Being unemployed as a registered nurse is not as straightforward as the state would like it to be. They require you to apply for any and all positions that you are qualified for whether it be full, part or even temporary work.
I completely understand why they want people to do this. They want you to be off unemployment and making money for you, your family and contributing to society as soon as possible. What the state fails to realize is that nurses are also held accountable be their state licensing boards. This means that we need to be careful where we choose to work.
If we go to nursing homes, shared communities, memory care facilities, etc. The med-techs that work at those facilities work under the RN or LPN licenses. That means if those med-techs screw up we as, head nurses, are held accountable for their screw ups. We can lose our licenses and livelihoods because of someone else’s carelessness.
So while unemployment may ask us to look “everywhere” for jobs most nurses know that picking jobs that won’t cost them all that they have worked for will not make the list. Which can leave the most vulnerable of our population hanging in the balance.
It’s a sad state of affairs, but that’s where we are today. We have to be very cautious or we can lose everything. I wish states could see the difference in jobs. Yes, all jobs matter but some individuals do have accountability elsewhere that make decisions harder.
Most of us really do want to work we just need it to be the correct fit which takes longer to find. One of these days I really do believe I’ll find that job for me. Until then, I’ll keep treading lightly.
Steeley Grace 