Trying to follow everyone's advice but still no luck

[Aliceozwalker]

Hello!

I post fairly regularly on this site but haven't posted in about three weeks.  I figured would make a post as to where I was at since there were some concerns. As several members suggested before I followed up with both my MD and psychologist. My MD sent me for some blood work which came back normal. I am also getting a sleep study done but it isn't set for another 2 months. My health hasn't been great but I am still working full-time night hours between the two jobs until I figure things out. My health concerns for those who haven't read previous posts include; Heart rate in the 140s while sitting before work, heart palpitations, alternating constipation/diarrhoea ranging up to 7 BMs a day, 20+ pounds weight gain since starting the hospital job Dec 2019 and joint pain/aches. Anxiety definitely plays a role in some of these issues.

I talked with my psychologist about the situation and she states that I should stay on my hospital unit at least casually and remain part-time as long as possible. This is so I have a shot at the clinic position that my manager is offering to interview me for when they have an opening apparently in 4-12 months. I have made an agreement with my parents (I live at home) that if I don't find something by December I am switching to casual at the hospital job no matter what. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket but I'm feeling like I have no choice.

Unfortunately, the job search has not been going well. I have heard that once I had a year of med-surg I could find something else but that has absolutely not been my experience. Maybe it is the area I live in (close to a major world city) but I have in December 2 years of experience in med-surg bedside and a year in hospice and I am still getting no offers. I've applied to universities, community clinics, hospital clinics, OR, psych facilities, government positions, etc. Basically, anything that has daytime hours preferably 8-10 hours. I am even willing to take a pay cut of up to $6 an hour but I am getting few interviews even then and the ones I do have go to more senior people. Over and over I have been told by recruiters that nurses are leaving med-surg bedside in droves giving them lots of candidates so not to feel bad, as they "did like me but I just didn't have the experience some other candidates did". I feel like I've tried everything, I even paid $50 for a professional to look over my resume and cover letter for keywords/any mistakes/etc. They sent me some ways to reword my resume and I sent a bunch out again. Still nothing. 

I don't know if there is anything else anyone can really say to me except for good luck, but I wanted to let people know that I was surviving. For any other nurse in my position, please know that you are not alone. It is super hard to get away from bedside at the moment. ?

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

Do you live in the US? It has not been hard for me, where I live. Recruiters practically throw themselves at nurses here. 

 

[TriciaJ, RN]

I do believe your physical symptoms are stress-related.  Think about all the nurses who are getting the jobs you want; they are probably experiencing the same symptoms you are, and just lucky enough to have a bit more experience than you.

Is it realistic to pick up more hours at your hospice job while switching to casual on med-surg?  Or just give up med-surg altogether?  I realize that would cause a drop in income but anything you can do to lighten your stress load would help.

Of course you'll keep applying.  Often I recommend relocating if you can't find what you want in your area.  But in your case I'd be loath to give up your parents as a safety net and take on the added stress of moving.

Just look for a way to scrape off your worst source of immediate stress  while you continue to work on longer range plans.

Hang in there.  I hope your parents are being supportive.

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

10 hours ago, Aliceozwalker said:

I have heard that once I had a year of med-surg I could find something else but that has absolutely not been my experience.

The hard part about anecdotal information like this is that it's all based on personal experience, and there are many variables that influence how things go. You are right that it could very well be your location or other factors beyond your control.

I don't have any advice, but I wish you all the best and hope that you find a new position soon. Until then, others have had some practical advice that I hope might help with your mental and physical health. Good luck!

[SmilingBluEyes]

Op you have received some good words here so I won't repeat them except to say that I echo the poster saying relocation is not a good idea at this time. That said, where are you located (area, you don't have to say specific town). Just wondering if you are in a nurse-saturated area.

I wish you the best!

[TippyTappyMeow, MSN]

I have been following your posts because I was experiencing similar physical symptoms during my clinicals at school. They have decreased over time at work, but I'd be lying if I said they are gone completely. I'm ready to leave bedside before I finish out a year.

I've tried for so many positions and I receive the same feedback more often than not. A nurse with more experience, or an internal candidate was selected. Sometimes it's the physician who doesn't want a nurse with less than one year. 

If I don't get anything by my 6 month review then I'll be asking to drop to part time. My manager supposedly does not grant transfers. I made it clear during my interview this would not be a long term job. A year at most. I have one more month until I'm eligible for a transfer however I've been applying early in case HR is willingly to factor in I need to give a month notice.

I hope you land something soon, and return to post about it!

[LibraNurse27, BSN, RN]

Is it possible for you to go per diem now and work fewer shifts? 

