jujube

Hi Letdsunshine, I was supposed to go back to Atascadero to retake the Physical Ability Test (aka PAT) the other week but I received a job offer at another State hospital (i.e. no PAT required for hire). I would have loved to have worked at Atascadero but there was no guarantee I would pass their PAT (I already failed the PAT in the past) and at this point, I would be taking a big risk to turn down a definite job offer at the other State hospital. I am out of money now and have to borrow from relatives until my first paycheck comes in. But in defense of Atascadero, this hospital is in a lovely location (adjacent to San Luis Obispo) and the staff I met there were very nice. I wish you the best

Definitely! That's why I left the Midwest a few years ago. And I loathed Midwest winters.

Hi, I just saw your post today. Here's my personal timeline from the day I mailed the paper application to the day I will actually begin work at Coalinga: Mailed paper application: March 13 Interview date: April 14 Notified (by phone call) about hire: May 8 Start date: June 1 Overall, it took about 3 months from beginning of the application process to actual start date.This is just my particular example. Of course, this timeline will vary with everyone. In my case, they could not get a hold of my job references so I had to give them new ones (make sure yout job references call them back) and I had to resubmit my fingerprints (my fingerprints did not go through to the FBI the first time). I don't know what shift or building I will be assigned to over there but I bet they will assign me to NOC shift. It has taken me 7 months to finally nab a job. I'm from the Bay Area. It's bad out here. If you peek in the California forum, you'll see many posts from despairing new nurse grads still jobless after a year. I did get 'conditionally hired' by Atascadero a few months ago but I failed their Physical Ability Test. I am not complaining about this job. I am very grateful. I am broke and burned out from all the worrying from lack of job. I was almost afraid I would never work as a nurse again. If any of you hate your current job, I would advise you to keep it because the pickings out there are mighty slim and those glory days of being able to get a job straight out of school, of being able to pick and choose where you want to work are pretty much over for now. Best of luck, I wish you the best. Hang in there.

Napa does not require the Physical Ability Test.

I also heard about Metro being dangerous place to work... a psych tech at Metro was struck by a table that an inmate/patient threw at her during a riot a few years back. She never returned to work there and has permanent disability. Are there any current openings at Napa? Last time I checked (back in March), I was told there were no openings.

Thank you for these posts. :up:I too will look into those programs. I'm willing to learn/update my skills and work in any nursing floor. I have been out of nursing for nearly 2 years now. I'm trying to remain optimistic and proactive but... if I don't get a job by June, I'm going to switch paths and just go to grad school (Ph.D psychology program) instead. All I hear is 'crickets' out there these days...still waiting to hear back from a few hospitals and my job references are not calling the nursing manager back as requested. That is holding up my application at a certain hospital. I can't call my job references anymore to bug them about calling back the manager lest they think I am a stalker, haha. I have called 4 times today and e-mailed them as well. Another day. We'll see.

mmoffitt, Addendum to my previous post: If you do not want to take the P.A.T. or if for some reason you do not pass the P.A.T. (I'm not saying you won't pass, I am just tossing out worst-case scenarios here), there are 2 other CA state hospitals that I am aware of which do not require the P.A.T. They are: Napa State Hospital (unfortunately, there were no openings for RNs over there the last time I checked) and Coalinga State Hospital (They are still short-staffed and need RNs from what I was told). You can also send out separate hardcopy applications to these places. It also takes about 3 months processing to ultimately get a job at those places as well. Good Luck and I wish you the best.

Hi, I actually applied to Atascadero back in December and was 'conditionally hired' in February--overall, the process from the time you send in the hardcopy application to the time you will actually begin working at the state hospital is roughly 3 months. Yes, it's a long process. As mentioned, I was 'conditionally hired' provided I pass the Physical Ability Test (P.A.T.). It is almost similar to the physical test that correctional officers/police officers have to take. I did not pass this test so I am trying to retake it a 2nd time. All I can say without disclosing too much information as per contractual agreement with the state agency is this: Make sure you are in excellent physical condition before you sign up to take the P.A.T. after you pass your QAP and Hiring interviews at Atascadero. But in defense of Atascadero, the staff there were really nice to me when I visited a few times. Forensic Psych is not for everyone but I do like Psych nursing and I must say I really really love San Luis Obispo area and that was the big 'selling point' for me. I like to surf too. Location was key for me. If I pass the physical test, I will definitely go there. If not, I will hopefully get a job at one of the other CA state hospitals that do not require this test. I'm currently waiitng to hear back from some of those other places. We'll see. Good luck!

I am from California, not a grad nurse but I haven't been able to find a job in California for last 6 months. I am ready to relocate to another state (i.e. was thinking Arizona, Texas, Nevada) but after reading the posts here, I realize the job market is tough out here. I wish everyone the best, it is tough times for all of us.

