So...I'm a month from graduation...still no job offers, but then, we're in the middle of a TERRIBLE job market. Therefore, my parents (well, my dad, since he's some kind of evil reclusive genius) have come up with A Plan. This plan involves several aspects of my life: I will live at home with them-( yay! i get to cook! grr! i have no social life!), and spend 8 hours 5 days a week making contacts, and doing a real job search that will also gain me contacts within my profession. This is how dad got his job, and i KNOW it works. At the same time, I will be getting up at 0530 every morning, and exercising for 2-3 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, both going up the Mountain (its quite a small mountain) and doing pilates, and so forth, so as to be "as marketable as possible). With grudging acceptance, I have realized that he's probably right- though I'm not huge, i'm quite certain that if i were in STELLAR shape I would get away with more. :-p Dad calls it "stacking the deck in your favor".
One of the key factors in this plan is that Dad has consistently stressed that I should NOT just take "anyone who will hire me", because that will likely make me miserable. Instead, I should work all the contacts I can get, and hold out for a job I will LOVE, and be psyched about every single day. He has a point- why would I put in all this work and money to be miserable?
Therefore, as this plan goes forward, I will be blogging it. Think of it as Crash Course In Nursing, Part II- The Search for the Perfect Job...coming in Mid August to a monitor near you!
About Me
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- Alpine, R.N.
- I'm from Up North, but went to nursing school in the Mid Atlantic. I've been a volunteer EMT for 8 years, hold a useless liberal arts degree, and read a lot. I'm a New Grad Nurse working on a high-acuity surgical floor who knows just enough to be VERY AFRAID. I do my best to do right by my patients, but that doesn't mean I'm all sunshine and rainbows. :-D
10 comments:
Sounds like your parents love you very much.
Best of luck in your job search, and in...erm...stacking your deck. ;)
"terrible job market" ??? For nurses??? LOL not here in Texas!
ED RN
For NEW nurses? With NO nursing experience? Most of the ones I'm seeing demand at least a year of experience, sadly. Plus, from what I hear, Texas is hotter than Philadelphia...which means I'd probably MELT
ED RN: Here in TX, the job market for graduate nurses is as tight as the market elsewhere in the country. Many people have been laid off, and so retired nurses are returning to the field to pick up the slack.
Our school normally enjoys a 95% job offer rate before graduation. The class that graduated in May had less than 50%.
Unless you've done your homework/networking well beforehand, specialized jobs as a graduate nurse are almost nonexistent here.
XY: In the DFW area if you have a license you can pretty much get a job even as a new nurse. If you really want to start in the ED you would probably have to go to Parkland but, that place looks really good on a resume.
D: Yes it is much hotter here than Filthadelphia (ugh I hated that place when I was stationed there) but we do have AC ya know ;)
ED: I am in the DFW area. It's not as rosy as you might think. I go to a well respected school, and new grads are having a hard time finding jobs.
Sorry to hear that XY but, I know several that just graduated that had GN jobs straight out of school. Maybe they were just lucky. Anyhow I hope you find what you're looking for soon and, good luck.
ED RN
XY: I'm not sure if you're looking for an ER position as a GN or not or what part of DFW you're in. I think Baylor Carrolton has been hiring GN's for their ER. You can apply online. Not sure if they still are but, it's worth a shot right.
ED RN
Thanks for the lead, I truly appreciate it.
ED isn't my bag, I like a little more continuity, and my ultimate goal is advanced practice, so ICU is my bag. I worked hard networking from the moment I stepped into nursing school to ensure I had a job when I get out. I have an ICU externship that will lead to a job (unless I manage to screw it up somehow). I'll put my name in at the big academic hospitals and if I get a fabulous offer, I'll take it. If not I really enjoy the ICU I work in now.
It's not that *nobody* is getting jobs as GN's, it's that it's far from guaranteed, and most likely it's required some heavy duty networking.
ED RN- ED is SOOOO my bag! I will look on it myself, but I think I'd MELT in Texas...
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