raincloud

Thanks for all the encouragement. I honestly was very aggravated when I wrote this because I had just gotten off the phone with that lady from human resources. She did say the position was 10% ICU so maybe that had something to do with it as I never worked in ICU. Also, I remember when I got this job at the nursing home I applied online and my resume must have been posted because I started receiving a bunch of calls from recruiters from agencies all across the country. They said the area that I'm in (Hudson Valley, NY) is tough because there isn't a shortage here. NYC is supposedly a tough job market too. They told me they could definitely get me in at hospitals in upstate NY though as they have some places working close to 50% staffing levels. Maybe next year. I'm kinda starting over again. When I started nursing I worked as a GN in early 2009 for a couple months before passing my boards. I got in a bad relationship with a girl. She was adopted and was trying to find her real parents. She reminded me that we're all trying to find ourselves, who we really are. I thought I could help her. She was like a real life fairytale. She showed me that we're all kinda like cats, we have a wild side. Somehow she got mixed up with the wrong people. Things went downhill fast. It was kinda like that movie fight club at the end. It sure made those intimidating nurses on the med/surg unit seem a little less bothersome to me. The sad part was everyone was worried about me. I was like family at the hospital cause I worked there for close to 10 years in the pharmacy before I went into nursing. I lost a lot of weight. I wasn't eating or sleeping right. By the time I resigned I was a broke mess. Still, even though she took me for everything I had, I feel as though she gave me the most. And even though she lied all the time, I feel she was one of the most honest people I've ever met. Maybe when I save up enough to get a car I'll try some of these travel gigs out. I still get around 2 or 3 calls a week from recruiters. I just got to stay away from relationships and trying to fix broken people cause I'm really lucky to be getting a second chance.

Hello, I'm a RN/BSN who has about 2 years experience working on a med/surg floor in a hospital. I stopped working in December 2010. I took some time off. When I started working again I put applications in all over and I ended up getting a job at a LTC facility as the charge nurse on the night shift of a sub-acute rehab unit. I've been doing this for the past 10 months. While working here I've got all my certifications (BLS, ACLS, PALS) that I would need to work in a hospital. I also have a 2nd bachelor's in biology. The problem I'm facing is I really like working in a hospital better but I've been putting applications out and I'm getting very little results. I just got a call back from a hospital and the human resource lady I spoke to said she would pass my application along to the nurse manager but she didn't think I would be approved having been out of acute care for over 2 years. Why even call me to tell me that? I'm sorry, but it's not like I "forgot" what it was like to work in a hospital. Plus, I've been working as an RN for the past 10 months it's not like I've been flippin' burgers at Micky D's. We get the same patients that are constantly coming and going to the hospitals. It's not like anybody is ever magically cured. Their insurance runs out at the hospital and then they come to us. I've been in more code/rapid response situations in 10 months at the nursing home then I've been in in 2 years at the hospital. How's that for experience? Plus I'm responsible for 37 patients now vs the 8 I had at the hospital. It's just gets me very aggravated. It seems like there's some red tape between the human resource department and the nurse managers that I'm getting caught up in. I could see if I was a new grad, but I'm a nurse who has been licensed since 2009! I know most of the nurses on med/surg floors are practicing with an associates degree and a BLS certificate. I've got 2 bachelors and the whole plethora of certificates. Plus I'm well liked at my job and I know my stuff. When I went to take ACLS & PALS the instructors at the hospital were questioning "why aren't you working here?" I knew all the drugs, dosages, rhythms, etc. There were CCU nurses in the class that didn't seem half as prepared as I was. Did hospitals stop hiring nurses? Is there any recourse I have? I mean, if a hospital lists itself as a Equal opportunity employer, could I take legal action against them for refusing me a job? Is there anything else I could do? Do I have to go back to school to get a master's just to work in a hospital? I live in Poughkeepsie, NY and I've been applying to every hospital in the hudson valley area. Maybe I should expand my range to NYC and Albany, but honestly, I feel if I'm not getting jobs here what good will that do?