STILL don't have a job?? Vent here!

Nurses New Nurse

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Hi all! I've been on this site for a while now, but haven't posted much. however, i feel like it'll just make me (and hopefully a few others) feel a bit better about this whole job situation if we vent it out together. i just need to complain, and i need people who understand how frustrated and hopeless i'm feeling.

i graduated from a somewhat prestigious university over a year ago, and passed my nclex without a bead of sweat. great grades, great clinical experience, killer references and resume....still can't get a job. i live in the northeast, where things are tight...but still. i work at the grocery store...THE GROCERY STORE! i paid $100,000 to get a degree so that people can supervise how i bag their eggs and talk to me like i'm stupid. i have nothing against my current job - they're great to me and it pays my bills kinda sorta for now - but it's so damn frustrating!

on top of all of this, i'm getting so sick of people constantly saying to me "but i thought we needed nurses!"...when is oprah gonna do a show about all of us who are graduating and finding a completely closed off job market? and now that a second year of nurses are finishing up, us 2008 grads are getting more and more lost.

it's not like i'm not trying - i apply to jobs nearly non stop. i call and ask for nurse managers and recruiters personally, who never answer their phones or my voicemails. i feel like a complete and total failure pretty much all of the time, and don't know what to do. i have at least 15 friends in the same boat, but none of them currently live nearby and i don't have anyone to talk to about these feelings. i cry a lot when i'm alone, but put on a big smile and just tell people i'm staying optimistic and i'm still looking etc. etc.

anyway - if you wanna chime in, please do. i know our families and friends are probably getting sick of listening to us talk about this stuff, so it feels better to talk to strangers who understand. :)

much love and keep the faith, my friends. we're gonna rise above this someday.

Specializes in Peds,ER,FP,Med/surg/oncol, Hospice.

Hey There,

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in for what it is worth. I was lucky and landed a job right from school in the hospital that I did clinicals in. After being there for a year I decided that it was not my cup of tea and I wanted to go into my dream job or at least see if I thought it was. I found the place I wanted to go I got my resume, cover letter, and an application off of the website and after finishing the paperwork went down to the post office and express mailed it to the manager and made her sign for it. 3 days later she called me for an interview and a week later when I went in for it she hired me on the spot. She had told me that she recieved 24 emails that day but chose me because of the way I sent in my application. Now I am starting the job I so desperately wanted. Not saying that this is a shirefire way but heck I beat out 24 applicants doing it that way. Good luck and I hope you find something fast. You may have to settle on anything just to get in. Then get your experience and look around that way while your looking for what you want your still in the field. Hope this helps.

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Hey everybody, new board member here. I saw the thread title and read the first message and thought I need to vent too. So forgive me for not reading the rest of the thread before I posted.

Complete frustration is what I feel. I'm sitting here, it's almost August and I graduated May 1, 2009. All through school I hear that I'm going to have a job waiting. Well where is it? Even before you start school you hear, "You need to go into nursing so you can always find a job." Really?

I've been looking and talking to people and attempting to get hired since January. I've submitted an application and/or resume to every facility within 100 miles of my location and still no luck. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that can't get a soul on the phone. When I call recruiters, managers and HR's, I get voicemail and NEVER, not one time have I gotten a return call. I don't know what associate's programs are like, but in the BSN program I was in, being professional was constantly stressed. And, well, not returning phone calls is extremely unprofessional.

I graduated, I passed NCLEX 2 months ago and I'm still sitting here broke with bill collectors ringing my phone off the hook and my federal loan payments start in 3 months. I'm getting really fed up with having to go and beg my parents for a little bit of money here and there. I've got stuff that's very special to me sitting in a pawn shop while I sit here with my BSN cutting grass 2 days a week for about 50 or 60 bucks.

I've actually got a plan and feel pretty hopeful, I just needed to vent about this situation.

Good luck to everybody that's still looking.

BartC

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Specializes in ED, ICU, lifetime Diabetes Education.

For those who live in the MD DC area, I believe Montgomery General Hospital in Olney is still hiring. You can contact Nick Piazza at 301-774-7389. If you are willing to commute to Baltimore, and are very desperate, Maryland General is always hiring.

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I just wanted to urge all new grads to look at government jobs on governmentjobs.com and usajobs.gov. I have found a few job openings on there for new grads, I'm currently living in Minnesota and I have applied to one job because that's all I qualify for out of the jobs here. I want to move back home to Louisiana and have found many openings there. So that just goes to show, you may have to look outside of your area.

I really hope this helps and I continue to pray for us, because this is rather unfortunate to say the least!

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Thanks for the info!

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Specializes in ED, ICU, lifetime Diabetes Education.

If you live in an area where the is a high Native American population or willing to relocate, Indian Health Services is hiring. They have excellent benefits!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Burns, Cardiac, NICU.

i have to say, i'm feeling a lot better (in a sick sort of way) now that this thread has really taken off. i'm hoping that everyone finds peace (or at least financial stability) sometime in the near future.

i've got my fingers crossed for one particular opportunity, but who knows. it's like i'm just putting all of my eggs into one basket after another, and trying to stay as positive as possible. more than anything, what's hitting me the hardest is adjusting to the way i've been living lately - essentially, like i've reverted to being 16 again. my mother controls most of my life, and i have little freedom to do as i wish. it's incredibly frustrating. i'm just happy at this point in my life that i don't have anyone else depending on my income (kids, a mortgage, etc.).

i just want my life back! and i want to work in the worst way - i miss nursing like crazy!

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Specializes in LTC, PCU, Med/Surg, Hospice, OBGYN.

