Recently graduated, failed test, can't find a job

marciella · Dec 13, 2007

You cannot work as a graduate nurse, so forget about it. If you try and get a job as one by lying then you run the risk of NEVER being allowed to take the test again. The BON takes a very dim view of nursing license fraud.
At this time your best course of action is to study and retake the nclex.

I never said that I planned on lying to get into a graduate nurse position. I was just asking what my options are, since I had no idea that after taking the test once and failing that I couldn't get a graduate nurse job. I was never told this in school, and it wasn't explained clearly about how many times we could even take the test.

Piki · Dec 13, 2007

Your options are to wait until you pass the NCLEX and get a job as an RN. Or take a job as a clin tech/CNA.

There were several in our class that failed their boards. You lose your GN license (temporary license) and can no longer work as a GN. The ones I know about all took jobs on the floor as CNA/s/PCT's, until they passed again, but that is truly up to the discretion of the employer. If you are already hired as a GN and fail, your employer is under no obligation to keep you on.

ukstudent · Dec 13, 2007

Sorry if I got the wrong impression. At this time you have very few options. You need to pass the nclex in order to be hired as a nurse. Depending on what State you are in will change how often and how many times you can take the test. Most hospitals will not hire you at this time. You are not a nurse but could be one in a couple of weeks, so to hire you for anything else would make no sense. The time it would take to go though orientation would take you to test time. If you need money, try and get a part time job such as a pizza delivery person. Good luck, think positive and next time you WILL pass.

1_mo_blessing · Dec 13, 2007

Wow!!! Good luck to you and I wish you well when you are ready to retake your boards.

BonnieSc · Dec 13, 2007

I wish I knew that before I took the test. My advisor suggested to concentrate on studying for the NCLEX, and I even took a course in Kaplan, instead of immediately finding a graduate nurse job.
I have never been a good test taker. Yet, I had almost straight As in nursing school.

Honestly, this was good advice. It's too bad you didn't pass anyway, but working as a GN wouldn't have improved your chances of passing.

marciella · Dec 13, 2007

Honestly, this was good advice. It's too bad you didn't pass anyway, but working as a GN wouldn't have improved your chances of passing.

I don't know about that. Some people have told me that working as a GN helped them answer some of the priority questions on the NCLEX, plus some med questions.

But I know that may not have guaranteed my passing anyway.

Yet maybe having worked for a few mos as a GN would have given me something to put on my resume, plus given me the much needed income that I don't have now, at least to hold me a few mos.

I have been working at a retail store which doesn't pay much, and I will need to find a better paying job soon to pay off my loans and everything else that has been hold while I was in nursing school.

HM2VikingRN, RN · Dec 14, 2007

Hello all,
I'm new to the forums. I recently graduated with my BSN, and unfortunately failed my NCLEX.
I have to wait to retake it, but nervous about failing again. I also want to be able to find a job, since it's been about 4 months now that I finished school, and haven't been able to find a nursing job that will hire a non-licensed graduate nurse.
How do you all do it, to get a new job as a graduate nurse?
Is there anyone here from NY or NJ that knows of any hospital willing to hire nurses w/o a license, and no experience?

There are several threads here about NCLEX study plans. I would do a search using those keywords. Wish you the best of luck.

Did you take the HESI? The HESI results can be used to help you identify your weak points and help you study to remediate those areas.

EnigmaticParadigm · Dec 14, 2007

You can't work as a GN. Period.
Retake it.

I worked under my IP License in ICU for almost two months before taking the NCLEX in California. Guess it depends on the area.

Piki · Dec 14, 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by Suesquatch
You can't work as a GN. Period.

Retake it.
I worked under my IP License in ICU for almost two months before taking the NCLEX in California. Guess it depends on the area.

What is an IP license? Were you taking the NCLEX for the second time after failing? Because if you have followed this thread, the OP didn't pass the NCLEX the first time. Once you have failed the NCLEX you cannot work as a GN.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Dec 14, 2007

I worked under my IP License in ICU for almost two months before taking the NCLEX in California. Guess it depends on the area.

The key word here is "before" taking the NCLEX.

Graduate nurses can only be graduate nurses BEFORE taking the NCLEX. Pass or fail, once you take the NCLEX you lose your GN status. If you pass you become a RN, if you fail, you fail.

And if the OP had been working as a GN prior to taking the NCLEX and failed, then she would lose her job, or be forced to work as a tech at the same place.

Oh, and it does depend on the area-Az does not offer GN status at all. So I couldn't get hired doing anything nursing until I had the license in hand.

TexasPediRN · Dec 14, 2007

Did you take the HESI? The HESI results can be used to help you identify your weak points and help you study to remediate those areas.

No such thing as a HESI in NJ or PA. In fact, I never heard of such a thing until I moved to Texas..

However, a lot of schools were beginning to use ERI testing - and in my school, you had to pass the last ERI in order to graduate.