The Florida job market cannot be this bad?!

[reddgirl]

I am still applying to jobs and to no avail! The 27th will make it 1 whole year to the date that I have graduated as a FNP student and Sept will make it a year since I have been certified. I have been on interviews, contacted recruiters, called all physicians that I know, hooked up with all current ARNPs that I know, and revamped my CV. What gives?! Most jobs have passed me by because I only speak one language although I am working on learning others. Another factor is that I do not have experience and I keep getting the "I do not have time to train" phrase. I can't relocate either because of family dynamics and I am beginning to give up. My other classmates are not doing so well either. The managed to get into PT positions but the pay is horrible. Is this what advanced practice nursing all about? I didn't think it would be a field of roses but this is beginning to be nonsense. I have paper cuts on my hands from the amount of CV's I have mailed out. I'm hopeless.

[reebokHCFR, MSN, EMT-P, APRN, NP]

Are you making 75K as an RN? I would say average FNP with a few years experience is around 92-96K..some with benefits and some not. Acute Care...I think they do a bit better. I have a friend who works in the ER and I'm pretty sure she was hauling in close to 60-70 an hour.

thanks. if you're asking me about pay, I do the nursing thing twice a week and my other job twice/week. I get benefits through my other job and work 64 hours/week between both of them. and they aren't going anywhere but up.

I'm trying to battle through a lot of decisions to decide what to do. crna, np and medical school are at the top of my list right now, but I probably shouldn't do any of them because I have it great as is.

[SeaH20RN, BSN]

Hi. I'm in Fort Lauderdale and just noticed the VA in palm beach was hiring for NP. Check it out. Good luck.

[reddgirl]

Thanks for the info.

[carachel2]

thanks. if you're asking me about pay, I do the nursing thing twice a week and my other job twice/week. I get benefits through my other job and work 64 hours/week between both of them. and they aren't going anywhere but up.

I'm trying to battle through a lot of decisions to decide what to do. crna, np and medical school are at the top of my list right now, but I probably shouldn't do any of them because I have it great as is.

Well 75K as an RN working 64 hrs per week is vastly different than 95K as an NP working 40 hours per week. I think a lot of RNs considering NP forget this. They add up their nursing salary which includes overtime, weekend/nights shift diff and then when they look at NP jobs that are only about 20-30K higher they think "wow, I'm making that almost just working as an RN." Well, not exactly....you (not you specifically, just in general) are working 12 hr shifts, weekends and evenings and holidays and I'm working 9-5 in a nice clean office with no heavy lifting, no weekends, no holidays, no overtime, no back breaking labor AND I'm making 20-30K more than what you are doing all of that.

[reebokHCFR, MSN, EMT-P, APRN, NP]

good point. I only do the nursing thing 16 hours/wk though. and my pension is hard to beat (100% after 30yrs, 75% after 25). I put 3% into it and I have 7 years in it. I would pretty much have to take the extra NP money and put it into a 401k, hope it does good, and still probably won't touch the amount I'll take from here. I was also going on the thought of 120k/yr which would definitely be worth it. (wife of a friend makes that in my area). anyhoo, not trying to hijack the thread, just something I have to decide. and this thread about how bad the job market sucks in florida is another part of the problem.

[SandBetweenMyToes, BSN, RN]

Have you tried the Minute Clinic website? There appear to be many Florida NP positions there.

[reddgirl]

Well I have made about 6 applications to the Minute clinic and I hear nothing or that position has been filled already.