New RN Seeking Employment

[rjs63]

Hi there to all of you reading this post!
Recently graduated in August '09, passed FL boards in September '09 and am currently scouring the career centers of every hospital, SNF, LTC facility and rehab in the South Florida area. I have lost count of the amount of applications/resumes I have submitted. In addition to my RN license, I am certified in BLS, ACLS and TNCC. I hesitate to register for anymore courses until I find some source of income. I have applied to every position imaginable including LPN since I held a LPN license for 2 years while completing my RN. Of course the recruiter told me that the position was not appropriate for my level of education. ?? What exactly does that mean?

Outside of sounding desperate, I seriously have contemplated finding a job outside of nursing, at least for the time being. I was a paralegal for 14 years before jumping into nursing as nursing was always my life long dream. I have also offered to volunteer in three different hospitals (since I have some spare time on my hands) which hopefully will allow me to connect and/or network with hospital managers/directors for future positions. In addition to volunteering, I have also joined the local chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association. Can anyone think of any other networking strategies? I do have working experience in an Urgent Care and Emergency Department as well. However, the Urgent Care laid off all of the nursing staff to hire M.A. students and the E.D. job was per-diem with very minimal hours. That particular hospital where I worked is not hiring new grads at this time.... :-(

I'm sure that there are hundreds of other new grads out there that are in the same boat as me but sometimes we just have to vent.....
Glad to have found this site and look forward to any suggestions!
Thanks for listening.

[bbenson19]

Hi, try to do outreach and volunteer work first, Also aim for topnotch hospitals in your area. Gain more Seminars and trainings because this would be an edge for you as a new grad. Good luck and hope you'll land your dream job soon!

[Maire]

Welcome to the site. Don't lose hope. Sometimes it takes awhile.