Recent grad..no job :*(

CanadianGirl79 · Apr 26, 2011

Home health will not cause you to lose your skills - you will still do pt care, and likely give meds. Most hospitals will do on-the-job training to refresh you once you've been hired, so don't worry too much. If you're offered a job in nursing, take it! You never know what connections you might make that way.

Good luck! :)

Fiona59 · Apr 26, 2011

All of the above is true. Getting the first job is THE important thing.

When I graduated, there were very few jobs anywhere (govt. cutbacks). Most of my class wound up working casual at three or four facilities to make the loan payments.

But the experience came in useful and we determined where and what our interest were.

In Homecare you will be doing dressing changes, meds, foley's, etc. All skills that need to be kept current. Time management in Homecare also is useful when applying for other jobs.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2011

Take the job that comes your way to start getting experience. There are people who graduated the year before me (so we're talking June 2009) that just started to find employment now. You can't be picky as a new grad, and some experience is certainly better than nothing.

Aeterna, BSN, RN · Apr 27, 2011

Don't give up! I have many friends who took months to get their first job. Some had to choose jobs that weren't their "first choice". I have a couple of friends who ended up in home health care even though they wanted to be in a hospital setting, but hearing from them, they do plenty - work with IVs, manage wounds, etc. The only real difference between home care and the hospital is probably the level of acuity.

But if you're really aiming for the hospitals, like I said, keep trying! Plus, most hospitals do a lot of hiring in the spring - between now and July-ish - as most people graduate then.

as1234 · Apr 28, 2011

thanks guys! just had an interview at a retirement home, im confident it went very well and if i got the job, i am taking it! :) but will continue to apply to hospital jobs :)

thanks for the encouragement!

nessa_5555 · Apr 28, 2011

Good for you!

I'm just wondering though why you think you will lose your skills doing homecare though?

Carla_RN · May 9, 2011

Take the home health care job! Your hours are infinitely better than at the nursing home, and the work load will be much better also (35 residents per nurse in LTC). Experience wise you will probably be better off as well. In the nursing home you will become a medication-administration machine, with a couple of minutes time for wound dressings, and no time whatsoever for a kind word with your clients, lunch, or anything else. You will find yourself coming to work early and leaving late just to get your charting and essentials (such as daily wound dressings) done. That is if you are a diligent nurse. If not, you will just leave whatever you can't get done (i.e. the wound dressings) to the next nurse, and often it won't get done at all. Nursing homes are sad places, and they do need good nurses. But without a big change in attitude by managements across the board (quality care instead of money-making quantity care) they will remain sad. I know what I am talking about - I have been there for two years.

Fiona59 · May 9, 2011

Got to agree with you Karla. I wound up in Continuing Care for three long years before the hospital opened up. They hired me at the interview. The manager that hired me told me that she knew coming from LTC, I'd have my time management skills down pat and would be able to perform wound care quickly and efficiently.

I worked in non-profit LTC. It's just as bad there. OT doesn't exist. Shortage of NA's was awful. But the RNs rarely did med passes or patient care. More of the orders processing and admin stuff (family contact, etc). The LPNs are the workhorses of LTC outwest.

joanna73, BSN, RN · May 10, 2011

I would definitely agree with you both about LTC. However, we only have 1 RN per shift, so we do all the admin stuff AND the pt care. I wish I had an LPN buddy. The other night, I did the med pass for 30 people, rounds with the Dr, and 2 dressing changes before 11 pm. So, yeah, you do develop great time mgmt skills :)