nursing. This just means that you are not specialized and can basically be placed into any nursing position. I have been trying to get into the Air Force since 2008/2009 and have had to jump through a lot of hoops and went through quite a few recruiters. My application was submitted last September and like many others, I did not get accepted due to lack of open positions.

Wow, it has been a really long time since I have written anything here. I have been passed around to different recruiters since this all started. The one that took me to my interview was moved to a different recruiting position. The one I have now was training for this position last year, so I have only spoken to him a handful of times. He called me last week asking if I was still interested in re-submitting my info and if I was still interested in AF. Of course, yes I am still interested. I started this process in 2009!!! Then he asked if anything had changed since last time and proceeded to tell me that there are positions opening up (not sure on specifics) and that if a position I am qualified for is open he can re-submit my information and that COT would be within the next few months. He was going to make some calls to find out what was open and specifically ask about certain specialty areas. I applied/submitted my packet for NICU last September. There were a total of 8 NICU applicants and they only had 1 position open. So, 7 of us did not get accepted. I really hope that they decided to open up some more NICU positions!!! I have been applying to hospital jobs for what seems like forever and still have not gotten a hospital job. Last time I worked in hospital was Spring 2009!! So, I really hope this happens this time. We too have a house to sell, but it is far from being in selling condition and we don't have the money to do what needs to be done right now. With cost of living being so high and gas prices out of control, it's hard to make ends meet, let alone try to do anything extra outside of paying bills and trying to buy groceries. Lets all hope for good news!!!

I was told by IL MEPS that the physical is only good for 1 year. I don't see why/how it would/could be good for 2 years. As for the letters of recommendation, I have done these twice already: Oct/Nov 2009 and then again May/June 2010. So, I will have to get new letters for re-submission. Then, I was also told that you can only re-submit every 6 months (this coming from the MI Healthcare Recruiter's office, I do not trust Chicago IL office).

I haven't given up and will not give up, but my nursing journey thus far has been ridiculous! I went to nursing school specifically for neonatal intensive care and have worked in every area of nursing and know that NICU is where I belong. When I worked in the NICU, I loved going to work, I enjoyed my job and am very passionate about it. I just happened to work in the wrong NICU with the wrong management, in the wrong hospital, in the wrong city. I was hosed by that place and have been unable to gain employment in another NICU in this part of the state and I didn't do anything wrong to deserve being treated the way I have been treated. After this horrible experience, I decided that I was going to go back into the military (preferably Air Force) and serve as a nurse for our soldiers babies. And yet, after 2 years, I am still waiting for acceptance and still can't get a job as a NICU nurse in either the civilian side or Air Force side. I've been ready to start my career since before I became a nurse, but feel I am losing all of my hope. I will keep trying of course, and I am still hoping that something good will happen for my family and I soon. I am sick of waiting and being turned down. thanks for the encouragement, I need a miracle!

To answer your question, the first recruiter I talked to in March 2008 went back to her old job in March 2009. So I had to deal with a new recruiter that was taking her place. He was more interested in getting his new nurses and new grads taken care of then he was in getting my packet and everything that goes with it, completed. He kept telling me that we had time and that we/he would have everything done, completed, and submitted to the Oct board 2009. Needless to say, I was left out to dry and he passed on/transferred my packet to a different recruiter in a different state and failed to mention this to me until I kept hounding him about getting everything done!! Then there were supposed to be things in my packet that weren't there and were lost when transferred to the other recruiter. These were things that I had to pay for (such as transcripts) and order. I believe that he knew that it wasn't going to get done and in order to get out of doing my packet and dealing with me, he just pushed me onto someone else. Then, this new recruiter was awesome. But, it was already too late to submit my packet to the Oct 09 board. He was going to submit my packet to the Jan 10 board, but they had filled all of their NICU slots with the Oct selects. So, I had to wait for the Oct/Nov 10 board to submit. Then, I had to have my recommendation letters re-done because they are only good for 6 months. Being prior service, they were having a hard time getting some of that paperwork for the Army. When I called the recruiter in May of this year, he said that he was no longer the healthcare recruiter and that I had to call the main office and talk to the new one. This one was band spanking new to recruiting!!! So, for the past 6 months, almost everyone in that office has been working on my stuff to get it completed and submitted. And for what; I didn't get selected. So, I am extremely frustrated that with all that I have gone through since 2008, I am still sitting here! Not all recruiters are good recruiters, not all of them tell the truth, and not all recruiters like their job!! A majority of the time, they are placed in recruiting on a temporary basis. So, if you are not hearing from your recruiter, keep hounding them until you find out whats going on or what you need to know. If they still can't be reached, get in touch with their boss. Them not returning your call or emails or what have you, does not always mean that they are super busy!

