MellyMN

This poster is exactly right. The nurses in my class who had CNA/LPN jobs were mostly hired at their facilities as RNs upon graduation. Those of us without that experience had to hustle a lot harder to find work. I would have loved to have had experience, but due to family responsibilities, it was impossible for me to do full time nursing school and work as well. I know I am not the only person in that situation.

I'm leaving an update in case my experience can help anyone else. After 6 weeks and about 50 applications to 10 different hospitals with no response, I started researching home health positions. I found a company that looked really good and submitted an application. They called me the next day for a phone interview, and afterwards scheduled an in-person interview for the next week. I was offered the job a few days after the interview. I feel good about this position because they offer a lot of training to new nurses and it will allow me to gain experience in a patient population that I am interested in. The schedules are also super flexible which is ideal for my family situation at the moment. Of course, that is not the end of the story. Two weeks after accepting this position I received a call from one of the hospitals I applied to. They wanted to interview me for a Med/Surg position. It was difficult, but I thanked them and declined. It didn't feel right to bail on the job I had accepted. This particular hospital was also a LONG commute, so I didn't feel too bad. Then, one week after that, I received a call from my top choice hospital for an interview. This was a full 8 weeks after I had submitted my application. Declining that interview hurt, but again, I didn't feel that I could bail on my new job, and I'm actually really excited about the home health job. So the moral of the story was - you guys were right - I really needed to be more patient. I was surprised that facilities would be calling 2 months after I applied! I believe I made the right choice, so I hope I don't regret my decision down the road.

be prepared for sticker shock on the wages for nurses in Utah. Utah has an abundance of nurses and wages are low. (at least in the northern part of the state). My friends who just graduated and starting jobs are earning in the very low 20's an hour.

Thank you so much for posting. I have begun to look at openings in TLC/rehab and LTC facilities. I'm realizing that I need to chill out a bit. It's been less than a month! I appreciated hearing from another second career nurse in a similar position.

amoLucia thanks so much for the responses. I am fully licensed in MN. You may be right, maybe three weeks is not enough time. I just started to get a vibe when I got a lot of identical responses from multiple hospitals: "reviewed and not considered". I am continuing to apply to everything that will consider a new grad. As for how I addressed my previous career - I have it listed on my resume with my work experience, and I mentioned the "people and organizational skills" I gained there in my cover letter, but other than that I don't focus on it. I guess I assumed it wasn't a positive since it's not remotely healthcare related. Also, I have a three year employment gap after my last job (full time nursing student). Thanks for pointing out school nursing. Hadn't even thought of it. I'm not against it, but I'm worried about losing skills. I was told by my nursing instructors to try and get a med surg-ish job out of school so I can solidify the clinical skills I learned in school. Was that bad advice? I'm 32 and married with a kid. I know that's not "old" but I feel old to be starting a second career. Is there anything I can be doing to avoid ageism in hiring? RescueNinjaKy - It would be awesome if I could move for a job, but I'm stuck in the twin cities area for my spouse's job. Again, thanks for the input.

I just put in a job application that required me to list my date of birth. I'm sensitive about it because I'm 32 and not your typical "20 year old new grad nurse". The application claimed my age wouldn't be held against me...but yeah right. Why even have that question on there?

I graduated with my BSN last month and relocated to the twin cities, MN area. Nursing was a complete career change for me (I was a teacher before) and because of family obligations I wasn't able to work during the 3 years I was getting my RN and BSN. I graduated from an accredited nursing school with plenty of clinical hours and perfect grades– but the truth is, I really have little to no healthcare employment experience. Most of my classmates have jobs already but they had years of experience as CNAs or LPNs. When I began the job hunt I was thrilled to find that there were tons of job openings in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN area, and even better many said new grads considered”. I applied at every major hospital/healthcare system, but it's been three weeks and I've not had a single call. Just a lot of reviewed but not selected” emails. I'm starting to accept that I might have gotten a bit ahead of myself. I know most nurses put in their time” in long term care and home health before they land a hospital job, but when I saw all the job openings, I thought I had a chance. If my long term goal is to work in a hospital, what would be better for me experience and skills wise – long term care or home health? Or is there another option I'm overlooking? Any advice would be appreciated.