What am I doing wrong??

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I'm an RN, graduated with my ADN in May 2011, and I am currently in a BSN program which I will be finished with in 1 year. For all those soon-to-be grads out there, all I can say is good luck!! There are no jobs! I'm out of school for about a year and I am still searching for ANY RN job. I am not picky and will take anything (nursing home, office, ltc, rehab, you name it)! I feel I'm repeating what so many new grads on here are saying....but it's true! It's really depressing after going through all that studying and studying in nursing school and still not being able to find anything. I have gotten my resume professionally reviewed by a few people so I don't think there's a problem with that. I write a very specific cover letter for each place I apply to. I've gone down to hospitals to personally hand in my resume to HR department/ nursing recruiters. I've gone to a few career fairs since graduating. I've kept up (or atleast tried to keep up) with the places I applied to and called them asking about my application, if any open positions, status of my application etc. I've gone to healthcare agencies that help nurses find jobs. Basically, I've done it all! Except I still don't have anything! I currently live in NYC and only have a NY state RN license but I'm thinking about getting a NJ license since I may have better luck finding a job there. I would definitely consider traveling or relocating to NJ for a job. Regarding volunteering- I did not volunteer in any hospitals which I probably should have.....but its not easy getting a volunteer position either. Most places I spoke with said they have too many volunteers and are not looking for any more, and some said to call back in a few months...

I am so depressed that I feel if I don't get anything soon, I will switch careers and go for something else. Not that I want to since nursing has always been a dream and passion of mine.

Any advice? What am I doing wrong?????

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you're doing nothing wrong. I'm in the same position... it sucks, i feel like crying sometimes. I need a job, i need to start my life... All i can do is apply and apply, and it just gets harder every time a new 500 of new nurses graduate and start looking for a job as well, your competitors will start increasing and your chances will be so slim.

I hate this

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I think the only thing wrong here is not you and what you do, but it is the location/state. Is relocation a choice for you? Maybe try New Jersey or any other states. I applied to all the new grads position and to all states except GA because their state board requires experience to transfer over from my state.

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Hang in there. Took me about a year to find a decent job. Did start at a couple of others, but they were terrible. Anyway, I agree you should now try expanding your search and consider a move if possible. You mentioned NJ, but I'd consider many other states as well. I would've done it if I could have.

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your post scares the heck out of me, im, a second year nursing student with a wife and family to support when im done in january 2013.

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I can say even as a nurse with 10 years, the job market is tough. Hang in there...

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I am in exactly the same boat, except I graduated in January. It's tough here in NYC. I thought about NJ too, but right now I don't even have the $200 to apply for reciprocity in NJ! I can't relocate, I am a single mom with 2 kids and my parents help me out & I need to help them out too. I will be working a few weeks this summer at a camp and also got hired for a flu shot clinic, but that doesn't start until August. And I have quite a few contacts in hospitals, VNSNY, etc and still nothing. To top it off, my dad has been diagnosed with gastric cancer and will be starting chemo next week. At least I'll be able to help him. I'm trying so hard not to get discouraged and fall into a funk, but it's hard.

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Specializes in ICU.

Maybe you've already looked into these options - long term acute care (LTAC) hospitals and methadone clinics. If not, Google them and continue pursuing reciprocity. Good luck!

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Thanks everyone for the support!

I cannot relocate to a state so far away since I have responsibilities here in NY. But i will start applying to NJ, possibly CT as well. I would commute to these states.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Neuro, Respiratory.

To get my first job I moved from the south all the way out to California. Like you said, looking in another state may be the key! It doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong. I think finding a job these days requires more time and a heckuva lot more patience and persistence. I wish you the very best of luck!!!

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Hey,

I'm really sorry to hear that the majority of new grads out there are having trouble finding their first job. To echo what was said before, it's hard to get hired even with years of experience!

I think the nurse recruiter was giving great advice regarding getting a BSN (the hospital I work at now won't even look at an application unless the applicant has a BSN), and to try to get into the VA. However, I'm going to have to strongly disagree with a new grad going straight into travel nursing or agency nursing.

Travel Nursing and Agency nursing is designed for nurses with experience in a particular specialty to come in and work when staffing needs are dire at a facility. I worked as a travel nurse and an agency nurse, and my orientation to each facility lasted anywhere from 2 hours to a whole shift before I was expected to just go out and do my job. There is no support or learning available for a new graduate. I had 2 years of Level I trauma ER experience and I felt totally lost during my first travel assignment, and I had nursing experience and was proficient in nursing skills you don't always learn in nursing school (i.e. IV's, foley insertion on a real person, etc).

As a new RN, you need 3 months - 1 year (depending on the hospital and specialty) of guidance and support. There's such a huge learning curve during the first year of nursing, and I would hate to see any new nurse put him or herself in an unsafe position (read: possibly risk their license) by going straight into an agency or travel position (given that they would even hire you. In fact, if an agency or travel company is willing to hire a new grad with no experience, run run RUN. My guess is they will have no problem throwing that nurse under the proverbial bus if something goes wrong).

My advice - check out other states (is Rhode Island too far? I know they started hiring new grads again), maybe get a job in a hospital (nursing assistant, unit clerk, etc) just to put a face with the name. That way, you can meet the nurse manager and show what a great employee you are. People are willing to take a risk on someone they know and like, so my advice to new grads and nursing students is to get employed SOMEWHERE in a hospital and network, network, NETWORK.

Hope it helps. Good luck!

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I'm currently a NS and this is heart rendering. Similar situation happened to a friend of mines, she decided to become a tutor for nursing students. She went back to the school she graduated from, hung fliers and spoke with some of her clinical instructors that "Liked Her" letting them knew what she wanted to do, they supported her and word of mouth helped her with a job at a school, she's not the school nurse but she teaches health.

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