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Home > Ask A Career Coach > Looking for work in your late 60's!

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Looking for work in your late 60's!

Brucealynea K. on March 23, 2022

Job Search, Resume Building and Writing

Hello, I am a almost 68 year old Nurse Practitioner who cannot find any kind of employment after breast cancer treatments. I have a unemployment gap due to treatments and Covid-19 that spans over 3 years now. I have revamped my resume, applied online, networked with prior colleagues and even gone in person to clinics old and new with my resume in hand to no avail. Until recently I couldn't even find a place to volunteer my services as Covid had many free clinics shuttered. I can now volunteer but only as an RN until I have been credentialed thru the state which takes months. This is truly disheartening and to make matters if I don't secure some kind of employment before April or May 2022, I will lose my license. Please help me if you can. Thank you.



2 Comments

Image of Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Apr 5, 2022

Cancer and Careers Staff Comment:

Hello Brucealynea,


 


I'm so sorry to hear that you are having such difficulty finding employment! Covid-19 has really impacted the healthcare system, as you mentioned even with the free clinics. I will pass along your post to one of our career coaches who can hopefully provide you with some additional considerations and direction.


It sounds like you've put in a lot of time and energy, and have been doing a lot of what I would suggest. With that said, I wonder if there are possibilities for temporary positions? Perhaps you could start off as coverage for someone going out on planned maternity leave or some other type of leave? It might be a good idea to get in touch with nursing schools to see if they could point you in the direction of any openings or opportunities. It sounds like you've definitely been doing all the right things, now it might just be about getting creative with your approach and perhaps exploring avenues that aren't exactly what you were looking for and/or conventional.


 I hope you're able to find something within your necessary timeframe. Good luck!


 


Best,


Nicole Jarvis, LMSW


Assistant Director of Programs


Image of Julie Jansen

Julie Jansen

Apr 6, 2022

Career Coach Comment:

Dear Joy,


I just reviewed your resume a few days ago so am familiar with your background. As I mentioned in your resume review, your resume is quite strong so I just had a few minor suggestions. As Nicole said, it sounds as if you are doing many of the right things in your job search. I like her idea of pursuing less conventional paths. I realize that there is ageism in the workplace which is very unfortunate so I am sure that this is one factor that is preventing you from getting interviews or being hired. 


Here are some ideas of jobs that you may not have thought about or pursued. I realize that some of them won't be appealing but you never know what may resonate for you.


School Nurse


Cruise Ship Nurse


Research Nurse or Pharmaceutical Nurse


Camp Nurse


Nurse Midwife


Parish Nurse


Insurance Firm Nurse


Prison Nurse


Army Nurse


Dermatological Nurse


Public Health Nurse


Hospice Nurse


Home Health Nurse


Plastic Surgery Nurse


Managed Care Nurse


Rehabilitation Center Nurse


Traveling Nurse (Locum Tenens) (I know you have done this in the past)


Telemedicine Nurse (Example company is The Pill Club but there are lots of companies that offer this) (I know you have done this in the past)


Charity Nurse (for disaster relief non profits and organizations)


Outpatient Care Nurse


Health Administration Nurse


Licensed Nursing Facility Nurse


There are also a range of non-clinical jobs that may not pay as well of course however you could consider them. They are:


Patient Advocate


Medical Scribe


Medical Receptionist


Wellness Coordinator


Healthcare Customer Service Representative


Qualit Improvement Coordinator


Medical Secretary


Professor


Diabetes (or other diseases) Education Specialist


Memory Care Director


Clinical Educator


If you do pursue any of the jobs I listed, you will need to customize your headline and summary to overtly say that you are using your Nurse Practioner experience and your education to pivot into whatever the job is and ensure that your professional skills reflect what the job posting says so you can get noticed by ATS software.


Please write back if you have questions. I am sorry that you are experiencing this however you are extremely marketable and just need to keep persevering even though it is difficult.


Take care,



Julie


 


 


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