I would have rather heard that I was an alternate vs being told that I was on the non-select list. At least as an alternate, you don't have to re-submit your packet to the board again. As a non-select, I will have to go back to MEPS and do another physical because they are only good for a year, I will have to get new recommendation letters because those are only good for 6 months, I will have to re-sign and date all of the paperwork in my packet before re-submitting to another board, and I may have to do the Chief Nurse Interview again. Basically, being a non-select means that we have to go through the whole process all over again, which really stinks since I have been waiting to get selected for what seems like forever! I started this whole process in March 2009!!! Be glad that you are an alternate.

No tips to give at this point. The issues that everyone has been facing in the civilian world has finally caught up with the military and they just don't have the positions right now. They selected a ton of nurses last fiscal year and now don't have positions available. I believe the application process is the same for everyone. You complete the application packet, chief nurse interview, and then your completed packet in submitted to the review/selection board. I would double check with your recruiter on the so called deadline. As far as what I have been told, there will not be a board in January and may or may not be a board in March. At this point, no one really knows. When they do their selections in Oct/Nov, they are doing their selections for the whole fiscal year. In past, they had many board reviews/selections throughout the year mainly because they didn't usually have many applicants during the Oct/Nov board. However, because our economy really stinks right now and everyone is having a hard time getting a job in the civilian area, many have turned to military nursing over the last year or so. So, the military has been getting an over abundance of applicants and being able to fill all of their open positions. I have been trying to get back in to military over the last 2 years (have had some not so great recruiters). My packet was finally submitted this fiscal year and I was not selected! So, here I sit having to wait again to re-submit.

You can't send a PM until you have more than 15 posts.

Not at all. And I am sorry if I came off the wrong way. I am just so frustrated with everything . Throughout my whole life I have had nothing but bad luck with everything. When I decided to go to school to become a Nurse instead of an Engineer, my intentions were always to become a NICU nurse. This is the only area I have ever wanted a career in and the reason why I became a nurse in the first place. I graduated at the beginning of this economy's collapse and never thought that it would hit nursing as hard as it has. We were always told in school that there is this huge nursing shortage and that we would never have any problems getting and being employed, no matter what area we wanted to specialize in. I have found this to be untrue from the beginning. I didn't even have a job offer by the time I graduated and I had started applying to jobs the summer before I graduated. So, being that I was the non-traditional student with a family to support, I took what I could get. Then, I was offered my "dream job" in the northern part of this horrible state and packed up and moved my family there. However, this specific facility was not where I belonged. I have had so much bad luck since becoming a nurse I often wonder why I did it in the first place. Thing is, I love:heartbeat being a nurse:nurse: and am very passionate about Neonatal Care. I have tried every other area of nursing and know that this is the area for me and where I belong. Now days, you can't accept a job to get your foot in the door expecting that you will eventually be able to transfer to where you want because it doesn't work that way (at least here it doesn't). I have tried that. Everyone tells me to not be picky about positions, but how can I or any other nurse not be. Most of us know what we want to do, where we belong, and where we are happy. I hope that all of this changes soon. I have been a nurse for over 3 years and this economy hasn't changed for the better as of yet. Also, just so everyone here knows, prior service must not count for anything in this selection.

But in past, they had taken all candidates, whether they were the best or not because they didn't get very many applicants. Because of this god-forsaken economy, we have to compete with those that wouldn't have normally considered being a nurse in the military and are now applying because they don't know what else to do. Overall, the whole situation just sucks.

There is another thread on here near the top called "Air Force October 2010", you will find selects and non-selects posting here. So far, not looking very good!

Still would have been nice to place all of us as alternates instead of making us re-apply and force us to compete with all of the nurses that will be applying in the near future!

What I don't understand though is if this is the case when it comes to alternates, then why weren't all of us selected as alternates in case a position does become available at a later date instead of saying that we are non-selects. Someone mentioned previously that non-selects couldn't re-apply. I was told that we can only re-apply in 6 months after being a non-select. So that would mean that we can't reapply in January. I am not saying that your recruiter is wrong, but I have a hard time believing anything that he would say because he lied to me for months and messed up my chances for last years board!

I just spoke to my recruiter and I am on the non-select list! I have been waiting for 2 years for this and to not be selected is very disappointing. He said that they had 8 applicants for 1 NICU position. When I asked about OB/LDR, he said that they normally will take and select new grads for these positions and put them through the NTP OB rotation. I am at a complete loss as to what to do with my life and career at this point! :hdvwl:

I know this is an older post, but was going back through this thread. I live in Illinois and my Chief Nurse Interview was in Ohio! Definitely had to travel pretty far so I feel ya!

WooHoo Congratulations!! I hope that I too am a selectee! Would be awesome to find out this week so if it was good news, could be shared at Thanksgiving! If not good news, I'd rather wait and find out after Thanksgiving! Everyone have a great Turkey Day!! *Also, just wondering what everyone's specialty is here or what specialty you submitted your packet for? It looks as though most of you are hoping for some kind of ICU/Critical Care/Med/Surg/ED areas? I am in for NICU/OB/LDR (basically babies!!).

