jjchko

Now I got the job and I'm trying to figure out how to make a living in Chicago. I'm single and have no debt. I rented a studio for $700 with utilities included in downtown. I don't have a car and will walk to work. I get paid $23.50/hr, which is a lot less than I could make in Hawaii($29.70). Since I work in the OR, I get called in quite a lot in Hawaii and make extra money. However, my new job will take a while for me to take calls. I don't smoke, drink or like to eat out. I don't have expensive hobbies to spend money on. I'm not into shopping, either. Am I going to live comfortable with my income for now? I just want to save some money if I can. I really don't want to live pay check to pay check. I feel like I can't even afford Star buck's coffee with my income. Or am I too paranoid?

Thank you everyone. I called the manager and HR. I got the job. Thank you for all your advice. It works!

I had an interview with the prospective employer and also gave the references to the HR. I haven't heard from them and want to call the manager to find out if he made a decision. He gave me a descion time period but no phone calls almost two weeks. I'm thinking I'm not getting hired after all. Is it normal not to hear from the hospital unless they offer you a job? It would be nice if they would just inform me even though I'm not hired. I sent a thank you letter anyway. Would it be okay to call the manager up? What would be appropriate to say when I hear that I'm not considered for the position? Thank you for your input.

Thank you for all your replies. I applied for a tech job already but it sounds like the chances are slim. Oh well. I really want to work as a circulator but no one would contact me for an interview. I'm trying to find an internship program to see if I'm qualified. My heart is with the OR nursing. I've been circulating in all surgical services, taking calls and in charge on weekends. Although my experience is short, I believe I can be a very good circulator with some training in a new hospital with different settings. I'm very disappointed that I can't get a job that easy. One of the problems might be because I don't have a current license of the state I'm relocating. I already applied for a temporary permit and a license endorsement. I'm not trying to become an ER nurse but I would like to pick up some minor skills and watch over the shoulders of the ER nurses as a tech. I love watching the shows (trauma, critical hours and surgery stuff) on the discovery channel. I can't wait around for a circulating job to happen, so I decided to move first and go to a scrub school (although I'm experienced with scrubbing minor cases) and hopefully work as an ER tech until I can find a position in the OR. Thank you again.

Hi, I'm not an ER nurse but an OR RN. I've been trying to get a job as a circulator to relocate to a big city but no luck so far. I'm convinced it is due to my limited professional experience (a little over a year) in the OR. I've got BA, nursing degree, foreign language skills, and three honors from nursing school but it seems like none of them has helped. So I decided to go to school for surgical tech instead of looking for a job as an OR nurse. I know financially it's a bad career move but it is okay by me. I like scrubbing and want to go back to OR nursing when I'm done with school. While I'm in school, I would like to work in the ER (level 1 trauma center) as a tech to gain invaluable experience and grow professionally. Don't get me wrong. I love being in the OR and I want to do whatever it takes to become a great surgical nurse. I'm positive the ER experience as a tech will help me tremendously in the OR. I also enjoy and used to working in a fast-paced environment. Most of all, I appreciate a humbling experience of saving someone's life. I'm going to submit my resume for a tech position but I'm wondering if they would consider hiring me even with my nursing background. I'll be bummed out if they won't. I need to learn how to put the IV again but I will be able to pick up other responsibilities as a tech pretty fast from my OR nursing experience. I'm hoping to get an interview for this job. What are your thoughts on working as an ER tech? How should I be prepared for an interview if I get one? Thank you for your help.

Hi, I'm an OR RN with a little over an year experience as a circulator. I resigned my current job recently to relocate to a big city. I worked at a small community hospital with 5 ORs and have circulated through all surgical services. I can circulate comfortable in general, ob-gyn, GI, and ENT cases but not in ortho(except minor cases), neuro and others. I've been taking calls and in charge on weekends for about two months. I applied for four hospitals last week(via mail, online and email) and I didn't get any responses yet. I think it's the problem with my short experience. My resume and the cover letter were reviewed and well written. I got a couple of honors in nursing school and have a foreign language skill, too. I'm getting worried and even thinking of going to school for a surgical tech for more experience if I can't get a job in the next two months. I can scrub minor general cases, c-section and simple laparoscopy cases but I love scrubbing so much and want to learn as much as I can to pursue my goal becoming an RN first assistant. Is this a bad idea? It seems like most hospitals want at least two year experience in the OR as a requirement. I'm also wondering if I can get into a RN internship program in the OR. I'm not really concerned about getting a job but I would like to hear your opinions. Thank you for your help.

I'm wondering how long does it typically take to hear from an employer when you apply for a job on the internet? Also, how long does it take to get an interview from them? Thank you for your help.

I went to see Body Worlds when I was visiting Chicago from Hawaii. I'm an OR RN and enjoyed looking at all the specimens from a diffrent perspective. I can't wait to move to Chicago. I love the city!

I'm an OR RN with a little over a year experience. I'm trying to submit a resume and see if I can get an interview. The job requirement says 2 year experience but it also says the new grads are welcome to apply. The recruiter asked me to submit a resume anyway. My question is if I can ask for a new grad position because I'm relocating and I've never worked at a hospital with 28 operationg rooms. I'll probably have to chose the area of service. The hospital where I worked has 5 ORs and I've circulationg through all surgical servicies independantly. I'm weak in some areas but I can manage pretty much anything. I heard from many people every hospital is different as far as OR practice goes. I want to learn as a new grad but I'm confident that I'll be independent very fast. I don't want to feel overwhelmed from the get go and learn more about scrubbing, so my preference is the new grad position if they will allow me. My second question is if I get an interview now, can I ask if I can start in December or January? I have to relocate a long distance where I have never lived before and I will still keep my current job through October. I need to endorse my liciense, get an apartment, move in etc. I think I need at least two months to take care of things. Last, can I submit a resume without the license of the state I'm moving? Or do I have to have a license before I attempt to applying a job? Thank you for your help.

Hi, I'm an OR nurse with a 1 year experience. I'm trying to move to chicago in a few months. Is it possible to work as an OR nurse without a car? I don't want to own a car because I want to live in downtown. Would it be easy for me to find an OR nursing job with my limited experience? Does anyone know if there are any hospitals offering on OR graduate nurse preceptorship programs? (I don't mind starting all over again) What are the convinient hospitals to commute without a car? Is it easy to get an apartment nearby the hospitals in downtown? What hospitals should I consider for OR nursing that don't require a BSN? Thank you for your help.