Hi everyone. I have been bottling my thoughts for a while now, and I am desperate for advice/opinion about my situation. None of my RN friends share the same experience, and I want to know if there is anyone out there who is going through the same.
I will have been a Registered Nurse (BSN) for three years in January.
My dream RN position prior to graduation/licensing was to be an ER RN. But fast forward to today, my professional experience comprise of everything but emergency or acute.
Good nursing, or a good nursing job for that matter doesn't necessarily mean working in a hospital setting. Like other blogs I've read, you can excel in any field, and feel as fulfilled as a nurse.
However, I have reached a point in my career as a nurse where I have become increasingly dissatisfied because I no longer find challenge, or mental stimulation in what I do. I feel that the routine-ness of my job has dwindled my skills, and knowledge, and I've grown increasingly depressed.
I've worked in Sub-Acute, and have a background in other non-acute care settings, and I feel very stagnant. I've taken acute care certification classes that do not pertain to my line of work in hopes of advancing myself, but I'm still here. My patients, and their families, as well as my co-workers praise my skills, knowledge, and my tact as a nurse, and I appreciate that. But I don't feel "alive" in my position anymore.
A year into my professional career, I was accepted in the MSN FNP program at a local university (since my chances of actually getting an acute care job were seemingly futile, I thought getting "ahead" by pursuing higher education would look good on my dossier, and would actually mean I will have a better chance at getting an acute care position).
Then, I read blogs from new grad FNP's expressing their concerns about not receiving any employment, or having such difficulty landing a job because they lacked acute care experience as RN's. Having had such difficulty landing a job myself as a new grad RN 3 yrs ago, I do not want the same difficulty to happen to me again. It is both financially, and emotionally distressing to go through such predicament.
I was fortunate once when I did receive a call from a local hospital for an acute care job. But when my lack of acute care experience came up, five minutes into the interview, I was out the door. The same day, I received an email that I did not get the job.
I graduated with my BSN hundreds of miles from where I am from. Prior to graduation & licensing, I was offered a job at the hospital I did my preceptorship in. My mentors thought I performed well as a nursing student that management placed me on top of the list for a PACU position from hundreds of applicants. Because of family et al reasons, I had to move back home. I was told by a seasoned nurse that as soon as I receive my license, landing a job will be easy as cake. Proved to be not the case. So, here I am. Three years later, I still think of that job I didn't take advantage of.
I would rather earn a position on my own, and prove in my performance that I am fit for a job instead of actually having someone hand me a job. But this has not worked out, so I've made several connections. And the connections I've made so far have agreed to be my references, but that doesn't even seem to work.
I've also submitted volunteer applications at local hospitals, and applied for jobs out of town, but I have yet to receive a phone call. I am a year and a half away from graduating with my MSN, and I am seriously thinking about taking a year break to focus on getting an acute care job, so I'd have a solid base, and be more marketable when I do graduate.
Sorry for the very lengthy post. And thank you for reading.
I just would like to know if there is anyone out there experiencing the same issues as me.
... What has worked for you in landing an acute care job? What other mediums have you used to get an acute care job? Please let me know...