I have applied for those positions at Mercy and never get a call or anything from them. Plus, as much as I would love to work in this area, I don't have any "experience" so am not usually chosen for interview. I have worked night shift for over 10 years, so that's no problem. And personally, when it comes to OB, I would rather get the experience in all of the areas of OB/LDR/Post Partum/Nursery. I think that all nurses should get this experience in this area. When I delivered my son, I had the same nurse for Labor, Delivery, Post Partum, and caring for my son. Thanks for the info though. I wish that I could get a job in this area!

I'm not saying that experience doesn't carry much weight, but how is a newer nurse supposed to get any experience if no one gives them a chance or "the time of day" to prove to them that they too are/can be a great nurse. I too was told to get med surg experience and I had that med surg experience. After doing med/surg, I was basically told that I was a med/surg nurse and couldn't get anything in the specialty that I desperately want to have a career in because of not enough experience in the specialty area. I have taken jobs to get my foot in the door to hopefully be able to transfer to where I want and nothing but hardship and stress came of that position. I suffered severe emotional stress and harassment from nurses at this facility (unit specific) to the point where I hated/dreaded going to work and was sometimes afraid to go to work. The manager that hired me was awesome and then he took a position at another facility and the nurse that took his place as manager hated me from the minute I walked onto the unit (or so that is how she treated me). I could tell her my concerns or what was going on and she did absolutely nothing about it. I didn't know where to turn or who to go to. After I left this facility, I started doing Pediatric Home Health because I couldn't get any other job due to lack of experience and the fact that this facility basically owns the city and has other facilities all over the area. I cared for an infant who's mother works at this facility as an RN and she informed me that the unit I worked on is the worst unit in the hospital! Wish I would have known that before accepting the position! I have made a lot of sacrifices since becoming a nurse and have had a lot of hardships throughout my life. I have had so much bad luck since becoming a nurse than all of my nurse friends. For me, the saying "Nurses Eat there Young" has been completely true. Here I thought that life would be so much better after becoming an RN, and it has been the complete opposite thus far. When it comes to moving for a job, this is what I did. Sure it was within the same state, but I can't afford to move across the country. If there were positions out there that paid for relocation and their state nursing license, then maybe it could happen, but I have yet to find any that do these things. I'm not trying to say that my situation has been worse than any others here, but that's how I feel. It seems that most here are very experienced nurses, and where I live, you have the upper hand when it comes to open nursing positions. I wish I was that experienced, but I'm not and can't be if never given the chance. I too hope that we all get in, but that's not the reality right now. Too many were selected last year, so the positions aren't there for all of us right now. And I am sorry to those that don't get selected, especially if I happen to be one of them. I am more frustrated at the fact that I have had some really bad recruiters who didn't get things done. My packet should have been submitted last year for the October board, not a year later.

My situation is completely different. I am 29, prior service Army MP, I received my BSN in 2007. I have been trying to get into the Air Force since spring of 2008. That is when I first contacted a healthcare recruiter. I had some major weight issues after having my son and then Nursing School right after that didn't help much, so I had a lot to lose before I could start the process. Called that recruiter in spring 2009, she was going back to her old job and there was a new recruiter who was taking her place. This new recruiter did absolutely nothing to help me, he was more worried about getting his new grads done and ready to go than he was about helping me get things ready. Soooo, he passed my information and almost completed packet to another recruiter in a different state!! However, he decided to do this after the October board of 2009!!! Even though the whole time he said that my packet would be completed in time for this board!!! The new recruiter from a different state was on the ball. Meet with him shortly after he received my info and had my packet complete before xmas. Then he informed me that they had filled all of their slots for NICU nurses. He could have sent my packet in for general nursing, but I refuse to go back to adult nursing, so we waited. In spring of this year I contacted him, and they had re-assigned him to different recruiting duties and so had to deal with another recruiter change!!! When my original recruiter came back, he took it upon himself to get my packet done because the new recruiter was to be gone for over a month doing training! We did the finishing touches on my packet and chief nurse interview first week of September and then submitted my packet. I have been waiting a loooooooonnnnnngggggg time for this and if not selected, I will be extremely ******!! I was submitted for NICU with a possibility for OB/LDR. If not selected or an alternate, I will of course continue to wait. I, at this point don't know what else to do. There are no jobs where I live, and I am applying to positions in 2 different states! I used to apply to hundreds-thousands of positions a month (this includes re-applying to positions already applied to). But I don't apply to that many positions anymore. I am sick and tired of applying to positions and not even being given a chance. Most applications are filed within 24 hrs after submission. I receive emails right after applying to something being told that I will not be considered or have not been selected for the positions. I get shot down before even being able to speak to anyone. When I do get the chance to talk to someone, I am told that they are looking for nurses that have X number of years experience in the specific area or after having a great interview, I am told that they decided to hire someone with more experience in the area. I am sorry to the older, more experienced nurses here, but to me this is BS. More experience doesn't always mean that they are the better candidate!! I need and want this more than anything! I have worked very hard for this!! I am sure that others here have worked hard for this too, but I doubt that many of you have gone through all the crap that I have gone through in my very short time of being a nurse (Just saying). Good luck to all!!