Is my RN career ruined?

[Nuggiebear]

Sigh. It hurts to type this because I am a massive head case right about now:).

Ok here goes

I graduated RN school in 2007. Top student in my class. I had many, many job offers and decided to go into NICU at a large hospital. I lasted 18 months. 4 of those months I was out with C. Diff which did a whopper on my colon. When I came back I didn't have the strength to keep up with FT so I went to PT ( nights). This worked much better. However, because of the damage to my colon I kept having issues and missed a lot of work. Eventually it was quite evident to me that 90% of the RN's on my unit were sick of me and my absences although I had the time to cover them. So, I started to look for a job that was better for me. My doctor recommended day shift. The hospital didn't have any day shifts open that would allow me to transfer to so I found another job working in a Dr's office.

Worked at the Dr's office for 3 weeks shy of a year. LOVED it. It was the best job in the whole world, really. Great staff, great pay, great environment, you name it. About 6 months in my older son started to have serious issues at school/truancy and I had to take time off I swear every time the phone rang in my office it was his school telling me I had to come get him. I got written up..twice. Then I got pregnant and 12 weeks into the pregnancy I was dilating, had to have a cerclage, my BP was over the roof ( 200/150's)..so I was placed on bedrest I also had hyperemesis gravidarum and had to have in home infusions until I was 22 weeks. I was out on ST disability and when I finally gave birth (33 weeks) my job had already been given away.

I was told I could apply for any other position in the company but I had a preemie with massive feeding issues, severe GERD, etc and decided it would be best for him if I stayed home and took care of him. So, I put my RN career on the back burner to be an at home mom to him.

He is now 15 months old and has outgrown his problems. For the last 3 months I have been job searching NON stop ..resumes galore have gone out and I havent so much as had a call back. I know my career has been pretty much pigeon holed into NICU/OBGYN ( that was the dr's office) so women/babies. I can't seem to get ANY ONE to give me a try breaking into new areas. It also doesn't help that I now have been out of work since I went out of disability in 2010 NOR does it help that the last job has probably told anyone who called that I had an attendance issue for awhile.

Am I just doomed? I even applied for a newborn nursery position and was told I didnt have the right experience..when I have 18 months NICU. I have applied for LT care..which normally is desperate and NADA

I feel hopeless. We desperately need me to work and RN pay is what I need...but at this point I feel I am just fooling myself here and that I should just give up.

Any advice? I know I had a rocky career with being sick, attendance for awhile, then just flat out on disability

Sigh. Am I just kidding myself here with continuing to try?

[kcmylorn]

These hospitals aim to keep it this way. These hospital administrators can keep hiring nurses with as least experience as possible closest to a new grad., to keep the wage as losw as posible offer crap and bare minimum for health benefits because at that age- their minds are not even on health benefits just pay that better than McDonald's that will buy them nice clothes, Coach purses, a nice car and pay off their loans., probably still living at home with mom and dad.

New grads the hospital has to invest money in to orient to get up an running on their own- approx $60,000. which the hospital doesn't want to do. This will cut into the senior managment( CEO,Nursing director and Hospital Finance dir's) paycheck and profits.

Us older(Mega) experienced nurses they have to pay top of the payscale for in our given geographic locations. We are concerned about pension, and health benefits even if we don't have any chronic disease, which a good deal if us do not but it is ASSumed that we do because we are above 50yr old. And at our age, we are not as gulliable to the crap slinging of the administration and are abhauled at their lack of responisbility, accountability, threats and intimidation measures.

These hospitals are not recieving the reimbursments from medicaid and medicare that they once did. Insurance companies have even slashed their reimbursements to the dear hospital tycoons. These hospitals would run fiscially just fine if 1 employee- the multimillion dollar CEO would take a paycut more in tune with his/her true worth in the grand scheme of the "healthcare" big picture. The CEO is a non medically trained worthless employee in the treatment of a patient.. They do not treat or cure disease, they do not prevent illness, they do not promote health. They are clueless as to what these concepts and theories are. If there was a mass disaster or trauma that were to come into the ED they sit their worthless butts on top of, they would be in the way- . But they keep getting millions of dollars toward a salary they do not deserve. It is their lack of economic job ability( which is their body of knowledge) that keeps this healthcare mess- less staff, poor quality care, lack of experience and contribution to the unemployment going but yet they keep their job. There are experienced healthcare professionals out of jobs, lost their homes, their credit ratings, cars, health benefits and live on unemployment and do not seek healthcare for themselves ahd thus highten the acutity level of today's patient population.

It is the fiscal irresponsibility of these corporate CEO/tycoons that created this economic crisis and keeps this economic crisis going. They are responsible for the unemployment situation, the foreclosures, the banckruptcies, the high patient acuity from lack of health insurance and lack of household funds to buy nutritional food and yes, the increase in the crime rate- the drug usage, the home invasions, the murders and other violent crimes we read and hear about every day of our lives anymore! This country doens,t have a chance until we 'rein in' these corportate greed mongers. They have bought and paid for our law makers and legislators. If these healthcare systems can afford to pay top dollar for strike nurses, they can afford to give to the nurses they already have and hire more on to the staff to alleviate the pee poor staffing.

[UTVOL3]

I don't think you're doomed. I'd repeat the same sentiments of those who said the economy has got a lot to do with it. I am just returning to the work force after staying home with my kids for several years and it was a bit of a shock how much fewer and further between the jobs are. The wages haven't really kept pace, either, at least not where I'm from. But with a little persistence I have two job offers. I had to venture out from my comfort area of women's and children's though.

Good luck!