Professional plateau

[MiSSYSiPPiiiEEE]

Hi I was hoping to get some career advice.

I graduated and first registered as a nurse in 2020, all during the peak of COVID19. I was offered a grad position in a surgical ward but turned it down for a full time offer for a position I had applied for in paeds (this was my dream job and I studied my butt off for the interview) even though it meant that I had to move to a different city and leave my dog home, as rentals were sooo expensive I could only afford a room in a share house. I was so proud of myself and my hard work but I then got bullied by one of the paed grad nurses, a close family member passed away due to covid, and my mother was stuck overseas because of the lockdowns and cancellation of flights back to Australia. I instantly lost all my self esteem, packed my things, and moved back home.

6 months later I was lucky enough to secure another job opportunity where the people I worked with were THE BEST HUMANS but since our jobs were COVID related, we eventually all had to go on our own ways.

I am now nearly 4 years post grad and still struggling to find a stable position. Applying for jobs is really hard since I don't have any recent references. The worst part, is that my anxiety is so debilitating that it prevents me from performing at my best during opportunities such as interviews, casual jobs, interactions with patients/people that I've met for the first time. Now I just really feel stuck with how I am supposed to progress further with my nursing career.

Any advice is appreciated 🙂 thank you.

[Croix]

Dear MiSSYSiPPiiiEEE~

Welcome to the Forum, a good move as you may find ides from others.

First you realise graduating as a nurse is no small tihng, it takes application, hard work and concentration, plus hte ability to stick to it over years.  You have also found there are good places to work, it's just unfortunate you have not found a permanent one yet.

I agree being out of work can seriously affect how one performs in interviews, if you have little confidence it shows. Would you consider taking a more ho-hum job as an interim measure so you can say you are  currently employed when you go for the positions you really want.

I do know in my local area ED, Lifeblood and Age Care Facilities all need qualified nurses, and while I"d not recommend ED unless you are prepared to be very stretched, Lifeblood normally has good hours, the work is repetitive (hopefully:) and a great deal of patient interaction is needed. Aged care is another matter and would probably be frustrating. The local hematologist  also seems to require a fair number of nurses to deal with private day-hospital infusions.

Does it look like anything there might be an interim possibility?

Croix