Still No Job offers

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Okay, so I am confused! I am a Dec. 2008 RN grad in Houston, and have been applying to every hospital in the Houston area. I finally get a break and am called in for an interview only to find out the day of, that all the Intern positions are filled and they are cancelling all remaining interviews.... Hmmmm, not sure if I believe that one. What puzzles me the most is Hospitals want RN's w/ experience so how the heck is one able to gain experience w/o being offered a position. I also went to a local job fair where I was told the same thing by most of the exhibitors there. So needless to say I am becoming discouraged and really bothered by the houston hospitals protocols for hiring RN's. BTW I am not only an RN grad, I've been in health care for 9 yrs (Administrative) but am very familiar with all aspects of how things are run. I would think that would be a plus vs. someone who has no experience in health care yet I know of several people who got Intern positions w/ only Nursing School as their only experience in health care. What Gives?????!!!!!!???????:banghead:

BTW, I passed NCLEX and have my license.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

It's not a good situation for new grads in our area. I graduate next month and the only classmates that have found jobs are the ones working for hospitals already either as an LVN or as a tech.

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HELLO! THERE, I JUST WANTED TO CONGRATULATE YOU IN ACHIEVEING YOUR GOAL AND BECOMING AN RN. I MYSELF HAVE A DREAM OF BECOMING AN LVN, BUT AM VERY CONFUSED I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD DO IT OR NOT. I ALSO WANTEDS TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE IN THAT POSITION WHERE NO BODY WANTS TO HIRE YOU SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF EXPERIENCE, I8 AM GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING. I AM A MEDICAL ASSISTANT AND LIKE YOU, I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND A JOB DUE TO THE LACK OF EXPERIENCE, I AM IN CALIFORNIA HOW EVER, OVER HERE THERE TONS AND TONS OF RN POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN EVERY SINGLE HOSPITAL. LAST MONTH ME AND MY MOM WENT TO A HOSPITAL AND THERE WERE PAGES AND PAGES OF POSITIONS FOR RN'S. I HOPE YOU SOON FIND SOMETHING, AND AGAIN CONGRATULATIONS!:yeah::clphnds:

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try working in a skilled facility,the pay is good and you would be amazed at the types of patients you get to work with,pts with central lines,tpn,on chemo,trac pts,you get to do ostomy care,wound care,iv pts,psych pts,its really amazing and hospitals love you when you have this type of experience .good luck!!!

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I feel your pain, I graduated in Jan of this year, passed NCLEX, got my RN, worked at a hospital as a Nursing assistant while going thru school, and guess what !!! They only want experienced RNs at my hospital, and they have a stupid rule that you can't work as an NA once you get your RN.....so now I'm unemployed !!! I live in NJ and even the nursing homes want only exp'd RNs....and the hospitals..forget about it....all my classmates are also very discouraged....

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I just spoke with a HR person on the phone at a hospital in CA. It seems that we will have better luck finding a job when the new RN grad programs start in the fall. Right now there is nothing out there except for RNs with experience. So keep up the pounding of the pavement, but also step it up in May and June. Even though we will be competing with the new new grads, at least we already have passed our NCLEX so we can apply a little bit earlier than the others.

good luck

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I'm not a nurse but I think the recession and my suspicion that there may have been a problem with new hires in the past. Unfortunately, sometimes with new hires of any profession it takes time to build up skill and competence. Some companies are not willing to wait on that to happen so they seek out people who have the skills and competence already,so to speak.

Say If you were running a company and had 3 positions open, say 10 people applied for the job and out of 10 about 5 had more than 3 yrs exp. while the others had less than a year. I'm certain that you would fill your 3 positions with 3 applicants who stood out more with past job experience, education etc.

I can understand why hospitals are becoming stricter with hiring guidelines because they may have had problems in the past with new hires making novice but costly mistakes, not to say experience doesn't make mistakes, but I can see. You have to understand that unfortunately, companies don't care if noone ever allows you the experience you need because there are so many applicants to choose from, they don't consider your predicament their predicament. See what I'm saying?

You may have to consider relocating or going back to school for some backup plan that will make you a more attractive candidate like studying surgical tech. or sonography. If you had a degree like those along with your nursing degree, you will have more options because you will be a more attractive candidate with more skills.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PSYCH, PP, CEN.

When the economy is bad and lots of people (nurses) are looking for work then hospitals like to take up the experienced nurses. When the economy is good and there are not a lot of workers to choose from then hospitals have to take new grads in order to staff up.

We are in a recession now and lots of nurses who used to work part time are taking full time spots because their spouses are laid off. Also hospitals are cutting budgets and tightening the ropes.

Right now is a trying time for nurses and if you have a job keep it and wait till things get better.

If you don't have a job then you will have to keep looking and try to take any thing there is just to get in.

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Many hospitals in socal where I live are offering extended nursing internships/residencies/orientations that last as long as six months where you work for a reduced salary until you are ready to be on your own.

Versant is one non-profit company that works in conjunctions with hospitals to provide this experience. http://www.versant.org/

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it is a very open job market for our profession right now .. but it does not mean that you only look for jobs in the hospitals, there are LTC facilities that will hire new grads .. it just depends on the choice you want to make if you are willing to work for an LTC for the meantime, while applying for hospitals once you gain the experience ... it would be to your advantage.... i myself just graduated last april from my BSN degree and went on to pass my Nclex exam this january... am presently employed in an LTC, for competitive pay i might add... and im looking to expand my horizon to the hospital in the year but .. for now to gain a little experience and gain floor time ... which is helpful before the hospital where the staff will eat you alive if you dont have experience .. opt for the LTC....

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I am sorry you are experiencing this...I remember hitting that same wall when I was a new grad. Personally, when I was looking for positions, I disregarded the "you need a minimum of this much experience" and applied regardless. Network and find out there will always be places where the turn-over is high so the employers dont have a choice BUT to hire newgrads. Obviously, the turn-over is usually higher because of some issues with management or what not but I think in the times of recession even if you get your foot in...it helps. You can always do inter-facility transfers...hope this helps :)

Good luck!

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Specializes in NICU, Psych, Med/Onc,Ped Home Health.

first of all, i want to say congrats as well as making it through nursing school and passing your nclex. second, i am sorry to hear that you are having a hard time finding a job in your area. have you ever thought of relocating? i work at a hca hospital in el paso, texas (las palmas), and they are practically begging for nurses, new or experienced. in fact, the unit that i work in (nicu) have just hired 2 new graduate nurses. also, all of the other area hospitals are hurting for nurses as well. another factor will be a new childrens hospital that is currently being built and no doubt will need staff to fill its needs. but if relocating is not an option for you, hang in there! i'm sure that will find some thing soon. just don't give up! :)

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