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Dear Ken,
I'm a GN, second career and am looking for work. I find a lot of places are not hiring GN's. I'm trying not to have to do an "apprenticeship" in a nursing home that includes passing meds for 6 hours a day and 1.5 hours of paperwork with minimal pt interaction. Advice, any contacts in Pittsburgh?
Thanks,
Craig
Craig:
Unfortunately this recession has taken its toll on even Nursing. Who would have thought their would be unemployed nurses today? However, hospitals are opting for experience as the cost or orientation and new hires is expensive. There are many nurses with experience working a fulltime job and a perdiem job at another location.
I would grab that nursing home apprenticeship to get your foot in the door to experience. Then try to move into a hospital setting as time goes on. The 2 year new RN is especially getting hit hard as hospitals are also opting for 4 year BSN nurses when they can. The pay is the same so hospitals are taking advantage and hiring mostly BSN new grads for the same outlay of cash. It also allows them to seek MAGNET status which requires a high percentage of BSN nurses.
It is kind of an anomaly as I could get 3 jobs if I wanted because of my experience when new nurses cant even get hired.
Good Luck!
Ken RN,BSN,CCRN,MICN
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Answers by Expert:
Ken RN, BSN, CCRN, MICN
Expertise
I can answer questions regarding all aspects of Nursing as a career in general. If you need help deciding if nursing is a career for you, then let me help you with your decision. As an added bonus, I can answer your questions from the perspective of being a man in nursing who has a wife that is also a nurse. Men is nursing is more accepted today than it was when I began in 1993. Regardless of your gender, Nursing has so much to offer and is among the most respected professions of our time. I have been a registered nurse since 1993 and have been certified in Critical Care nursing since 1996. I am currently a full-time Critical Care Ground Transport Nurse/Mobile Intensive Care Nurse(MICN).
Experience
My experience over the years since 1993 have been spent between the Emergency Room and the Critical Care Units. More recently since 2007 I have been working in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as a Critical Care Transport Nurse/Mobile Intensive Care Nurse(MICN)/Emergency Medical Technician(EMT). This unit is known as the Specialty Care Transport Unit(SCTU). I transport all age populations with critical medical problems from Hospital A to Hospital B in the back of an ambulance. My job is to make sure this patient remains in the same or better condition and to handle any emergency that may arise during the over the road transport. BLS/ACLS/PALS/NRP/ITLS Certified Provider.
Organizations
American Association of Critical Care Nurses
Honor Society of Nursing, Upsilon Rho Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International
Education/Credentials
BSN,Nursing/
Critical Care Registered Nurse(CCRN)/
Mobile Intensive Care Nurse (MICN)/
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)/
AAS Business Management
Awards and Honors
American Ambulance Association-2009 Star of Life Recipient
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