What to do ?

[babygirls2]

Can somebody please tell me what I can do about finding steady employment. I am a recent RN grad. I have been an LPN for 14 yrs so I'm no new kid on the block.I have submitted several applications and talked to lots of HR reps and they all pretty much say the same thing you need 1 year of nursing experience.I have even been told that an LPN work is n ot considered as nursing!So then everybody wants you to go through what I call the New Grad hazing working the shifts nobody else wants,12 hours,rotating,and back breaking.Those things are not for me.That's not what I want to do. I have worked in Ambulatory Care for many years in various specialties clinics running them all by my self just fine with no RN around.I think that employers should recognize that everyone doesn't fit into the same perfect mold and what's good for one person is not best for all.I have several conflicts and responsibilities in my life including a disabled child that would make it very difficult for me to work 12 hr rotating shifts.What about the experienced RN's who are out here that work 4 or 8 hr shifts ,Monday thru Friday,straight weekends,or that job share that may be interested in precepting new RN's. It just seems like people fail to look at the picture and miss out on good employees by trying to put people in an environment they don't want to be in setting us up for failure.

[markpajak2]

Hi

If relocating is an option for you that will greatly increase your chances of finding a job. This is because there are labor pressures throughout the country, but not necessarily in the large metro areas.

The large metro areas (e.g. Chicago, NYC, LA, etc.) are probably the worst to look for a job (without solid experience) because of competition that has reached levels of frenzy never seen before. The large metro areas have 30, perhaps 40 nursing schools packed into a fairly small geographic locations. Those programs are graduating a steady stream of new nurses. This gives the impression of "over-saturation" of nurses which is a distorted perception that doesn't show the real picture in the country as a whole.

In a large metro area every medical center is getting pounded with hundreds of RN job applications every minute, every hour, day and night, mostly new grads but experienced RNs as well. This makes it challenging for people like you to make an impression and get an interview.

I was able to find an excellent med-surg position in a great hospital but I had to move out of Chicago and relocate to an area in northern Illinois. This area is more rural, but RN/BSNs are in higher demand because the ferocious competition from other BSNs is no longer here.

"Over-saturation of nurses" is just a distortion of the real picture and again, this happens only in the largest metro areas. The reality is there are labor pressures in many areas and there are hospitals that cannot meet their growth goals because they are lacking RNs, especially BSNs.

Also, if you have a 2-year Associate degree then the best thing I can recommend is getting a BSNs as soon as possible. If I have a BSN (the only degree I ever had) and I had serious problems finding a satisfactory job in Chicago, then you can only assume for the Associate degree nurses and the LPNs the competition for best jobs will be only more intense because they outnumber BSNs. Top employers are moving away from the Associate/LPN degrees because the governing bodies tell them that the BSN will be the new minimum education for nurses, and unless they increase their ratio of BSNs, they will not be allowed to pursue their growth goals, such as the Magnet Status designation.

Good luck to you.

[myladeybugg]

Finding a nursing job is very difficult right now, even for people with a BSN. Where I live it doesn't matter if you have a BSN or an ADN people want experience. If you can find a job at a clinic, urgent care, or doctors office this will get you some experience. You won't be getting paid as well but at least you will be gaining experience.

[markpajak2]

Finding a nursing job is very difficult right now, even for people with a BSN. Where I live it doesn't matter if you have a BSN or an ADN people want experience. If you can find a job at a clinic, urgent care, or doctors office this will get you some experience. You won't be getting paid as well but at least you will be gaining experience.

Basically they want you only if you're successful, gainfully employed and working for a great company. Now that I have all of those things, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD I BE LOOKING FOR A JOB?. I could have used a job offer a year ago when I needed a break. But if you're happy you are not going to be looking for a position.

Let them wait for their ideal candidate who will just give up a great gig and move from hospital A to hospital B just for the hell of it or to get a $1/hr raise. Maybe that was a good way to advance your nursing career back in 2006 or 2007 but there's been a lot of changes in the industry since then. Candidates not going to resign from a good gig in the year 2012. I hate job interviews, they're emotionally draining.

Hang in there, ladies, and good luck in your job search.

[maire]

Welcome to the site.