What am I doing wrong?!

[nicole anne, BSN, RN]

Any advice (or encouragement) you could offer would be appreciated :)

I'm a relatively new nurse with about 3 years experience. I had a hard time finding a job as a new grad and took a position as charge nurse of a busy long term care/respiratory unit out of state for a year. Following a family medical need, I moved back home and took the first job I could get: pediatric private duty. I've been doing PDN for 2 years now and am ready to move on.

I'm looking to get into acute care but have found it difficult. I've had help with my resume, worked some fellow nurse friends for contacts, and spent more days off applying to jobs than I can count.

I feel stuck and am getting frustrated!! I can't seem to figure out what I'm doing wrong in order to get myself noticed. Any advice??

[poolrn14]

I'm not too sure of what pediatric private duty entails. Is it basically home health? What tasks do you perform? You have to make your experience work for you in your resume. When applying to jobs, I hear that a lot of companies screen applications with a tool using key words. Try to tailor your resume with each job. Do some research online about what key words to use for certain positions along with the key words used in the job description.

With your experience, why not look into local agencies that staff home health nurses? With your LTC experience, you could try to look into SNF and other LTC facilities but you need to get the experience of being the nurse taking care of the patient. I've never worked in a SNF or LTC facility so don't know what charge nurses do so correct me if you are more hands on and help pass meds, etc. I'm still trying to understand how LTC facilities hire charge nurses with no experience. With your pediatric experience, you could see if there are pediatric positions open for someone with little experience to no experience. I don't know about where you live but sometimes it's all about timing. You may have to consider relocating if jobs are scarce with no experience in a regular hospital setting. I relocated when I didn't find a job soon as a new grad.

Best wishes.

[RunBabyRN]

Are you landing interviews? If not, then your resume needs some TLC. Are you working the one job only? Have you considered looking at PRN jobs in your desired specialty, even if not in acute care? For example, I have wanted to be in L&D forever. I was able to get a part time position at a free-standing birth center. I have also been doing freelance lactation work for years. I was recently hired in L&D with no acute care experience, and they asked more about the birth center job than my current FT job within the same company (but outpatient), even though I am often triaging OB patients! Get creative.

Are there any peds units where you are? That might be your ticket into the acute care setting, even if peds isn't your goal. Even ER might like peds experience, since peds usually freak out ER staff if they don't have that experience.

[wanderlustnurse88, RN]

Are you applying for casual positions as well as full time/part time? Sometimes you need to apply for casual just to get your foot in the door. Try emailing managers as that can sometimes work in more rural settings.