Tampa ARNP-one yr post grad still no job!

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I am so stressed out and regretting my ARNP degree. It's been one year since I graduated and passed the board, national certification. And I still can't get a job anywhere!! It's maddening. Everyone wants experience but I can't get it without a job. I have been doing HRA assessments but those are drying up and I'm not getting any work from them either. I don't know what to do! I even tried to volunteer at a free clinic just to get experience and they actually turned me down too. Because they said I don't have enough experience. IT'S MADDENING! Does anyone know of part time work? Or any other HRA companies hiring? Anything? I can't leave this area to relocate (custody divorce agreement) so relocation is not an option.

Usually a story such as this has one of the following features missing.

1. Red tape not being discussed

2. poor resume

3. unprofessionalism in some aspect of life

4. for profit school graduate

5. poor/no LOR

Something is missing if a free clinic turns you down. If you want help you have to throw out the whole story. Not just "I can't find job, help me plz."

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This all comes back to what the AANP has been advocating....

Please go to a rural area and work in primary. If you are having this much trouble finding a job in the big cities, you should travel to places with actual physician shortages like in the midwest ie the dakotas.

You will learn to enjoy the area you are in.

Why do all new NP grads think they can just waltz into a cushy job in the urban centers where no shortage exist! Yes, maybe you can find a job, but don't forget the current direction/goals of our profession is to serve in areas of shortages.

The fact of the matters that you should have realized the realities of becoming an NP and the climate that we are in at the moment. The public will not accept us as MD's so we cannot just take our courses and have the same job prospects as an MD and go wherever and choose to live where.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
The public will not accept us as MD's so we cannot just take our courses and have the same job prospects as an MD and go wherever and choose to live where.

Physicians often have to relocate for jobs. I doubt "over-saturation" is the issue in this case.

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Not really anything missing. I have been a registered nurse in Florida since 1995, graduated with honors with bachelors and worked as a registered nurse in Florida for a few years following this. I then decided to have children and stay home to raise them. Fast forward several years, back to work as a RN in home health. Accepted into University of South Florida Master's program- family nurse practitioner-graduated summa cum laude in 2015 while also continuing to work home health jobs and raise kids (this time as a single mom). So no while I do not have 20+ years of full time nursing under my belt, I went back to school to update myself and further my education so I could find a job and have a successful career. I have done all the schooling, the clinical hours, am nationally certified with AANP as a family nurse practitioner, member of 2 different honor societies for nursing and have had my resume professionally done twice. I am not unprofessional in any aspect of my life or my career and quite frankly resent the accusation. Upstanding citizen, no license dings, no criminal history, nothing. Clean cut, well spoken, my home health patients have always loved me and I have never been fired from any job or have had any problems with coworkers. I have applied at every single job I can, networked with every person I can come in contact with, and nothing has happened. I thought I would volunteer at a free clinic not only to help out those less fortunate but to also gain even more experience. I was told that I did not have enough experience to volunteer as a nurse practitioner at this clinic and to come back when I had several years under my belt. I have contacted all of my clinical preceptors as well with no luck. Is there any more of the story that is needed? I'm pretty sure I never said "help me plz". Again, single mother trying to work, going back to school after ugly divorce 40+ years old, working my butt off to get through school working any home health jobs I could get, graduated with honors, in over my head with student loans and still having a horrible time finding work over a year out. I do not deserve your snark, sarcasm, or preconceived notions of my "unprofessionalism". This is supposed to be a supportive area. I was simply trying to get feedback and any ideas someone may have to help me.

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The fact of the matter is that I have found myself a single mother of 2 and could not find enough work as a RN to support us (due to being a stay home mom for several years). Being 40 years old with a BSN, the best thing I could do was to try to continue in the nursing field. I then went back to school to update myself to make a career and support my family and have no found myself still without work and now student loans added. I would move to a rural area in a heartbeat if I could. I have been applying for jobs over an hour away from my location. I do not have the ability to move out of this county until my children are in college-per custody agreement.

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University of South Florida Tampa, FL

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Usually a story such as this has one of the following features missing.