Bilingual RN (English/Spanish) graduated in May of this year. I've applied to many jobs here in Iowa and in NC, no bites yet. Frustrating because I worked my butt off to get great grades in school, Even got full scholarships my RN year. All this while I worked as a CNA and then as a LPN, married, with 2 kids...ALL that sacrifice while in school! On top of my nursing experience, I also worked in both retail and hospital/IV pharmacy for 8 years prior to going to nursing school.

Recently had a job interview in a more Hispanic populated town and you know why they didn't hire me? Forget my qualifications and skills, forget checking out my references...2 out of the 3 on the interview committee said that they didn't think I would be a good fit for their staff and they couldn't work with me. They got that impression after speaking with me for no more than 30 minutes??!!!??? 1 of them, the Nurse Manager, said it might have been that I was too self confident and it was about my achievements and should have been more patient centered! What? I can't be proud of what I've done so far?!? And I know I spoke about patients and how important their care was to me during the interview! My resident's families even tell me that I am a great nurse with their Moms and Dads and those people don't know what they're missing! (I work PRN only at my current job.)

So yes I'm frustrated because I am sick and tired of people telling me that I shouldn't have problems getting a job because I'm bilingual. Well, they are so WRONG!!!:hlk:

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i have to say, i'm feeling a lot better (in a sick sort of way) now that this thread has really taken off. i'm hoping that everyone finds peace (or at least financial stability) sometime in the near future.

i've got my fingers crossed for one particular opportunity, but who knows. it's like i'm just putting all of my eggs into one basket after another, and trying to stay as positive as possible. more than anything, what's hitting me the hardest is adjusting to the way i've been living lately - essentially, like i've reverted to being 16 again. my mother controls most of my life, and i have little freedom to do as i wish. it's incredibly frustrating. i'm just happy at this point in my life that i don't have anyone else depending on my income (kids, a mortgage, etc.).

i just want my life back! and i want to work in the worst way - i miss nursing like crazy!

I know exactly what you mean!!!

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Specializes in PEDS.

ok now i can't believe this is happening. i worked extremely hard in school to make sure i got the best grades, but all that tears and sweat was for nothing it seems like. i graduated with nursing honors and a gpa of 3.48, but even the main hospital that i did my clinicals at didn't hire me. i mean what else can i do??? i'm so tired, dead broke, and effin frustrated. i thought my intview went pretty well, but from what i heard they already knew who they wanted to hire even before the interview process. bunch of bs. :angryfire:angryfire

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Don't laugh, but I'm just starting RN school this fall.....:bugeyes:.I graduated in 2007 as a certified surgical tech...had more "bling" for academic achievement on at graduation than Mr. T...it felt like I had a yoke on!.....didn't matter - the 2 or 3 jobs that were available went to the students that didn't show up for clinicals, had to take tests 2/3 times - any other program would have kicked them out - yet they were hand picked for the jobs......this, like most ANY other business is subjective.....I worked full time, went to school full time, and never missed an 8 hr a day clincial for 2.5 yrs......had a 4.0 - none of it mattered...I think the only person that felt bad at the end of the day was me...the only job (revolving door job) available wanted to pay $11.00/hr for scrubbing!!....sorry - but that wouldn't pay for half the libility insurance -- and they thought we (the applicants) should have been fighting each other on the floor to get to their "golden" job.....ahhhh NOT......

So I took a job in a totally different industry - there ain't nobody to pay da bills but me...(my ungrateful bag o fur cat refuses to cut back in ANY way...:bow:) Took just about a yr out of the RN rat race and decided to go ahead and go for it......I do REALLY want to do this for a living - REALLY.....even at my age.....

The point to my story is if you REALLY want to do this (and it really sounds like you do) - unfortunately you have to be willing to move....it sucks and shouldn't be that way - but it's just the way it is.......here's a thought.....

A classmate (and fellow scrub) is VERY young, VERY smart with 2 kids and a responsible longtime live-in boyfriend - they really scrapped for her to get through school.....ANYWAY - she called me one night and said there was nothing here, and probably never going to be anything here (for scrubbing anyway) - and she was reading the very expensive and equally as useless CST (Cert. Surg Tech) "magazine" they give you when you pay for the EXTREMELY overpriced licensure.....the only thing worth a hoot in it is the pages of job opportunities in the back.....so she's reading me names of hospitals, etc.....then the Mayo Clinic (Minnesota) came up - I said, that's it!! She thought I was joking until I made her fill out the application and sent them.....the LONG story short is here she is brand new fresh out of school - OK grades - not 4.0, but 3.2 or something...she is 24 yrs old and the Mayo not only got back to her in 2 days, they flew her up there, interviewed her, and offered her a job before she got back on the airplane that night.....she moved lock stock, kids, dogs, boyfriends and barrels another 2 mos after.....the kicker is Mayo PAID for the move.....they don't buy or sell houses, but they paid for movers, packers, gas, etc.....

Amazing.....and VERY true....the Mayo is constantly hiring - they pay well and pay to move you.....if you're willing to move, there are A LOT worse things to have on your resume than the Mayo Clinic!! They really like it up there - of course Rochester, MN is just about ALL Mayo Clinic, but hey - who cares??

Just a thought and thanks for letting me rant about my past health care career that never was, and my future career that BETTER BE!! :angryfire

Good luck!!

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Has anybody on this post done any volunteering at a hospital? Since many "new grads" in here complain about that potential employers ask them for experience? I think that maybe it would be wise to volunteer before you trying to get a job. Tell me your thoughts, maybe I'm assuming something wrong, if so let me know. Thanks. :smokin:

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