[SmilingBluEyes]

 I like the idea of going part time or per diem if you can swing it. At one job, I had to do that to save my sanity. Actually two of them, come to think of it. Yes, it hurt in the wallet, but my sanity was worth the price. And it served me well until I found a place where I am much more happy. No place is perfect, but you deserve more OP!

[Aliceozwalker]

On 7/14/2021 at 4:51 AM, FolksBtrippin said:

Do you live in the US? It has not been hard for me, where I live. Recruiters practically throw themselves at nurses here. 

 

I actually don't live in the US. Where I live has universal free healthcare, so often nursing rates at the hospital are set based on the area across hospitals. In short, all hospitals and every unit make the same in a particular area. This has begun an issue of people wanting to go to hospital clinics and such in droves, as why wouldn't you in you make the same as in emerg or med-surg? This has particularly been a major issue with nurses leaving the ICU to the degree that an emergency mandate was issued stating that hospitals could keep move staff to whatever unit they wanted during COVID. They started pulling staff off floors to help in the ICU since they were so short (myself included) but that began to leaves medical floors short as well. While I like free healthcare for all, it definitely has its issues as well. Community does often pay less tho and at ranging prices so doesn't seem quite as strictly regulated by the country. 

 

[Aliceozwalker]

On 7/14/2021 at 8:56 AM, TriciaJ said:

I do believe your physical symptoms are stress-related.  Think about all the nurses who are getting the jobs you want; they are probably experiencing the same symptoms you are, and just lucky enough to have a bit more experience than you.

Is it realistic to pick up more hours at your hospice job while switching to casual on med-surg?  Or just give up med-surg altogether?  I realize that would cause a drop in income but anything you can do to lighten your stress load would help.

Of course you'll keep applying.  Often I recommend relocating if you can't find what you want in your area.  But in your case I'd be loath to give up your parents as a safety net and take on the added stress of moving.

Just look for a way to scrape off your worst source of immediate stress  while you continue to work on longer range plans.

Hang in there.  I hope your parents are being supportive.

I wish my anxiety was getting better the more experienced I got but if anything it feels like it's gotten worse. This also puzzles my psychologist but it could be that the more experienced I get, the more responsibility and difficult patients I get, especially with so many new grads on the unit. I honestly could not pick up any more hours at the hospice due to the new staff they hired. I am casual so the part-time staff get their hours first and they are fully staffed now at the hospice. I definitely pick up all the shifts I can. 

I am still applying to new jobs every day so hopefully, something will pan out. I do still live with my parents so at least for now it makes sense to stay in the area. My parents are supportive, but they want me to stay part-time at the hospital until December of this year, unless I find another job. They are not charging me rent or anything but do want me to be saving a decent amount every month. That being said, they have said that I can 100% stay with them until I fall into a more stable role. 

18 hours ago, TippyTappyMeow said:

I have been following your posts because I was experiencing similar physical symptoms during my clinicals at school. They have decreased over time at work, but I'd be lying if I said they are gone completely. I'm ready to leave bedside before I finish out a year.

I've tried for so many positions and I receive the same feedback more often than not. A nurse with more experience, or an internal candidate was selected. Sometimes it's the physician who doesn't want a nurse with less than one year. 

If I don't get anything by my 6 month review then I'll be asking to drop to part time. My manager supposedly does not grant transfers. I made it clear during my interview this would not be a long term job. A year at most. I have one more month until I'm eligible for a transfer however I've been applying early in case HR is willingly to factor in I need to give a month notice.

I hope you land something soon, and return to post about it!

It sounds like we are in similar boats so I wish you all the best luck! I will for sure post if something pans out. ?

[Aliceozwalker]

13 hours ago, SmilingBluEyes said:

 I like the idea of going part time or per diem if you can swing it. At one job, I had to do that to save my sanity. Actually two of them, come to think of it. Yes, it hurt in the wallet, but my sanity was worth the price. And it served me well until I found a place where I am much more happy. No place is perfect, but you deserve more OP!

Thank you so much for always responding, SmilingBluEyes and LibraNurse27. ? My parents are really pushing for me to stay part-time until December unless I find another position. At that point, I will have completed two years at the hospital and spent about 7 months looking if I haven't found something. Their point is that the position the manager offered me at the clinic was set for around that time frame. If he hasn't offered it to me and I haven't found anything else they are fine with me switching to casual. They mentioned to me that right now it is best for the long-term to save as much money as I can until December while I look and then switch to casual in December while they provide for me. But they want me to give the job search more of a chance which is fair since they are covering most of my costs. 

[LibraNurse27, BSN, RN]

1 hour ago, Aliceozwalker said:

While I like free healthcare for all, it definitely has its issues as well.

Interesting. I have always thought universal healthcare would be the solution to the issues with the US healthcare system such as high costs and unequal care, access, etc. I didn't think about the effects on healthcare staff and wages. Thank you for sharing this!