Should RN Take an LVN Job?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I was a LVN for 3 years and got my RN license in May 2019. I moved to Northern CA. in August but have been job searching here since I got my license. Both of my LVN jobs were at clinics of big hospitals and I worked with many patient populations and got to use a lot of skills, however I haven’t been able to get interviews at any hospitals (my goal being acute care and pediatrics at some point).

It’s driving me crazy but I understand there is a lot of competition here! I have recently been offered a full time RN position at a school district but at the same time I was also offered a temp LVN position at a clinic that’s part of a big hospital here, the clinic says after the position is up they will help me get into another department as a RN. I’m so torn! Do I take the school nurse position in hopes of getting peds and RN experience for my resume or do I take the LVN position in hopes of getting my foot in the door there.

Dear Torn,

Congrats on getting your RN license!

As a newly licensed nurse, your best bet is to land a position in a residency program in an acute care hospital. I'm sure you're applying everywhere, and you must keep it up. Your window of opportunity to land a residency position is 12 months from licensure, so you are still in that golden space. Read my book below to make sure you are doing everything possible to stand out, and to ensure your cover letter, resume and interviewing skills are on point. You will only have this opportunity once in your lifetime.

I would not take the RN school nurse position because your goal is acute care and this does not align with your goal. In fact, it will make getting into acute care more difficult in the long run, because the skill sets are different.

Working as an LVN on a temp basis as a last resort may not be a bad idea. You would have insider advantage and opportunity to network. You could leverage it as a way to land an RN position in the organization. Point being, once you got in, then work it! Be an outstanding, outgoing employee and let everyone know you are seeking an RN position.

Again, do not put all your eggs into one basket. If you choose the LVN position, keep applying elsewhere for an RN residency position. follow up on leads and even consider cold-calling (described how to do it successfully in the book).

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next