Trying to get that full time night shift job...

caseyuptonurse · Jun 13, 2015

It wouldn't hurt to do part time nights for now if you can financially afford to... Most places will put you on full time orientation as a new grad so you might even be working full time hours for a month or so. I was lucky and I started on rehab and it was part time but it was a job offer so I took it... They gave me three months of full time orientation and then they ended up giving me a full time position once I finished orientation. But it's not guaranteed that you will be able to also get a full time job after orientation. So financially can you afford to be part time? You could also pick up another part time job or per diem job. And a lot of places still have benefits for part timers.

mvm2 · Jun 13, 2015

I know it is hard to not want to call them and go over to the hospital because you want to show them you are interested and you want to work there so bad. But foe your own sake stop hounding them.. you have been warned twice now that they don't want you to be bugging them. It is not the way this hospital apparently runs their hiring department and you should abide by their wishes if you want a chance to work for them.

My advise just keep putting in your app when you see a posting and just wait it out. I'd also think highly of taking the other job for now. It will give you experience on your app then to just sit around hoping the hospital will call.

Sometimes you just have to give yourself a little time to get into your dream position. You have probably 30-40 years of nursing ahead of you if you want it and that is plenty of time to get a hold of a hospital job.

And I believe the PP is correct that maybe you might in awhile get a full time position in the sub acute job as well.

miscangelious · Jun 13, 2015

Thank you! My only worry is that if I take this position in sub acute then get a call about a different job, won't that look bad if I quit sub acute after like a month or two? Or is that okay to do if something else comes up?

Also, I would like full time if possible and am talking my nclex on the 25th so maybe I should wait till i take that to start working?

NICUmiiki, DNP, NP · Jun 13, 2015

If you can find the nurse manager's email, I would send ONE email and see if that helps any.

The hospital I got hired at, the nurse managers choose their own interviewees out of the applicants and HR verifies them after they've been selected. Emailing the manager got me the job in that case.

The hospital I worked at as a tech and the hospital I did clinicals at made you go through an HR recruiter first. The managers would tell you that they had to get the applicants that were approved from HR. Emailing the manager would only work if you make it past HR in the first place.

miscangelious · Jun 13, 2015

Thank you for this input! I am going to just wait the two weeks and if I hear nothing maybe I will reapply or email the recruiter or something. This helps to talk it out with other nurses!

SubSippi · Jun 13, 2015

Thank you! My only worry is that if I take this position in sub acute then get a call about a different job, won't that look bad if I quit sub acute after like a month or two? Or is that okay to do if something else comes up?
Also, I would like full time if possible and am talking my nclex on the 25th so maybe I should wait till i take that to start working?

It might look bad on future applications, but it won't be a big deal if you stick out the hospital job for a couple of years.

The PP that said you have 30-40 years left in nursing is right. Don't stress over it too much, you have a long time to figure out what you want to do. And after a couple years work experience (in LTC or hospital, or anything, really) it won't be too hard to make that happen.

miscangelious · Jun 13, 2015

Thanks :)

sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN · Jun 13, 2015

unfortunately there is no nursing shortage,

dont get me wrong, keep at it,

you are doing what worked for me some 43 yr/ago....but it is a different time.

keep at it multople applications, play by the rules

trust me us old fossils need some relief...

take what you can get, it will evolve to full time shortly ....

best wishes :)

miscangelious · Jun 13, 2015

Aww thank you :)

Clovery · Jun 13, 2015

Have you graduated with a BSN? It will look bad if you quit your first nursing job after only a month or two. That will be a red flag to recruiters and nurse managers that you have little loyalty to an organization. If you are a new BSN grad, it might be worth it to hold out for a hospital position, especially since you haven't even taken the NCLEX yet. LTC/subacute positions aren't too hard to come by. I have worked 11-7 on a subacute unit as a per diem. They offered me the full time position I was covering but I had to decline. There was very little actual nursing and I felt like I was more of a nocturnal secretary. That shift you will spend the majority of your time doing chart checks. There may be a few 12 am meds and then there is lots of omeprazole and synthroid to hand out in the morning. My advice would be to take the NCLEX and keep applying at the hospitals. Be flexible about the hospital shift... Some nurse managers prefer to start new grads on days vs nights because there are more resources available to you. If you are applying at subacute then look for 3-11 positions. This shift gets the majority of the admissions, so you will get to practice head to toe assessments and admission processes, doing med recs, skin/wound treatments, and setting up CPAPs and BiPAPs.

miscangelious · Jun 13, 2015

This has been the most helpful response so far so I thank you. I am enrolled in fall for BSN i just graduated ADN. I think I will just be patient. Thank you!!