i had 3 interviews at 3 different hosp and didn't get hire. what do you need to get hired at a hosp? i have 2.5 yrs expericence as an lpn in psych. i just got my rn in may from excelsior college. although excelsior doesn't have "traditional" clinicals i've worked full time as an lpn for 2.5 yrs. i think skills are learned on the job anyways not a few weeks in clinicals. i get excellent evals from my bosses what more do you want? i may not give the best interview but does a bad interview mean you're no good as a nurse?
Have you updated your resume recently? You need to make sure you have a current resume and one that is well written and neat. Make sure your stress your strengths. Completing your RN while working shows good time skill management. After sending out resumes follow up with a call or a short note.
I hope this helps :)
HI,
I'm sorry to hear about your dilemma, I am LPN working in psyche for the last 2.5 years. I have been an LPN for 8 years. I got a job in a psyche hospital by my house but didnt stay because it wasnt a very nice place. I got a job about 6 months ago for a non-profit org. in NYC working with mentally ill and homeless, pay is good over $30.00 an hour. This is very good for an LPN as you know. Keep trying the hospitals eventually you will get hired.
I would like to ask you, i have been thinking about getting my RN from Excelsior also and would love to get some feedback from you if possible, especially about clinical and how it all works. How long did it take you?
Thankyou for your help I would greatly appreciate it.
missy142.1@juno.com:)
It appears, in my experience, that LPN's are being phased out of the hospital. I think that because of the acuity of our patients nowadays, short stays, and countless IV meds, LPN's are at a disadvantage in the hospital. I have heard through the grapevine that eventually RN's will be the same. Dunno, it's just a rumor. Please consider getting at least your ADN and getting med-surg experience. I wish you well.
Have you (hsieh) had any luck with finding employment as a new RN? Are there any teaching hospitals in your areas? Just keep sending out updated resumes. Be sure to follow the resumes up with a call or a visit in person. Sometime hand delivering your resume is best. Just make sure you look professional. Please let us know when your luck changes. Don't give up :)
BigRedNurse wrote:It appears, in my experience, that LPN's are being phased out of the hospital. I think that because of the acuity of our patients nowadays, short stays, and countless IV meds, LPN's are at a disadvantage in the hospital. I have heard through the grapevine that eventually RN's will be the same. Dunno, it's just a rumor. Please consider getting at least your ADN and getting med-surg experience. I wish you well.
i do have my rn now. if rn are phased out of hosp what will replace them?
Hey, you need to get hired! Are there any RN positions available at the place where you've been working as an LPN? I'd start there first if it were me (even if I hated the place) just to get that first RN position because they know you & your work abilities already.
YES, your interview skills are just as important to getting hired as your qualifications are in many cases. You need to put some work into that to improve it since you identify that as a weak area... Please read this (not just because I wrote it either)--- hopefully it may provide some help:
How to Make Your Nursing Job Interview Successful
Regarding RN's eventually being phased out -- thay may indeed be in the future... in fact, in some states (North Dakota) new hires can only be BSN's... (legislation pending in California & NY as well), and some hospitals, and organizations (Such as the VA) require a BSN degree for new hires...
This explains more:
To BSN or Not...
I don't believe there's a danger of ADN nurses not being able to get nursing jobs in our lifetime though.... far too many nursing jobs need filling!
So, let's talk about your interview skills and see if we can help as a group-- I'll bet others can offer advise and suggestions too if you tell us where you have problems during an interview ok?
i have a bachelor of science in business and an associates in nursing. does it matter that your bachelor isn't in nursing? i was thinking of getting my masters in nursing at a school that will allow me to use my business bachelors to bridge it. i think that would make me more marketable. in my organization the rn jobs are at the psych hosp and i really don't like psych hosp (take downs, not allowing people to sign out when they want). i love my job and my co workers where i'm at now but the pay isn't great. on another thread we're discussing liking your job vs pay. i obviously don't want more pay so i can spend 8 hours a day hating my job. i had a job like that in another field. every sunday night i would feel so depressed cause i had to go into work monday thinking i need this job for the money.
I personally think have a bachelor's degree in business and an associate degree is nursing is a nice prelude to you branching into a Master's in Nursing with a focus on Administration or getting your Master's in Healthcare Administration. As for nursing though, the BSN degree is eventually going to be the entry degree into "professional" nursing and the ADN will be the LPN of the future I'm afraid.
If you really hate psych enough then I agree you need to try to get an RN position someplace else, but if the hospitals around aren't offering you a job you will need to start somewhere and stay for 6 months or so at least to have something to put down as "present position" (as an RN) before applying back at places you'd really rather work at. Are there any LTC facilities around?
i do work as an rn in a ltc facility (for the chronically mentally ill) but i get lpn wages. i sign my name with an rn. i am licensed as an rn and in oct when the lpn expires i won't even have an lpn to my name.
Ok, but does the facility's nursing dept or human resources dept have you listed as an RN or as an LPN there? If you're in an RN job there you shouldn't need to say anything on your new job application about "when" you graduated from "that" nursing school-- just that your present position is as an RN at such & such place & you've worked there since.... whenever..... I think.
I don't know what state you are in but in California the BON recently won a High court decision against excelsior college. The Board here does not accept the clinical hours from this college as adequate and will not allow graduates to sit for the NCLEX. It could be that the schools reputation for turning out inadequately trained nurses is affecting your ability to get a job. I don't see that you should have a problem in your previous field of psych as your OTJ experience should speak for itself. However if you want to go into acute care you might want to look into a clinical refresher course. The community college where I got my RN offers a 15 week clinical course for new nurses and also for nurses that have been away from the field and are returning. 13 of those weeks is spent in acute settings and most people I have known who have taken the course have greatly benefititted (sp?) from it. I too am currently in psych and know that my clinical skills have gotten rusty. I would most likely take such a course if I returned to acute care.
It will look good on your resume and you might be able to move into a job at the hospital where the clinical aspect is done!
Hope this helps
hppygr8ful
Have you thought about taking one of the RN refresher courses to get more clinical hours as a RN?
