Adventures in Job Hunting

Sometimes life has other plans for you, right now I'm experiencing that in trying to find a nursing job. But aren't there many nursing jobs out there? Well yes, there are, in fact, there is a prediction that there will be a nursing shortage in the near future as more nurses retire and the population gets older. However, with the downturn of the market nurses that would be retiring soon, are not, leaving fewer positions for new grad nurses. There are internships/residencies offered to new grad nurses, which are a great opportunity to get started in a new career. The only problem with these programs is that they are only offered 1 or 2 times a year and the application to hire process takes 5 months.

So where does that leave me? I chose to take time off from job hunting last summer to get married and go on a honeymoon. Since returning to the job hunt, the tone of the market has changed and many hospital systems require a nursing degree (preferably a BSN). I did not have a BSN, however, am continuing to work on my Masters in Nursing, and have a previous Bachelor's degree. However, the prospect of a MSN was not getting me far into the market, and I lack experience as a nurse, compounding the situation. But I was in store for some good news from the University of Portland, they were granting those students who were in my program and continuing on with the Masters, a BSN. So now I have two Bachelors degrees and will have a Masters in a year!  Since being able to put BSN on my resume and applications, I have found that I make it a little further through the application process, not being weeded out so quickly by the computer.

So, in the mean time, I am trying to remain positive, patient and persistent in the job hunt and hopefully soon everything will pay off!!