JobseekingRN

Hey fellow colleagues. I got an email from St. Alphonsus Health System three days ago. I don't know how this health care system got my contact info. However, in the email, it asks me to apply for RN job in their acute care hospital system. I would not mind applying to this facility at all. In fact, I currently live in Hawaii where the job market for RN's in acute care is HORRIBLE. I have been working as a hospital acute-care CNA for about 14 months. There is a new graduate RN program at my facility. However, I have had managers in my department move to other departments, which does not help me at all. Hence, I am either looking at SNF nursing, Home Health, or moving away to find an acute care RN job to gain some experience. Can somebody explain to me their experience working at St. Alphonsus Health System?

How often does Providence and Legacy open up their new graduate application? Every six months? Winter, summer and fall only? I am willing to relocate to Oregon for a nursing job. I already have my Oregon RN license number, via endorsement. I have been working as a hospital CNA for a little more than a year. i'm quite worried as I have graduated from nursing school last year in May, and I am slowly LOSING my nursing skill. The new graduate program at the hospital I work at tends to be wishy-washy with the standards they apply to applicants for their program. I know this girl from my nursing school class who got into the ICU new grad program, yet she's only worked at the hospital for only four months, did not even participate in hospital committee activities, not even that great at being an ICU tech, yet got into the program? This is why I'm quite skeptical with my future nursing career prospect with my current employer. Okay, enough of my belly aching.

Hey Nursie33, thanks for the advice on applying for positions at Loma Linda. I will check out their application soon. Loma Linda medical center is awesome and I am praying real hard that maybe, I can work there. Good luck to you too!

Hey nursie33, how did you apply to Loma Linda's nursing positions? Would you apply for the "new graduate" specified RN positions? Because from what I've heard from HR office, there is no official new graduate RN program application. You just apply for certain RN positions and I believe they preceptor you as a new nurse....no?

No changes for my status. Oh well, I'm an out-of-state applicant, so I am not banking on it.

^^ Yes, it's really crazy finding an acute care job in Hawaii, let alone, get admitted to a new graduate nursing program with a hospital. I feel like garbage, as I know a lot of fellow CNA's at my facility either found an acute care nursing job, got admitted to a new graduate RN program, or heard word about new graduate positions elsewhere on neighbor island. I would definitely make the move to Las Vegas,....given the fact that I'm offered a job. I am not like former nursing school classmates who simply left Hawaii to live in California or elsewhere to find a job. I definitely want to have something in writing stating that I will be offered the RN job at the facility. While I enjoy working at the current facility I am employed at, I feel that at times, I'm disrespected and ignored by other CNA's and RN's because I'm simply a CNA. It sucks. It eats away at my soul. I even had cut-throat CNA's with RN licenses here write me up to HR for small issues, just so that my chances of getting into the facility's new graduate RN program does downhill. I hope so, because I will be honest, that I have applied to RN residency programs in the Seattle area, Los Angeles area, and even the US Air Force, where they all turned me down. I'm feeling really depressed and uncertain about my future right now. I have family members here in Hawaii, which is keeping me anchored here. I can definitely move as I have broken up with my girlfriend five months ago, so I'm single guy, and don't have any kids. I think my chances of finding a decent girl will be better if I leave the island! Will do! Also check your PM.

^^ Awesome! I will definitely check out these facilities. However, the scary part, like you've pointed out, is that nursing students from the Vegas area, have better advantage than me, as they've done their clinical rotations or senior year preceptorships at these facilities. NEvertheless, it doesn't hurt me to try applying for positions. As of now, my second "side" job is working as a school nurse, with an agency, where I do a lot of tube feeding, insulin injection, tracheostomy suctioning, and using basic nursing assessment skills. I have had NO luck with the various new graduate nursing programs at all hospitals here in HI. I cannot do LTC nursing here in Hawaii, because since it's super scarce to find new graduate jobs here, LTC and assisted living facilities require nurses to have experience as well. Heck, even the school nursing job with the agency I'm working with, was hard to get employed with. Had it not been for another CNA at my hospital whom used to work for the nursing agency, I would not have gotten the job. ^^ THANKS!!! :)

Hey momof3lv, thanks for the information. Now I'm not too familiar with the acronyms of the hospital....so what is HCA? UMC? Let me know, thanks!

^^ LOOOL!!! Nurseman, please don't make me laugh so hard! You have at least one to two years of acute care nursing experience from a hospital facility on the mainland. Hence, that's the reason why you were hired here in Hawaii as an RN. I'm guessing you're working at Queen's, since they "foot your shipping" bill. No? You started out at a base hourly rate of $49.10 because of your already gained acute care nursing experience from the Seattle area, or wherever you were working at before you came to Hawaii. Unlike new graduate nurses like me, struggling to thrive and live in Hawaii. If it weren't for my parents to support me, heck, I'd be a working CNA living in an IHS facility or on the streets of Kakaako. I kid you not. There is so much competition, stiff competition, and even favoritism amongst floor managers when it comes to selection for RN new grad positions. There are some questionable candidates who get into the program, some don't even do hospital extracurricular activities (i.e. committee members), and still get into the program. Anyhow, please don't come on here, making the nursing industry in Hawaii look rosy pink, when the truth is, for new graduates like me, it's hard to find a job, hard to survive here off a CNA paycheck, and would definitely like to live independently, so that my folks can retire in peace.

^^ LOL! That's the rate for nurses IF you have acute care experience. Guys like me have graduated from nursing school here in Hawaii, and can't even get into new graduate programs! So much competition, favoritism among floor managers, other nurse aides talking smack about you to put you down, so you don't get into the new graduate RN program, and even floor staff RN's treating you like trash. I am contemplating on moving to the mainland next year if my other attempt does not work out. Well, good for you Mcubed45, that you have probably have a full-time hospital RN job probably at Queen's or an HPH affiliate facility or elsewhere. But for new graduates like me who's living from pay-check to pay-check with my CNA pay, it's no fun at all playing the waiting game, seeing some of your classmates get into nursing positions while I'm still just a CNA. No fun at all. =(

^^ Gosh, looks like I will have to start also applying for an endorsed RN license to Texas. I have some classmates who have moved to places like San Antonio, almost have one damn year of acute care experience under their belt, and ready to move back.

Hawaii is probably the WORST state in the union to find an RN job if you're a new graduate without any acute care experience. I have graduated from nursing school back in May 2014. Since then, I have been working as a hospital CNA, applied numerous times for the new grad program in my area.....NO LUCK. Hence, I have applied for endorsement RN licenses for various states on the continental mainland, and plan on leaving Hawaii. I have only known of one or two instances where new grads were able to find jobs here. however, these individuals had connections via their nursing school, manager, etc. Otherwise, don't even bother moving to this rock if you have recently graduated from nursing school with ZERO experience!

Hey fellow nurses. I have graduated from nursing school, May of last year. So far, I have no acute care nursing jobs. It's very hard to find acute care nursing jobs here in Hawaii. I feel really depressed right now because I have been working as a hospital CNA for a little over a year, applied to my hospital's new graduate RN program, but did not get accepted. It's pretty much a "popularity contest" of which nurse aides get admitted to the program at my hospital. Hence, I went ahead and applied for an RN endorsement license to Nevada. I finally got my permanent Nevada RN license posted on the Nevada State Board of Nursing website, last week. I don't know which hospitals accept new graduate nurses. Could somebody here please list some hospitals in either the Las Vegas or Reno area that may be an option for me?