Started career at a SNF and now nobody is hiring me

[conurse2015]

I've been a nurse for a year now and have been working at the same SNF since. It has been a good experience as a first time nurse ESP in areas of leadership, assessments, prioritization, and time management as I can have up to 32 residents at one time. However, many shifts I feel unsafe and feel my license is at risk due to the nurse/patient ratio. I am beyond ready to branch out to a new area of nursing. I do not have the desire to work in a hospital at this time. I have applied to many doc offices requesting RNs with no response back. I dont feel i have enough experience to do home health right now. Hospice could be an option. I am starting to regret my decision to start my career at a SNF instead of in acute care. Any advice? I am taking an ACLS class next week do that may give me a boost for my resume.

[heatherisbetter, BSN]

Make sure your resume reflects what you learn. One of my friends worked at a SNF for a year and because he wrote an amazing resume he had tons of job offers when he began to search elsewhere. Play up how much you have learned about different medications, assessment and disease processes. Just a tip and good luck!

[caliotter3]

I had no problem moving from LTC to extended care home health, where most cases are routine care in nature. Once you are comfortable in that setting, you can venture into visit work if you desire. If your employing agency has both extended care and intermittent visit divisions, you will probably have support from your supervisors when you transition. It is in their best interest to have a nurse who wants to work either visits or shifts as the need presents.

[conurse2015]

What do you mean by extended care home health and them visit work? What is the difference? I'm worried that I lack skills to be on my own in someone's home at this point.

[Marisette, BSN, RN]

Keep applying. I don't think the lack of responses is related to your SNF experience. Many nurses are finding it difficult to find employment. There are just too many qualified candidates, too many nursing schools and new graduates, and hospitals that are not hiring as many nurses. In other works, there is quite a bit of competition for a limited number of jobs. Take a good luck at your resume and make sure you use the words an employer is advertising for. Resume's that have the right words will get pass HR and to the hiring supervisor. Make sure you have a detailed resume of all your skills. Sometimes, skills cross over from one nursing area to another, but you need to use more general terminology or words to get their attention. Search the internet for samples, consider a nursing resume writer. I don't think it would be difficult for you to do home health. Many of the home health population is elderly and you have a year of experience in this area. Understand that office nursing employers are often looking for RN administrators so you may need to target your resume for this type of leadership opportunity. Have you looked at community health opportunities in your state? Be proud of your SNF experience because it will show when you interview. Nurses who work this area have a variety of valuable nursing skills that can be easily transferred to other areas.

[caliotter3]

In a nutshell, intermittent visit home health is a roster of visits each day, visits lasting an average of 40 minutes, unless you are doing a start of care, resumption of care, etc. Extended care home health, also known as continuous care or shift work, is anywhere from four to 12 hour shifts (usually 8 hrs) with one patient, doing routine care for a stable patient.