I work for a the second largest employer in the state of CA next to the government. I'll leave it at that since I cannot name names for sake of my job. I currently work as a clerk/tech in the ER of this hospital. I love what I do, but I'm ready to be working a RN already. I just passed boards about a month ago, but it feels like it took forever to find a job. Which by the way, the job is not here :( I had a panel interview and they ended up not hiring me. When I emailed HR to get some pointers on what I could have done better, they told me it's not that you did that bad it's just that we hired people that 'we thought we succeed.' SO you're telling me that the fact that I worked full time and put myself through nursing school and still gave back to this company, for some odd reason you think I would not succeed in your med surg new grad program. Huh, interesting. Whatever.......on with the next.
So I got hired per diem at a psych facility. It's the same place I did my preceptorship. And I'll take it! It's per diem, so that's good, I'll have a little more control over my schedule and I like that, especially with football season upon us. I'm truly grateful for this opportunity that I've been given to start working as a RN.
However, here at the job I'm at right now, we have hired a ton of travelers. We are in need of staff nurses, and they haven't hired any of us new grads. It's so frustrating to see these travelers here that don't even know how to cancel an order in the system or understand our heparin protocol, but let's pay out the ass for them, but not hire the people that are already here and know the system.
I don't want to hear the b.s answer that everyone tries to give. "They don't hire new grads in the ER." Bull honkey!!!!!!! Every single ER in this county has hired new grads in their ER's. Period. And the other argument is that it's not safe to have new grads in the ER. Well you know what else is not safe, hiring nurses that don't know protocols, having nurses working here that are burnt out, jaded and not getting any time off because guess what, there are no nurses to work and cover vacations. Granted there are some other things in the mix that are keeping this department from starting a new grad program. But overall there is no concrete reason to not have one at all.
I'll end this entry with this, I'm starting a new job, because someone believes in my ability enough to know that I will be a good nurse. Like my new nursing director said, "someone gave me a change once and look where I am." I hope I can say that to someone some day when I'm hiring a new grad.
If you are a new grad and still looking, don't give up hope. Keep an open mind, be willing to work any where they will take you and get something going, so six months down the line now you're a working nurse, not a new grad. Keep your head low and spirits high. Something will come through that will end up opening more doors for you.
