Trying to get out of this job but no one will accept me :((

[Maddogg]

Hellloooo I am an RN and I started working at a skilled nursing facility in September of 2024 as technically my 2nd job but before that I worked at the psych hospital but got out of that because I didn't like working with adolescence in a psych setting. Anyway the skilled nursing facility I absolutely hate working here. I was working here for 5 months and I can't get out of it. I applied at many hospitals but I don't seem to get at least a call or an interview. I only had 3 days of orientation there and we work a lot with diabetics, post surgical patients, trachs/vent pts, g-tubes, etc. I am still technically a new grad but I don't feel like I'm learning a lot here, yeah I picked up some skills like working with g-tubes and hanging antibiotics but that's about the extent of it. 1 nurse manages up to 20 patients and sometimes, which is scary, a patient can be so sick we have to constantly monitor them or else they can end up coding. It's a nightmare working here and I'm always anxious coming in not knowing what to expect and scared I'll do something wrong or make the wrong mistake having my license on the line as I feel like I never got proper training with the 3 days of orientation.

 

Now for my questions. How do hospitals see nurses who only have skilled nursing experience? Like is it valuable to have? And once I have that experience am I more likely to get hired or is it frowned upon? Is that why I'm not getting calls from hospitals? And for my last question, since hospitals will see that I have skilled nursing experience and if I end up getting a job at the hospital, I'm not sure how many orientation days new hires with years of hospital experience get but would they still accommodate those normal orientation days for new grads seeing that I have skilled nursing experience?

[Dasher002]

Your job sounds more like subacute , I'm not sure but I would guess once you have one year of experience you might have a better chance at in patient jobs. Keep applying! 

[bluescoop, BSN, RN]

Dasher002 said:

Your job sounds more like subacute , I'm not sure but I would guess once you have one year of experience you might have a better chance at in patient jobs. Keep applying! 

I never heard of a subacute that gives 20 patients to one nurse. 

[Nurse Meg, BSN, RN]

Hello -It sounds like you're a new grad RN with less than a year of nursing experience, which can make the transition to hospital nursing challenging—but definitely not impossible! Skilled nursing experience is absolutely valuable, especially since you've worked with a variety of patient populations and care needs. The key is framing these transferable skills effectively on your resume so they stand out to hospital recruiters.

I would suggest tailoring your resume to highlight acute-care relevant skills and ensuring that your application aligns with what hospitals are looking for.  Also -If you haven't already, consider applying to nurse residency programs, as many are designed specifically for nurses with less than a year of experience. These programs offer structured training and support to help bridge the gap between SNF and hospital nursing.

Hope this helps. You've gained more than you may realize in the past few months, and with the right approach, you can absolutely make the transition you're looking for!

[Maddogg]

Thank you so much for that and yes I think I need to work on my resume tbh it kinda sucks but I'm also looking for a good resume template just haven't found one yet and I have been applying with one of my resumes buttt I think it's really bad since I don't get many call backs LOL so I'll work on that first 🙂 but yeah there are a few nurse residency programs in Vegas like they come every once in a while but it can be rare and I applied to a lot of them and they haven't even bothered to even call or interview me which is so frustrating and discouraging. I just feel like I'm just stuck here and not learning a whole lot. It feels like I've plateaued in what I've learned but I'm always constantly asking for the little help I can get here because there's only like 2 nurses working at night so sometimes it's hard to ask for help or for some learning experiences especially since the orientation was only 3 days here 😭😭😭 but yeah if you can help that would be nice haha 🙂

[Nurse Meg, BSN, RN]

I hear you—that waiting game can get quite frustrating.  Hopefully, refining your resume is a great first step! Sometimes small tweaks can make a big difference in getting callbacks.  Make sure you fine tune it directly to the jobs you are applying for.

Nurse residency programs can be competitive, but don't get discouraged!  I  was a New Grad resident several years ago and definitely think its worth it.  Also look at other hospital entry points, like float pool or med-surg. 

Keep pushing forward & wishing you the best 🙂

[mandomania]

Maddog,

There is good new for your situation, however it may depend on the market you live in.  There are large hospitals (Like University Medical Centers) that may present a good entry point into that particular medical system.  That directly translates into, get your foot in the door somewhere.  

