RNcpac

Everyone working in my facility uses CUREL Itch Defense. It's known as the "good" lotion. It's approved for Eczema skin, meaning dry skin that normal lotions don't relieve. http://www.curel.com/products/itch-defense.aspx It's only $5-$8 depending on the size.

There are many certificate programs available in the health field. I know that Community Colleges have some. Mercy College in NW Ohio has many. Here is the site: Check out this link for some Health field certificates. http://mercycollege.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassListing.ClassListingDisplay&int_category_id=7&int_sub_category_id=19 Certificate in Pain Assessment and Management Certificate in Complementary and Alternative Medicine Certificate in End of Life Care Certificate in Gerontology Certificate in Growth and Development Through the Lifespan Certificate in Legal and Ethical Issues in Nursing Certificate in Spirituality, Health, and Healing Human Anatomy and Physiology Legal Nurse Consulting Nutrition for Optimal Health, Wellness, and Sports Pharmacy Technician

NW Ohio - It took me 4 months of demoralizing myself after getting my RN license in Spring 2010. Applied to 200 jobs. Got 3 callbacks from LTCs, got 1 job offer. It pays the lowest in my city, $19/hr. During the 4 months of trying to get a nurse job, I was a Registered Nurse working as a cashier at the Dollar Store. I don't have previous career to fall back on. I work at a facility where the nurses eat their young. I ask questions, and I get reported to the supervisor. The work load is high, 26 patients to 1 nurse, all while responsible for 1-3 admissions in an 8 hour shift. Many daysI stay 4 hours after my shift was supposed to end, and so do the experienced nurses. I walked into hospital human resources for a job, and this hasn't worked. I even walked in with people I know who work for the hospital, who said good things about me. Hospital recruiters say "1 year of experience". I called when I had 6 months of experience (now), and they said "Sorry, you need 1 year." And that's not for a job, that's for only for them to look at my resume - just to consider me as an applicant. For all I know, they might not consider LTC as the magical 1 year experience, since it's not typically considered Acute Care. I'm just trusting that God is waiting for the right time to help me find the job meant for me. I really wish I could work in the ICU.

I graduated May 2009, put in resumes monthly for nurse extern position. Got repeatedly rejected and learned all 8 hospitals put a freeze on hiring new grads. They want atleast 1 year of experience. They wouldn't return my calls, and some recruiters wouldn't even answer their phones. The OH-BON was very, very slow in sending my authorization to test. I passed NCLEX March 2010 (I had applied in October 2009). Since passing I sent 250 online resumes, walked into a few HR offices, called 40 places and heard nothing except rejection or that they aren't hiring. I was unable to get a job at K-Mart, Target, and hospital and LTC jobs (surg-tech, CNA) repeatedly, for being "overqualified". I got smart and left out my college education from my resume- and finally was offered a job at a Dollar Store, which I've been working at. God bless them, their job allowed me to keep my house and not move back in with my parents and move away from my fiance. About 4 months after getting licensed (now) I got a call, where some Skilled Rehab nurses got their year-of-experience and left for hospital jobs, leaving immediate openings. I got an interview and the HR loved me and offered me the job the same week of the interview. I finally start as a nurse this week.

Don't feel bad. Nursing school is the most frustrating, and in many schools unfair school. Failing by less than one point is so ridiculous and it shows the schools don't care about students. They only care about keeping their test score statistics up to get more tuition from future students. As for you, nursing is one of the most stressful and underpaid jobs, if you can even find a job. Right now in California 42% of LAST years grads can't find a job, and this is the same all around the country. If you finished your degree program without failing, you may not have even found a job and you would have had all that debt. Maybe God is intervening in your life and saving you all the trouble of nursing school and future job problems that many of us are going through right now. You say you don't want to do anything in the medical field, if that's true then think of it like this, it's good to find that out now, rather than after all those semesters of nursing tests and clinicals, all that tuition money wasted, and all the stress of NCLEX. I can tell you, I'm a nurse now... but if I had known about some other hospital careers I would have quit nursing school back then. I almost wish I would have failed, which I was close to doing in many of my nurse classes. Even though it would have made me upset and depressed at the time, in the long run it would have allowed me to find a different career that I would be happier with. I wish I would have done Radiologic Tech. It is a 2 year degree and pays as much as an RN usually. It's a much different job than nursing and I found that it's my calling. But I already finished college, and now I don't know if I can ever go back to school and get that career that I wish I had. You have that option. There is a lot of hope for you and you're now free to find out what you really want to do. Take some time to find out about different jobs and look for one that would really make you succeed in life.

It won't matter that you set yourself apart. I too thought, well there's a saturation, but I'm special and I'll be able to find a job. Trust me, recruiters won't even take your call if you can't answer "yes" to the question "Do you have 1 year of acute care experience practicing the nursing process?" Clinicals won't count, it has to be a job. A few months of work won't count either, as I worked as a med-passing aide, nearly the exact same job as a nurse, but getting paid $8/hr for 6 months. I've sent over 200 resumes and applications in the Toledo, Sylvania, Perrysburg, Maumee, Holland, Detroit, and Monroe, MI areas including LTCs, Psych care, Physician offices, Acute Care, Urgent Care, And Rehab - and I have 2 state licenses, and no job. I had 1 interview for a PRN job - working 4 days out of the month, and that went to the experienced nurse. I've called places in the area I never knew existed and asked if they're hiring RNs and they say NO. They won't let me work as an STNA because of my license as an RN. If you want loans and debt and no job, and then told you're overqualified to even find a part time job to keep your roof over your head, go into nursing. Unless you have enough money to move to another state, I don't advise nursing in this area with this many schools sending out new grads every few months. It's been the biggest mistake of my life, and embarrassing to tell family and friends I can't get employed when the media tells them there's a shortage.

Thank you for all of your replies. I've tried to apply for smaller businesses, where they aren't as stuck to corporate budgets and rules. The employers there seem more human and flexible, so I think some could be influenced to hire new grads if they knew there was a problem. I had one interview and the employer asked, "where are you working now?" And I told him I'm not, I'm looking for my first job ( and made this into a positive point - that I could start right away with his company and am available all hours). He didn't make any mention of knowing that it's a problem and he didn't hire me. I don't think he really knows how big of a trend that is. I can't move, I have no money at all. The welfare is supplied as a plastic card for buying food. That's all I qualify for since I'm able-bodied, no kids, and supposedly should be able to get a job.

I finally found a job after being an unemployed RN for months. Unfortunately it's not in nursing. It's a retail job paying minimum wage. I really think becoming a nurse was the worst mistake of my life. I had to go on welfare since becoming an RN because there are just no jobs. :crying2: The media won't report this jobless trend for new grads, so employers aren't aware. If they were they would probably be sympathetic and hire us. I truly see this retail job as a blessing.:redpinkhe I'm so glad I can finally work and have a bit of money coming in each month. I never told the manager I'm a nurse. I knew if I did she wouldn't hire me for being overqualified.