Rush hospital interview

[atti]

I'm completely stuck in the worst funk I have ever felt in my entire life.

Recap:

Originally, I went to UofI , got a Bachl. in molc & cell bio then went into corporate research and I HATED it.

I was finding ways to make a product last longer with disgusting chemicals and artificial sugars. This product was marketed to low income families as "enriched in Vit C" blah blah blah, but it was really just water, high fructose corn syrup and preservatives.

Long story short, after endless days of working solo in a lab listening to all the crazy stories about healthcare issues in my community plus across the globe on NPR (THANK YOU NPR I LOVE YOU for being my bff that year), I realized, I'd rather work in a field that I was HELPING my community on a more 1-on-1 basis.

so nursing ! here I come! I opted for a community college associates

a) CHEAPER, I'm not made of money

b) I already had a B.Sc.

so, I rocked nursing school, working as a cna then nurse extern the ENTIRE TIME, and took my nclex a month after I graduated and passed. (July 16th)

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY :)

I've been applying to HOSPITAL jobs EVERY single DAY and I'm constantly getting rejected because either

a) no experience as an RN

or

b) don't have a BSN

so, last week, I got an interview at RUSH MEDICAL CENTER.

MY DREAM JOB. yes. thank you. a teaching hospital with a history of magnet status

a place I can stay and build my career for probably, the rest of my life!!!

I read all about the hospital, the "Shared governance model" the nurses' follow, who the recruiter was, brushed up on my skills, COMPLETELY redid my portfolio, had 2 letters of recommendation, bought brand new interview clothes (FROM MY BEST FRIEND'S CLOSET BECAUSE I AM SO BROKE).

so. what happened?

met the HR recruiter lady, did the beginning chatter, it went awesome, then she realized I had an associates in nursing not a BSN and stopped the interview and apologized . she told me this crap on how rush doesn't want to hire associates degree nurses because theyre trying to acquire magnet status agaiin.

(which btw, has NOTHING to do with what degree ure nurse has, it has to do with if ure HR is capable of hiring competent nurses who provide a high quality of patient care, as well as a low nursing turn over rate)

apparently, as of july 18th, Rush hospital will not hire you if you don't have a BSN, (which btw I noticed when I was reading thru their webpage and shocked that I got an interivew)

I want to write the VP of HR a letter and tell him how unfair AND cruel that whole experience was.

Do they realize that they're writing off AN ENTIRE graduating class by setting this july 18th rule?

....and me, i'm like, officially depressed.

I feel horrible, I feel like a loser. Like I"m a bad person or I suck just because I opted for associates instead of a BSN.

I am sick of applying for jobs and not getting a single call back. I keep having nightmares about that HR lady. I'm already saddened about the way nurses are treated and I've barely gotten started. is there anything i can do about this?? should I write the VP of HR at Rush a letter?? or do i really just have to get over it and move on.....

advice please

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

What a horrible experience for you. I am so disheartened at how difficult it is to begin a nursing career these days. From my perspective, it seems that the age-old BSN-entry into nursing practice argument is becoming a moot point as employers have already made the decision. This is so unfair in light of the fact that nursing schools are still operating blindly - cranking out ADNs who are not what employers want.... what a mess.

It's very difficult, but please try to understand that these industry decisions are not personal.... they don't even know you! Organizational decisions are intended to support their strategy for achieving their goals. At no time are the needs of individuals considered. It's a fact of life that you'll have to content with frequently over the course of your working life.

You can uncover a lot of good advice here on AN - provided to your colleagues who are experiencing the same situation. Best of luck to you on your continuing job search.