Tired of job hunting & getting no where!!!!!

[RN-Que]

Hello fellow nurses. I'm writing because I am becoming frustrated with searching for a job as a new RN (ASN). I was formerly an LPN with a concentration in psych. I have now been an RN for the past few months and have applied for numerous positions in both Jersey and Pennsylvania. I have had some offers but they were so low (25/hr), I found them to be insulting. Prior to becoming an RN, I made $31/hr. I could not continue work for my agency because they are accredited by JCO and require all employees have at least 1 year experience in their respective titles. I would like to get into a subacute rehab but most of them are looking for BSN's. This is also the case with most hospitals. I'm also currently enrolled in a BSN program but that doesn't help me with gaining employment now. Does anyone know of any place in New Jersey or the Philadelphia area who will hire RN,ASN?

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Are you able/willing to move to an area of the country that is less saturated with new grads?

[Sour Lemon]

Were any of the insulting offers jobs that might have resulted in good experience and led to higher pay in the near future? Unfortunately, some places don't count LVN experience and will simply view you as a new grad RN. What kind of agency work were you doing as an LVN? If it was a fill-in as needed type of agency, those positions do tend to be higher paying than regular, full-time staff-nurse positions.

[callinshotz, RN]

You want to take what you can get until you get to a point where you can get what you want to take. Get somewhere and sit down. Once you get about a year in start looking elsewhere.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

25 bucks an hour is better than zero bucks an hour. Just saying. Also allows you to get experience and out of the new grad jail.

[mrsboots87]

Like others have said, LPN experience is almost never counted. And if it is, it's not given very much weight in wage. Your wage will more than likely be based on new grad pay scale for each facility. So that $25 is probably what every other new grad RN who walks through is going to get. You're better off taking one of those "insulting" offers and build up your experience so you can move on and get your better wage after a couple years. Agency nurses typically make pretty good wages, so that should be considered as well when considering offers. Don't keep declining offers to the point of becoming an "old" new grad.

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I had a coworker who was a LPN for 12 years start with us a year ago. She started at exactly the same wage new grad RNs with zero healthcare experience made. She makes around $3/less than I do, and I've only been a RN for a little over three and a half years. Your LPN experience does not count towards RN salary most places.

I don't know what else to tell you. You've been getting job offers and turning them down, and claiming you're having difficulty with the job hunt... did you do any research on what new grad salaries looked like before you bridged to RN? I don't understand where your expectations are coming from. You are actually getting job offers, while other new grads are not - so you're in a much better position than most new grads.

[Swellz]

If you are looking for a hospital, try Crozer health system. A friend of mine started working in one of their community hospitals in the ED as a new ADN. Sorry, I don't know much about the rehabs in the area. Regardless, it's a tough market.

[amzyRN]

Demand for nurses depend on location and experience. When I was a new grad, I got a job easily in the midwest and once I had a couple years experience, was able to secure a lucrative job in CA. Now I have over 4 years experience and have had an easy time getting high paying jobs here in CA. The move to the midwest was the best decision I have ever made. If I had stayed in CA, I'd probably be stuck working in a nursing home or some other less desirable low paid position.

[cleback]

$31 for LPN seems on the high end. I think that is your problem.

[chacha82, ADN, BSN]

I started at $22 or $23 as a new grad. I took the first job I was offered as a floor nurse because I have my RN from a hospital, not even a community college. It's bleak out there for ADNs if you want to work inpatient. You have to be flexible and move wherever or take what you can get in a hospital. Choosy-ness comes later...

[foggnm]

I'd say worry less about the starting pay and more about getting the job you want. Get some experience as an RN, then move to a higher paying market if that's an option. I'd say the problem isn't the lack of experience but that you live in a low-wage market.