"Acute Care" Experience Needed, some advice please

[Catch22Personified]

I'm still working in a LTC/Subacute Rehab Facility and well I need to do something else. I work nights there so I'm not doing much extraordinary unless something happens. I want to advance in my career but I feel stuck. I'd like to eventually go to grad school but there's two problems with that.

Grades: I graduated with a 2.89 thanks to Pediatrics and Med-Surg and the existence of the B-. It's so embarrassing not being able to put my GPA in a resume. And some NYC hospitals asked for a transcript for "new" nurses like me.

Acute Care experience needed: I was told by some of my coworkers that since I worked in the Subacute rehab floor at times it would count as hospital experience but I'm getting some mixed reception about that from my interviews in the past.

I was recently offered an opportunity to work at a Hemodialysis facility however, some of my patients go to that facility so I do not think its the acute dialysis just regular outpatient ones.

At the same time I've been tossing applications to the hospital that owns the facility I work at along with asking my family about any leads. Even being an internal applicant isn't helping me. I'm competing with new grads still it annoys me.

I'm not sure what to do in my career. Most LTC nurses I know stay there because they're happy there...not because they are stuck.

[mdgale]

Are you an associate or bachelor's level nurse?

How long have you been an RN?

Have you put at least 1-2 hours of work into a QUALITY resume? A resume is like a college essay. It needs to be revised several times before it is sent out into the job market.

Have you looked at the RN job postings at the hospitals and compared their wording with what you have written in your resume?

What skills do you currently posess from your rehab position that are also needed for the hospital setting?

Have you personally called the nurse recruiter or HR director to introduce yourself?

What about meeting with the unit manager of the inpatient unit you wish to work at?

I wouldn't count the dialysis center out. Dialysis is a specialty field and once you work dialysis you can easily enter into critical care or any other inpatinet medical setting.

What about online graduate degree programs? I went to Western Govenors University and it was one of the BEST decisoins of my life. Online University | Online Degree Programs, Accredited Bachelor's and Master's

Answer these questions for yourself and act upon some of them. I believe things will change and doors will open up for you.

[Catch22Personified]

I'm a BSN and I've worked as a nurse for slightly over a year.