Please tell me things will get better!

I graduated with my BSN in December 2009 and passed the NCLEX March 2010. I got hired at a huge Detroit hospital 1 week after I passed the NCLEX, the first job I applied/interviewed for. I was so happy that I thought I was dreaming...then I got a call about a half an hour later saying that they were rescinding the offer due to my criminal background results. I was charged with 3 felonies in May 2006, all dismissed. I am not eligible for expungemnet because I have 2 misdemeanors as a result of this incident: Leaving the scene of an injury accident and attempted unlawful use of a motor vehicle. The hospital knew about the misedemeanors when they offered me the job. I spoke to two lawyers about this situation and they said that there is nothing anyone can do because theoretically the charges should not prevent me from being employed.

Fast forward one year: I got a job working as a Public Health Nurse for the county, primarily with the Maternal Infant Health Program. I have been working here since April 2010 and I absolutely hate my job. I don't even feel like a nurse, all I do is weigh babies and help Moms get baby supplies. I am searching high and low for another job that will offer me more clinical experience. My morale has wasted away to nothing and it is reflected in my work. I cry alot because I feel so trapped and hopeless. I will do almost anything other than what I'm doing now....home health, nursing home, sub-acute. I just want to practice NURSING and build my skills It has to get better right???
Keep searching and you shall find. Just continue to be straight forward with your criminal history and explain the situation thoroughly. This should help you more so because there is nothing more that an interviewer hates to find than a surprise. If you explain everything and demonstrate your responsibility and how you have grown, it will cast you in a better light and may help the potential employer to more willing to help you.I hope you find what you are looking for.Best wishes,JE

It's easier to find work when you already have a job, so look as the current position a an investment. The quality care and responsibility you show in your current job will help offset the stigma of some earlier mistakes (there are so few perfect people around, anyway). Do your best with what you've got, and in a few years you may look back and see it as the best thing that ever happened to you. Wishing you good luck and a long satisfying career.

OP, you really are not that bad off right now. Probably somewhere close to 1000 or so NGs from your grad date to the present cannot find ANY nursing job.

Thank you all so much for the encouraging words. They really mean a lot. I am in tears as I type this. I'm so dissatisfied with my life right now...I just have to keep the faith and find the strength to move forward.

I graduated in May 2010, licensed since July and can't buy a job, I would love yours, try adding more to the job, maybe teaching new moms something, think critically are they breastfeeding, what about immunizaitons, can you teach them about bathing, or feeding, or anything, You have an opportunity till something else comes up, I have friends that graduated in 2009 who still can;t find a job, count your blessings.

The hard reality is you have a job. I know you are struggling to find your dream job and the past unfortunately, keeps haunting you, but you need to get over those feelings of sadness. Be proud that you're helping new mothers, innocent children and providing key tools to better their lives and in turn, your own. Find passion in your job and help those in need of your services. You can be a valuable asset to the county and your community. What can be more rewarding then that? That is what nursing is about-helping people, and even though, you might not have to perform the duties you learned in clinicals, you still are making a difference and in my opinion, a even bigger one: you're making for a stronger, healthier next generation. All the best to you

take those lemons and get to making lemon-aid already! i'm a '09 grad and i didn't get the position i wanted either. a few months ago i even wrote a post about how down i was feeling about getting "stuck" in a non-acute nursing position. well, after feeling sorry for myself for a few weeks i decided to make the best of it. first, i made the decision to stay for at least two years so i can get certified in my specialty. i also made the choice to do as much patient teaching about nutrition, chronic disease management, and smoking cessation as i possibly can fit into my day. as an outpatient nurse you have an opportunity that many of our peers on the floor do not....time to do actual patient teaching. i have managed to get some of my patients to be compliant with taking their medications, have helped some lose a few pounds, and or reduced the amount of cigarettes they smoked or have outright quit (only two have quit but it's something ). i get them to find a primary care doc and go for check-ups or f/u with their health problems etc. next, how involved can you get in your facility? i've been cautious and respectful of stepping on toes but i still have managed to get a few ideas implemented. as a nurse there is always something you can do to make life better for someone else. it's really a matter of how motivated you are to do so; if you want to stick to exactly what is in your job description that's your choice. since i've passed the one year mark i've started researching positions where i can utilize the work experience i have acquired so far. yes, even though i'm committed to staying until i get certified i still keep my resume updated and look for openings because i want to be ready for the next opportunity. i have been very pleasantly surprised to discover that in another year or two i will have the experience to advance into some positions that i would not have qualified for as a bedside nurse in an acute care setting. finally, consider going back to school for the msn since you're not being physically and mentally drained by floor nursing. there are msn programs with a focus on public health nursing or you can even look into getting the msn in education. later on if you get that acute care experience you want and you decide that you want to be a np you can do a post-masters certificate which are usually 15-30 credits plus clinical hours. i don't even feel like a nurse, all i do is weigh babies and help moms get baby supplies. i am searching high and low for another job that will offer me more clinical experience. my morale has wasted away to nothing and it is reflected in my work.