Let me explain...there are large hospitals that perform a myriad of surgeries like open hearts (CABG), pacemakers and then treat a host of other treatement modalities that support patients that are recovering from strokes and major surgeries that require observation and a lot of support.  That means nursing!  Doctors don't want their patients going to some hole in the wall someplace only to degrade and decompensate over time, especially considering our aging populace.  People are getting joint replacement surgeries, pacemakers and other treatments at an older age and a LOT of them can't go home right away.

So here's a possible plan...figure out a commute that works for you and your family.  If your young and single, great.  Identify hospitals in your area that are larger medical systems with a diverse workspace.  One strategy is to get into a rehab unit where there are patients recovering from open heart surgery, major transplants, strokes, etc.  You get a job there and then keep an eye on the hospital's job board.  Be good to everyone you meet, be industrious and keep your patients in good shape. 

Work on your, "Brand".  We all have a brand and you have to build it.  Of course you will meet the low lifes in our profession who gossip, bully and all of that other stuff, but you have to believe that the sky is the limit.  Bide your time and have a plan.  What interest you?  Don't just pigeon hole yourself into one role.

In my humble opinion, stay away from, "Floor nursing".  I'm not a hater...I did that for four years before I did surgical ICU, IR, Cathlab, EP and PICC nursing.  The thing is you need an, "IN".  So...I'm trying to save you from being short staffed, working crappy hours and the need to work a bunch of weekends and holidays. 

If you choose to work the typical grind, you WILL evenually get side-lined by a psycho patient, a back injury, exposure to sharps or biohazzards and/or experience significant mental health issues related to coping with copious amount of baloney that nurses have to endure in the everyday spaces of their work place.  That does NOT include dealing with the maladaptive drama from other nurses that are miserable, passive agressive etc.  Thankfully, they are not the majority and we are lucky that nures usually come from the part of humanity that is kind, caring and genuinely altruistic.

Here is a possible trajectory. 

1.  Get your foot in door wherever in a hospital like the one I mentioned above.  If you don't get in right away, don't worry...you will because your'e not a quitter right?  Volunteer if you have to.  Mother baby units are looking for "Cuddlers" all the time.  Who says they have to be old grandmas?  So get in somewhere.  Next, do that for 6 months (The HR department will know how long you have to be on that unit.  At my last hospital, it was 6 months). Find out on the DL though.  That's not something you have to advertise.  

2.  There are a lot of departments.  What's your jam?  You could do wound care, work in radiology like where they do imaging studies etc. Find out what you want to do.

3.  If you want more options, work ICU for a year or two, preferably surgical or a CVICU.  After that you can learn procedural sedation and get a job in OUTPATIENT.  Yes, I'm shouting!  With ICU experience, you have more options.  If you can do ICU sedation, you can learn procedural sedation, and guess what...Cath Lab, EP and GI Lab circulators and skilled and different in a lot of ways, but it's Fentanly and Versed all day long, unless it's a MAC case and anesthesia does that.  You could work doing stress tests, learn to do PICC lines, blah blah blah. The above jobs come with call though.  You will have to carry a pager but usually, you get get like $5 bucks an hour, plus time and a half if you get called in.  Cath lab, your going to be called a lot, EP may not have call, GI lab, not so much depending on where you live, IR...they will usually push their weekend consults to Monday docket, which is why Mondays in IR are busy.

4.  It starts by saying adios to the long term care.  If you want to go back and do that later because that's what feeds you then great.  Otherwise you can eventually transition to work in an allergy clinic, rheumatology clinic, diabetes clinic...see where I'm going with this.  Monday through Friday and maybe even four days a week, no holidays or weekends and NO CALL.  While you are young, get an MBA or NP degree or just figure it out.  Maybe you will find you want to go into administration...Hay Dios Mio! 

5. In all, just do what feels right and have a plan because the years go by super fast.  Your body will also suffer if you work the bedside for too long ( See warning above).  Be careful to not climb the ladder for so long doing something you hate only to find out your ladder is agaist the wrong wall!  Good luck.  Lengthy, but something I travel back in time to give to my younger self. 

But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes". Billy Joel...Piano Man. 

Good luck to you and all those entering the nursing profession.  Be kind to yourselves and surround yourselves with things in your life that help you escape what you see and do in your work lives.

Kind regards,

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