Unemployed New Grad

Published

Should I apply to medical assistant jobs?

I have been applying all over the place in Maryland and turned up nada (9 apps sent; 7 on the way). I am an ADN and it is mostly BSN preferred or 1 year experience. I did a 13 month accelerated program which left no time for internships. I take care of my sick mom and can't move so I'm not sure what to do. The sucky thing is the hospital up the road from my house has build a new wing and they have over 100 RN jobs available... 6 of which are for new grads. I plan to go for my BSN next fall, hopefully that will make me more marketable. I'm just so unsure and disheartened, unemployment is the last thing I thought I would have to worry about. Also, if ONE more person say, "I thought they needed nurses...there is a big shortage" I'm gonna scream.

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Everytime I tell someone my major is nursing they always say,"oh you will get a job as soon as you finish school" and then when I tell them that is not always the case...they respond with that same comment," I thought there was a nursing shortage"

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Have you applied to the VA or DOD? I ran a usajobs.gov search.

http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/search.aspx?sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedEmp=N&FedPub=Y&q=RN+maryland

Best wishes

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Is relocation an option? Although I am cognizant that not every person is capable of picking up the pieces of his/her life to move somewhere new, be aware that jobs are abundant in other regions of the U.S.

Based on my observations, the Northeast, West Coast, and parts of the Upper Midwest are somewhat difficult places to land nursing gigs for new grads. The job opportunities are better in the South and Southeastern region.

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She takes care of her sick Mum, I'm not sure relocating was part of her agenda. But dear, sometimes one's got to do what one's got to do.I pray you find your silver lining pretty soon:).

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Specializes in Geriatrics, WCC.

Hospitals that are looking at Magnet status will only hire BSN and higher. Too bad for all the nurses out there that have lesser degrees but, are certainly qualified. Have you looked into SNF's?

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Specializes in perinatal.
Hospitals that are looking at Magnet status will only hire BSN and higher. Too bad for all the nurses out there that have lesser degrees but, are certainly qualified. Have you looked into SNF's?

I respectfully disagree with this. My hospital is going for magnet status, and they just hired me (I'm an ADN).

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In my area, one of the local giant health care corporations has just finished building another brand spanking new hospital facility. It is a huge campus. The hospital itself has five floors. Several outpatient clinics. Multiple medical specialty units, state of the art. They recently hired for the med/surg unit, and to the disgust of the massively unemployed nursing population here, only experienced nurses who had worked med/surg within the past year were hired. They don't want to deal with new grads or nurses who had worked in other fields, as it will take too long to orient them. They want nurses who can jump right in and keep up without babysitting, and they want current BLS with ACLS and PALS within 3 months. You see, the med/surg unit of this gigantic complex has only thirty beds and will be used as kind of a catch-all, with four beds already reserved as cardiac stepdown, the rest serving as an ICU way station, pediatric overflow, short term pre- and post-op, ER sojourn, and then the usuals (COPD exacerbations and other frequent fliers that inhabit hospitals).

They hired for only twelve hour shifts -- applicants who couldn't work twelves were eliminated without comment. From an insider, I learned that TPTB expect only half of the med/surg beds to be filled at any one time with LOS less than 48 hours, and the plan is to routinely float nurses to other units or send them home on-call as part of the hospital's regular staffing pattern.

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mitchell79 wrote:

"Also, if ONE more person say, "I thought they needed nurses...there is a big shortage" I'm gonna scream."

Oh my gosh, seriously, huh?! That is sooooo frustrating! I just read a post to my husband last night...one post on here from a disheartened LVN new grad....it was long and very "negative," but it was the truth! And when I was done reading it, my husband said, "Wow, how negative." I was like, "yeah, but THAT'S how it is! and THAT'S how I feel as well!" (mind you, I am in CA and unemployed currently....looking for work).

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I feel the same way! I have had my NJ license for 2 months now and a NY license pending and I still can't find a job!

And every time I talk about how difficult it is to find a job, I always have to explain myself. Yes there is a nursing shortage, but hospitals are also a business and they will only hire you if you're experienced and will not need to spend extra time and money training a new grad like me.

I just don't know when I will get a break. I just want to work!

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So are medical assistant jobs a no?

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I would be concerned about scope of practice issues......

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