mandyd87

I have my ASN right now and I am enrolled in a bridge program to get my BSN and MSN at Mercy College in NY. I am also working in an acute care rehab hospital. Basically, I chose to be in the RN-BSN-MSN program because I was thinking the best thing would be to have my masters ASAP so It would open more opportunities and also increase my paycheck, and why not just continue on in school before I have a family and so on. So, the bridge was the best way to go in my opinion, since it would save me a little time. But, now I am realizing my dillema, which is that at Mercy the masters is only in education or administration. I have no interest in ever teaching or being in administration. I love beside patient care. My dream is to one day be in the ER and be a great trauma nurse. So, in conclusion, is getting my master's in administration going to help me in any way in the future? In other schools that I have researched, most of the masters programs also gear towards having an administrative role. So, I basically just need help deciding what the best route for me to take is. I am at the crossroads, and am not sure which way to turn. Is there some sort of master's program somewhere geared toward ER/trauma nursing? Or is it only special certifications? Theres so much information on the internet that it gets really confusing. Any advice you all could give or personal experiences with this same dillema would help me greatly!! Thanks for your time!!

Thank you so much! That is very helpful. And yes so many nurses I know all got jobs within weeks after graduating and that is because they graduated like 5-8 years ago. It's so discouraging now to see how many nurses can't find jobs as are out of work. Us new grads can't even go for what were interested, we just have to take what we can get. I am lucky to have gotten this job offer. I am going to be on the ortho unit but even the nurse manager referred to it as the "boring" unit because its all hip and knee replacements. So hopefully I get some quality experience. Plus I think after 6 months I can float to other units. I just hope in the long run I don't get held back from doing what I really want to do because this isn't considered by some to be real "acute care" experience.

Meant to say I just *accepted an offer

Hi all! I am a new grad RN waited 6 months to find a job. Just accrued an offer from a well known acute rehab facility near me. Ultimately, in the future, I want to end up in the ER or ICU... My question is will I be considered the same as other new grads when I go to apply at a hospital? I don't want my time here to be a waste and still be considered to have no experience when I apply to other jobs in the future. Especially now that everything is done online, will I have to click "0" years when they ask how many years of experience do you have related this field (whatever the unit is that I would be applying to). I am scared that i will be automatically tossed aside for job opportunities because on paper I will still look like a new grad. Any advice? Anyone else have a similar situation?

Thanks for the replies! PRN could be an option... If it was that easy to gain a PRN position as a new grad in NY LOL! Everyone I have spoken to say they won't hire new grads per diem you have to have experience because they don't want to spend all the money to train us to only work a few days.

That is what I thought. Thanks for the response! Has anyone else ever switched from psych onto a medical floor ? Is it harder to do it that way?

This may sound dumb but if I take a first job in a psych hospital, will it be harder to switch to a regular hospital after a couple of years? Eventually I want to be an ER nurse but right now just trying to get a job ANYWHERE that will hire me. Is it not a good idea to go into psych if you want to switch later on? Also, if I were to apply for a hospital job later on, even in a med-surg unit, would I still be considered to have NO experience? How would I go about moving on in a different specialty ? Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!

Westchester Square is located in the Bronx and is very different then Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.

I emailed the recruiter. She told me the positions have been filled but they are waiting for more positions to open up to possibly offer more candidates that were at the open interviews. So, for now, i guess we just continue on in the "waiting game".....

Seriously? I think you should give up one of your full time jobs for us new grads who have been looking for ANY job for almost a year lol

Did anyone go to the last Interview day on dec 19? If so, have you heard anything back or do you know when we're supposed to hear something?

I went to the last interview day they had on dec 19 (wishing I had went to an earlier one because it seems so many positions have been filled already by all your posts) the HR woman made it seem like they still have a lot to fill but even if I didn't get one now they will have more opening up in January and I would still be a candidate. Did anyone else go to that interview day? Have you heard back yet or have any insight on anything? Everyone else seems to have heard back a week after their interview but because of the holidays now I'm guessing we won't hear anything till after the new year? It feels like forever when your waiting to hear back about a job. Especially being a new grad and getting turned down so many times because the "chose someone else with more experience"

Yes. It's INSANELY HARD!!! Unless your BFF with a nurse on a unit who wants to hand your resume to her nurse manager and they call you the next day (that is how my friend got her job 2 weeks after she passed NCLEX!!!!) ... not all of them say they require experience but I think there must be hundreds of other nurses out of work applying for the same jobs so they are picking the more experienced people over the new grads. Plus, because the economy, many of the hospitals that have special new grad programs aren't having them because they can't afford it.

I am in the exact same position.... graduated in May, license in June... it's terrible!

I have tried all those things. I post my resume on moster and careerbuilder, look on nurse.com everyday - although most of those positions are for the big hospitals in the city who only take BSN. Hospitals turn you away and don't let you speak to anyone in HR when you show up with a resume. I have tried it. Also, I did not have a preceptor-ship. But, the place where my school does most of the clinicals usually hires grads from my school except they are on a hiring freez and trying to get bought out by another hospital so there goes that. I can't seem to catch a break lol!