Returning to Nursing & Can't Find a Job,,,,suggestions?

sunray12 · May 6, 2009

i am a rn, bsn who left nursing in 2001 and worked in the legal field for the last 8 yrs. i decided to return to nursing and completed a rn refresher course. i want to work as a med-surg nurse but cannot find a hospital in the nj/nyc area that is willing to hire me ft or pt with benefits and train me. they all want recent clinical experience which i do not have nor do i have previous med-surg experience since i used to work as a psych nurse. and since i didn't recently graduate from nursing school, i don't even qualify for the rn residency program which many hospitals offer. i'm getting really discouraged and don't know what to do. is it just the area i live in or is this nationwide???

does this mean that prn is an option? maybe you should start there to get your foot in the door and take it from there.

no it is not just your area. the health care industry has been impacted by the fallout from the financial crisis. result - hospital operating budgets are smaller and many don't have funds for training right now.

Music in My Heart · May 6, 2009

Sounds like you're facing what all the new grads are: Nobody wants to pay for training.

But, my, how they complain about not being able to "find" enough nurses.

kitkat09 · May 6, 2009

I talked to a couple of hospitals about working Per Diem (the equivalent of PRN) but there is no Med-Surg specific training involved and I don't feel that comfortable in my skillset to take on 8 patients by myself without any training. I even decided I'd work as a Psych nurse and maybe transfer later on into Med-Surg so I applied for a bunch of psych jobs and have gotten zero interviews. They won't call me even for those positions because I guess it's been too long since I was a psych nurse (since 2001). It's beyond frustrating, especially when you hear and read about nursing shortages.

labdad1234RN · May 7, 2009

Is moving to a different state an option. my hospital still had over 40 nursing jobs opened even in psyche. i was a former psyche nurse....

kitkat09 · May 7, 2009

Well that's what I am going to have to end up doing...I can't afford to sit around and just wait it out. What state are you referring to?

Music in My Heart · May 9, 2009

I talked to a couple of hospitals about working Per Diem (the equivalent of PRN) but there is no Med-Surg specific training involved and I don't feel that comfortable in my skillset to take on 8 patients by myself without any training. I even decided I'd work as a Psych nurse and maybe transfer later on into Med-Surg so I applied for a bunch of psych jobs and have gotten zero interviews. They won't call me even for those positions because I guess it's been too long since I was a psych nurse (since 2001). It's beyond frustrating, especially when you hear and read about nursing shortages.

I'm really sorry that you're going through this. It's quite demoralizing, I know. I've been through something similar in my former field.

And the frustration you feel when you hear the regular refrain "shortage" is something I also share. It makes me want to scream... and I do, as politely as possible, challenge the "shortage" assertion every time I hear it put forth.

caliotter3 · May 9, 2009

If you don't find a med surg position in a hospital, you can look into long term care facilities if you get desperate for a job. Sub acute experience in a LTC facility can be just as hectic as in a hospital. You might find such a place to be more willing to take someone who needs some brushing up on skills. Good luck finding a job.

labdad1234RN · May 10, 2009

Like Illinois and other states here in the Midwest are looking for nurses. My own hospital, A Magnet Hospital, still has about 40+ RN openings and we are still recruiting. If you are interested let me know.

Neveranurseagain, RN · May 10, 2009

Check into camp nursing. Many camps pay up to $1000 a week plus room and board. Great experience, involves critical thinking and lots of meds. It will give you a little experience too~

jjjoy, LPN · May 11, 2009

I wish there were more options out there for hands-on clinical training for nurses who aren't nursing students. I was lucky that a local community college program (well, a community college within a 50 mile radius), offered a voluntary clinical rotation in a local hospital as part of their RN re-entry coursework. Having the opportunity to physically get back onto a floor and actually DO patient care was good for my OWN confidence when it came to interviews. But such programs aren't easy to come by. And even if you are able to participate in such a program, hiring personnel are often VERY reluctant to take a chance on someone who hasn't worked in the field in some time. In this current economy, I can only imagine it's that much more difficult.

Still, I'm sure it's not impossible either. Some hospitals WILL allow a re-entry nurse to participate in their new grad program - so just because one facility says no, still ask at other places. You could also enquire about agency work. While most will ask for experience, there are sometimes the odd assignment that would work well for someone in your position. For re-entry in particular, you often have to be very persistent to improve your odds of being in the "right place at the right time." There may not be any opportunity this week or this month, but something might come up next week or next month.

Motivation helps, as well, as always. If you hated nursing when you left in 2001 and the only reason you're looking to go back is the job security and good wages, then it could be hard to keep up the degree of persistence you may need to get back into the game at this point. For all of the talk of "nursing shortage" it can be difficult to overcome the lack of recent experience even in times of hiring frenzies - so it will be that much tougher in this environment.

Best wishes to you! Let us know how things go!