1. Red tape not being discussed

2. poor resume

3. unprofessionalism in some aspect of life

4. for profit school graduate

5. poor/no LOR

Something is missing if a free clinic turns you down. If you want help you have to throw out the whole story. Not just "I can't find job, help me plz."

Not really anything missing. I have been a registered nurse in Florida since 1995, graduated with honors with bachelors and worked as a registered nurse in Florida for a few years following this. I then decided to have children and stay home to raise them. Fast forward several years, back to work as a RN in home health. Accepted into University of South Florida Master's program- family nurse practitioner-graduated summa cum laude in 2015 while also continuing to work home health jobs and raise kids (this time as a single mom). So no while I do not have 20+ years of full time nursing under my belt, I went back to school to update myself and further my education so I could find a job and have a successful career. I have done all the schooling, the clinical hours, am nationally certified with AANP as a family nurse practitioner, member of 2 different honor societies for nursing and have had my resume professionally done twice. I am not unprofessional in any aspect of my life or my career and quite frankly resent the accusation. Upstanding citizen, no license dings, no criminal history, nothing. Clean cut, well spoken, my home health patients have always loved me and I have never been fired from any job or have had any problems with coworkers. I have applied at every single job I can, networked with every person I can come in contact with, and nothing has happened. I thought I would volunteer at a free clinic not only to help out those less fortunate but to also gain even more experience. I was told that I did not have enough experience to volunteer as a nurse practitioner at this clinic and to come back when I had several years under my belt. I have contacted all of my clinical preceptors as well with no luck. Is there any more of the story that is needed? I'm pretty sure I never said "help me plz". Again, single mother trying to work, going back to school after ugly divorce 40+ years old, working my butt off to get through school working any home health jobs I could get, graduated with honors, in over my head with student loans and still having a horrible time finding work over a year out. I do not deserve your snark, sarcasm, or preconceived notions of my "unprofessionalism". This is supposed to be a supportive area. I was simply trying to get feedback and any ideas someone may have to help me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
This all comes back to what the AANP has been advocating....

Please go to a rural area and work in primary. If you are having this much trouble finding a job in the big cities, you should travel to places with actual physician shortages like in the midwest ie the dakotas.

You will learn to enjoy the area you are in.

Why do all new NP grads think they can just waltz into a cushy job in the urban centers where no shortage exist! Yes, maybe you can find a job, but don't forget the current direction/goals of our profession is to serve in areas of shortages.

The fact of the matters that you should have realized the realities of becoming an NP and the climate that we are in at the moment. The public will not accept us as MD's so we cannot just take our courses and have the same job prospects as an MD and go wherever and choose to live where.

The fact of the matter is that I have found myself a single mother of 2 and could not find enough work as a RN to support us (due to being a stay home mom for several years). Being 40 years old with a BSN, the best thing I could do was to try to continue in the nursing field. I then went back to school to update myself to make a career and support my family and have no found myself still without work and now student loans added. I would move to a rural area in a heartbeat if I could. I have been applying for jobs over an hour away from my location. I do not have the ability to move out of this county until my children are in college-per custody agreement.

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Where did you go to school?

University of South Florida Tampa FL

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Have you tried VA? It can take forever to get boarded and don't pay worth a crap in my opinion/experience, although I don't think most places in Florida do anyway, but once you get in its a lifer job with great benefits. Working with vets is awesome. Also what about locum gigs or start looking for RN jobs until you find a NP opining. Good luck.

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Have you tried VA? It can take forever to get boarded and don't pay worth a crap in my opinion/experience, although I don't think most places in Florida do anyway, but once you get in its a lifer job with great benefits. Working with vets is awesome. Also what about locum gigs or start looking for RN jobs until you find a NP opining. Good luck.

I tried once but I think the VA is a good option to dig into some more. I've got a few RN applications out there too. Thanks for the device! Going to the VA site now!

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Try to get an email for phone number for the actual HR recruiter and stay in touch with them because that was how I eventually got my RN job with VA.

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