OptimisticRN376

Hello! I recently graduated in May 2016, and am currently working in a northern remote hospital where we do everything from long term care, acute, and emergency. Our emergency room mostly receives simple stuff that could be seen in a doctor's office. About only 10% of the emergs that come in are urgent. My manager told me that this statistic is the same as a regular city hospital, which I don't truly believe. I want to know if this is true? Do you guys receive a lot of simple stuff, or are the stats a little different? The reason I want to know is because I would like to work in the ED in a larger city hospital in the future. Would I be able to handle it? My manager told me that I should probably start on a surgical floor to develop more of my nursing skills, which is true, but does that mean I wouldn't be accepted into an emergency unit? I am worried that being in a northern remote hospital would make the transition harder because we don't have a lot of equipment and the acuity of care for our patients really depends on what comes in the door. One of my colleague's favourite saying is "If you ask me have I ever seen a patient with ____, I probably have and don't remember." On a happier note, even if I don't get a position in emerg right away, I am confident I will be able to in the future. I have taken a lot of emergency nursing courses and certifications in preparation for a position in the future.

That's amazing! I've been reading through a bunch of forums about rural nursing and it is something that I am very interested in. I also heard that nurses in rural areas are very supportive and that is also what I am looking for. I have been applying everywhere in Ontario for rural nursing but no such luck yet. Some of the job postings for the rural hospitals indicate that they require some experience or certain certifications/skills that I don't have, but I heard I should apply anyways because they may not find their ideal candidate.

I am a new grad, so I don't have any nursing experience (excluding my clinical experience from when I was in school). Is it a good idea to relocate and then find a job in that area? Or is it better to find a job and then move? Also, I was wondering if working in long term care decreases your chance of getting a position in the hospital? In one of my clinical placements, a lot of the nurses there told me to try getting a hospital position first because a lot of hospitals don't value the skills you obtain in long-term care and don't think the skills could transfer over to the hospital. One of my nurses said all she could ever get were long-term care positions because that is her only experience.

Like a lot of new grads, I am having a hard time finding a job. I've applied to over 100 job postings from HFO and no luck. Some people have recommended that I join a nursing agency, but I have read some horror stories where new grads (who somehow managed to get into an agency) make mistakes because they did not get proper orientation. I heard rural areas are looking for nurses, but I was wondering if they are willing to accept new grads? I tried applying to Health Canada, and in their website, it said it would find placements for nurses in rural communities. I received an email back saying I did not meet the requirements (no experience). This confused me because I thought they needed nurses in rural communities. I have tried applying to many smaller hospitals in rural Ontario, but so far, I have not received any responses. I don't want to wait forever for a nursing job because I have also heard that employers are less impressed by huge gaps in resumes. How long is too long to wait for a job? What should my next step be? Continue applying? Are there any other options for me? Relocate?