Bouncy, Thank you so much! I am very happy you got the job--you deserve it after working hard:up: I will definitely follow your advice. At this point, I don't have any other job offers out there so I have to try to pass this physical. I wish you and Newgrad82 the very best too. :) Vicky, Yes, it's almost the same test (with a few modification) that is administered to correctional officers/police officers (a correctional officer told me this). It does sound like overkill but then again, it's psych inmates there. Scary.

Bouncy, I cannot PM you either.Sorry to post again but I have another question for you: How did you find a place for "nominal rent($125/mo)"? That is a heck of a good deal. I think I know which hospital you are referring to, by the way---the average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apt in that area was about $900, ultilities not included in most apts. Hope everything is going well, let us know how you're doing.

Bouncy, Congrats on passing that physical fitness exam! I too did not pass the 1st time. They said I could retake again but I am still on-the-fence about whether or not to try again. That Physical test is the only obstacle I have. I am thinking about retaking again if I don't get any other job offers soon. How did you physically prepare for 2nd retake? I am thin, petite, in good physical health.

I am thin, in my 20s but not blonde either. Hey, why no love for us, hehe. There are many young, physically fit females who cannot find jobs in California. I agree with the previous poster. After attending job fairs, I am also discovering it does not seem to matter if you have a BSN, MSN, graduated with honors, or went to UPenn, UCSF for nursing education. The managers don't care where you went to school or how good your grades were, they just want someone with years of floor experience. This is hurting me. 'Connections' seem to be key in getting a foot-in-the-door for interview and selection. I say this because I did not attend a nursing program in California. For those of you with jobs, hang onto them even if you hate it. I wish I had kept my old job.

In the U.S., due to stringent physician licensing requirement, a "convicted murderer, rapist.." would never be able to obtain a state license, let alone obtain admission into a U.S. medical school. The screening process is very thorough. For example, when one applies to medical schools, each school will conduct a criminal background check so it would be futile to lie about having a felony, misdemeanor on the applications. And if you lie about this, the medical school will rescind your acceptance to med school and you will be black-balled from every U.S. med school. I know someone who did this. So, the chances of a U.S. educated physician hiding a criminal past (i.e. murdering someone) would be almost nil. Now, if a physician chooses to hide a drinking problem, drug problem (i.e. lying by omission on the physician licensing board application ), that is a different issue. I am not condoning this, by the way. But yes, it is possible for physician with a substance abuse problem to be practicing on your team. It has happened.

Hi misplaced, I had a few former nursing classmates who were struggling with the same dilemna as you--ultimately, 2 of those 3 classmates dropped out of the nursing program after realizing nursing was not a 'good fit' for their personalities, potential career satisfaction, and lifestyle preference. I kept in touch with those former classmates and they are happier, satisfied with their decision to pursue alternate careers. One girl told me "It would be a disservice for patients to have an unhappy nurse like me who did not want to be there..so I'm glad I followed my heart, so to speak, and left nursing. Patients deserve someone who really wants to be there." Conversely, I have spoken to older, more experienced nurses who have been through 'blood, sweat, and tears' to get to that point in their careers where they could look back and say "You know, it's been worth it." They, too, acknowledge the downsides of nursing such as inept management at their workplace, short-staffing, 'difficult' patients, and perceived lack of respect from some of the attending physicians (not all physicians are like that, I don't want to draw up a 'nurse vs physicians' battle because our patients need both nurses and physicians!) I will admit I had the same misgivings as you when I was fresh out of nursing school and working in a toxic environment. Inept management, nasty charge nurse, certain back-stabbing coworkers. Sometimes I would return home and just cry. I decided to leave nursing and pursue other personal interests and obtained another degree during that period. But ultimately, I realized I missed psych nursing and I didn't give it a chance. That is, it wasn't nursing itself that burned me out but the bad work environment. I have decided to give it another chance because I felt like I did not give nursing a chance in the beginning. If you have a toxic working environment or hate your nursing specialty, I would advise you to leave that job as soon as possible or switch to another nursing specialty instead of leaving nursing altogether. I can't say which choice would be best for you in the end. Do you feel like you have given nursing a chance but in the end, you really feel like you would be happier in another career? Or are you in a malignant nursing school environment and feel burned out? (Believe me, there were some nursing instructors who should not have been teaching and there were some malignant clinical sites where nursing students were treated like serfs or 'worse'). Many have posted good advice in this forum. There really is no clear-cut decision because only you and you alone can decide if you would be satisfied with your nursing career and only you can truly 'gauge' how unhappy you are at this point. I wish you the best though and remember, there are always good folks here on allnurses to lend you an 'ear.'