Peds nurse needs advice on job-seeking efforts

[cornhonker]

I've been an RN for three years. I spent almost one year at a hospital on the pediatrics floor, and then began work at a special needs school, where I worked for over 2 years. I'm getting ready to start nurse practitioner school. I'm seeking per diem employment, but I'm having no success getting a job. I've run into two barriers--employers state they want an employee with more scheduling flexibility, and they say they require at least one year of acute care experience. If I can't get a job, how can I get more hospital experience? I would love to return to hospital nursing, but even non-hospital jobs "require" more acute care experience than I have. I would consider new grad residencies just to get in somewhere, but my NP program begins before any residency program would finish. Any suggestions on how to overcome these barriers? Thanks for your help!