ACuteRN41

According to one lawyer: "Refusing to work in a dangerous situation is covered by OSHA and they respond quicker than the courts and evidence of OSHA determination can be used in court."

Hello All. I won't bore you with too many details save that I am 10 months post-grad, 9 months post-NCLEX, have RN, and have applied to over 100 hospitals in multiple states and multiple types of areas (urban, rural, and very rural). I am employed in another industry and have been for 8 years now (this is how I afforded nursing school). I would really really like to get started on my RN career and get acute hospital experience. Pay is not my main concern right now, but experience is. I thought of going the skilled/geriatric route, but three different hospital recruiters have told me the same thing: we generally don't hire RN's from skilled nursing...we hire RN's with 1-2+ yrs of acute/specialty experience, and when available new grads through our orientation programs. Now, anyone like me who has recently graduated knows that one stands about a 5-10% chance of being accepted into a hospital new grad program. (10 spots/200-300 applicants seems to be common these days), and it's probably worse for single openings for newbies. So, with hospital funding down, economy down, older RN's postponing retirement or working more hours to recoup investment losses and not to mention the travel registry phenomenon, we recent grads are really in a bad way if we want to get hospital work. Here's my question: if I keep working my job of 8 years (computer information systems) and wait oh say another 2-3 years without a nursing job of some kind, and assuming the "shortage" will return (it has to, right?) will I be in a bad spot to land an acute care job in 2014 having graduated in 2011 without any RN experience? Would this put me in a no-man's-land? Is it better to work skilled nursing in the interim? or do hospitals truly frown upon LTC nurses? Because I know of long term care nurses that can fare no better than me for getting hospital work. So I am thinking I will close the hatches and ride out the storm until the better days come and just wait out working as an RN until I can land in acute care. Am I incorrect or short-sighted in this consideration? Thanks in advance for your insight!