i totally understand your fustration.I know a couple of nurses who have criminal backgrounds with more than one count of felony, and it is hard for them to find jobs in hospitals. It might be easier for you to find a job at the nursing home. one of my siblings who was in school to be a nurse in royal oak michigan was charged with two counts of felonies. As a result, we left and came back to chicago so that she could finish school. after grauating, my relative had three job offers within two weeks of graduating....I know this is probably not where you would like to work, but something beats nothing. Here in chicago, new grads in LTC facilities make more per hour than their counterparts in the local hospitals. with your bachelors degree, if u secure a position in a LTC facility you can perhapsget promoted to DON status and be making 75000-85000 per year. i wish you the best of hope, and do not lose hope.

You need to consult with another attorney and get a second opinion. When applying to Board of Registered Nursing i knew i would run into problems because of my juvenile records where i was charged with a felony. It's worse because the penal code I was charged with is a "non-sealable" charge and it means that I cannot get it sealed or expunged. I tried getting it sealed anyways and was denied twice. I spoke with a public defender and asked her what my options would be in the event that the board of registred nursing denies my application. She said that I could go to the court and speak in front of a judge and say that my records are preventing me from getting a job and that I could petition to get the records removed "expunged." You should try talking to several attorneys and see if there is another way around this. The judge will put a lot of things into consideration: how long it's been since the incident, how clean your records have been since the last incident, letters of recommendations from employers, family and friends and proof that you were denied of work because of your records. I also felt that my records would impede me from getting a license but when that public defender told me of my options i felt like there was hope. She was very nice, informative and sounded very knowledgable. So i urge you to consult with another attorney and don't give up! people are give a second chance, now all it's gonna take is perseverance! good luck to you!

Also, i forgot to include is that when fill out your application, put "please ask" under the part where it asks "have you ever been convicted" put yes but also put "please ask." Employers will appreciate your honesty and just explain to them what happened and then emphasize on the good things you have done since the incident. Through my experience, it takes years for your records to become harder to find. My probation office and a publilc defender even told me that after 10 years you can almost say "no" when asked if you were ever convicted becaues employers have to dig deeper to find your records, unless of course if you are applying for a government position. The type of background checks most employers use can track back as far as 7 years, and it seems that your charges are still within 3 years, so it's still pretty recent and will most likely pop up. So two things i can suggest: 1( keep applying for a job and just be up front and honest with them. 2) consult with another attorney who will help you and give you more information. sometimes it's a matter of finding the right attorney to consult with

Quote from Juwoni totally understand your fustration.I know a couple of nurses who have criminal backgrounds with more than one count of felony, and it is hard for them to find jobs in hospitals. It might be easier for you to find a job at the nursing home. one of my siblings who was in school to be a nurse in royal oak michigan was charged with two counts of felonies. As a result, we left and came back to chicago so that she could finish school. after grauating, my relative had three job offers within two weeks of graduating....I know this is probably not where you would like to work, but something beats nothing. Here in chicago, new grads in LTC facilities make more per hour than their counterparts in the local hospitals. with your bachelors degree, if u secure a position in a LTC facility you can perhapsget promoted to DON status and be making 75000-85000 per year. i wish you the best of hope, and do not lose hope.

Hello, I would just like to say I feel your frustration. I live in the metro Detroit area and graduated December 2009 with my BSN. I got licensed in march 2010. My first job was in the ICU of a busy Detroit hospital. I found myself back in computer training (which I didn't mind), but when it came to working the floor it seemed as if no one wanted to train me. My preceptor told me from the beginning "I don't know why they hire new grads, you don't know what you are doing". Well I found this situation highly upsetting and my anxiety took over. I was asked to do procedures I had never done performed before without any instruction or supervision. When I would ask a question regarding patient care it seemed as if I was such a burden and I was made to feel like a fool. It was totally demoralizing. Needless to say it did not work out. I did approach the preceptor and told her what I was feeling and what I needed from her but all I got in response was she wasn't going to hold my hand. The reason for my response to your post is that your job seems like a dream to me. I have a great interest in providing care to new mothers and infants. I did my senior year on the mother/baby unit and absolutely loved it. I am starting to think heavy duty clinical nursing might not be for me. I would love more info on how you applied, how I might be successful in pursuing a job like yours. I appreciate your time and I am anxious to hear back from you. Good luck in your quest to find the right fit. I know people say be happy to have a job and lord knows I had many sleepless nights over giving up on my ICU job, but I was physically ill going there and trying to work with and around my preceptor. I pray that I will stay strong and eventually the right position for me will come along, because ultimately I want to be a successful nurse.