Hi All,

I am currently in nursing school and will be graduating and sitting for the NCLEX in May 2012. I am planning on relocating to the Bay Area, and I've been following discussions on here for over a year, and some of them keep me awake at night. It sounds like it quite impossible to get a job out there unless you have very strong connections. I am wondering if this is truly the case for all (ex: is this even consistent throughout all areas of nursing, like Home Health and LTC...aka are the people saying they can't get jobs being too particular).

This said, I will be moving out there regardless and I do not expect to have a job. I am going to try to shadow when I go visit, see some hospitals, and create a network (I do not know a single person as of now). I will obviously not have any RN experience, but I feel like I have some strong credentials. I am in a 12-month Accelerated BSN program at a well known college in the Midwest, and I do hold another Bachelors degree in Psychology. I do have 4+ years of medical volunteer experience, ranging from summer medical camps to OR scrub experience. It is all unpaid, however. I also did a community development volunteer program in Thailand for a summer (some schools I interviewed with really liked this).

I am currently living off loans while in school, and therefore I am going to need to start working immediately whenever I am done. I also am going to be graduating with over $70,000 in loans, and the ball needs to get rolling ASAP...I realize I am probably going to be moving to the area jobless, so I am wondering if it is too risky to try and live off my credit while I go out there and vigorously job hunt? It seems like there is a big possibility of not being able to find a job for months. I also wonder though how many people that are jobless are trained at the Associate's level and hospitals are taking BSN prepared nurses instead - note that I am not saying there is anything wrong with either training, I'm simply curious as to if recruiters have a preference, and one group is having a significant amount more of luck.

Any advice in any form would be great. Please do not post that I need not to move there, because it's really not a possibility. Although, if you know of areas that are a relatively quick plane ride or drive away I would be interested in hearing (ex; Lake Tahoe, Vegas, Phoenix, ?)

I am willing to do anything, I'm not particular at all, and it wouldn't even have to be staff nursing if there was something else. I will not have a car but I am willing to commute to work as far as the BART or CalTrain could take me! Also if you are currently an RN in the city and would like to host a job shadow, please get in touch with me. I would very much appreciate hearing from you.

Thank you so much to everyone!

If you don't mind the stress and the insane staffing levels, there's a SNF in Petaluma that is always almost in need of RN's. Petaluma is about 45 minutes North of SF, and there are actually a few of my co-workers whom commute from Daily City which is south of SF.

The pay is ok, but it's really stressful. Working NOCs I get 30+ patients and they aren't just easy long term nursing home patients. On average I'll have 2 pt's on IV ATB's and 8 diabetics, some with insane NPH / sliding scale coverages. Plus wound vacs, breathing treatments, GI tubes.. etc. etc.. The facility has a high turnover rate with RN's because most stay until they can get better hospital jobs. I myself am leaving in July, one other RN gave her 2 weeks notice and a few are close to landing hospital jobs. IM and I can give you specifics on the salary and the DON contact info.

Jojo,

Thanks so much, for everything. I am trying to figure out how to send you a message and it looks like I do not have enough posts to (?). Not sure if you could message me, please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].

Thanks again for taking the time to reply and so productively.

I moved away from the Bay area after consistent unemployment that was stretching into years from months. Savings does not go far there. I would not recommend trying to live there off credit. I found it very hard to get a room in SRO hotels when I offered to pay cash in advance. The Bay area is not very forgiving to the unemployed.

Hi Jojo,

I just read your post and I was wondering if you could send me the information in regards to this SNF in Pentaluma as well. I currently live in the Bay Area with my husband and I just graduated from nursing school and I will be taking the board's exam in June.

Since I was also unable to PM you can you please e-mail me at [email protected]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help us.

I am insanely curious as to why you absolutely must move to this area when you don't know a soul here and face probable financial ruin by doing so. At least save up a little money to live on before you move. Without employment you will find it difficult to find a place to live, and roommates will not be able to charge your portion of the rent to a credit card if you choose to save money by moving in with a few other people. I'm scared for you, and I don't even know you. Please be cautious or you will end up sleeping in your car and, eventually, on the street. I love SF, but I wouldn't ruin myself to live here.

Rabid Response,

When I said I didn't know a single person, I meant in the "nursing world". Haha, I am sure this sounded crazy. I have a serious and committed relationship that is bringing me there (been apart for 2+ years now so it's getting rough), I would never choose to blindly move there! It is a tough decision though, I am still considering prolonging it for financial reasons. I agree, it does not make any sense at all if there is no job prospect within a one-month period. I am more curious as to the actions people are taking in their job search. I was now wondering about smaller towns closer to the coast in Central California (Santa Cruz, Monterey?) that are a driving distance.

Anyways, hope I solved your insane curiosity (on a bad day I have told my significant other that I feel like I would be "economically ignorant" to move without a job and coming from the Midwest no matter how much I loved him).

Life.

If you don't mind the stress and the insane staffing levels, there's a SNF in Petaluma that is always almost in need of RN's. Petaluma is about 45 minutes North of SF, and there are actually a few of my co-workers whom commute from Daily City which is south of SF.

The pay is ok, but it's really stressful. Working NOCs I get 30+ patients and they aren't just easy long term nursing home patients. On average I'll have 2 pt's on IV ATB's and 8 diabetics, some with insane NPH / sliding scale coverages. Plus wound vacs, breathing treatments, GI tubes.. etc. etc.. The facility has a high turnover rate with RN's because most stay until they can get better hospital jobs. I myself am leaving in July, one other RN gave her 2 weeks notice and a few are close to landing hospital jobs. IM and I can give you specifics on the salary and the DON contact info.

Wow, I am curious too. Can you PM me some info about this place please? :)

Ah. Much better scenario. Who knows what the job market will be like in a year, but right now it takes longer than one month to find a job. A BSN will not be much advantage if any since there are a ton of locally graduated BSNs already looking for work here. I know of one excellent new grad who found a job in Sacramento, worked for a year there, and then transferred to a Bay Area hospital in the same hospital chain. Sac to is not too too far from SF by train (not a good commute, but manageable for frequent visits). Maybe you could try applying to hospitals in that area .

Best of luck to you in school and with the job search!

I've been job searching in the Bay Area myself. I have 18 months experience in a large teaching hospital in Hartford, CT in Cardiac Step Down/Med-tele. I've found a few comparable positions @ Alta Bates and Kaiser systems. Am I going to face an uphill struggle if my husband gets a job out there? We can't afford to live in the Bay Area without 2 incomes, and I really don't want to stay behind and job hunt from CT. I guess I just figured I could find a job relatively easily given the number of hospitals.

Unlike others, I am not willing to work in LTC or med/surg, I only want critical care and would prefer to move into the ICU RN role.

Unlike others, I am not willing to work in LTC or med/surg, I only want critical care and would prefer to move into the ICU RN role.

Beggars cannot be choosers in the Bay Area due to the dire job situation. You must get your foot in somewhere, anywhere. You cannot afford to turn your nose up at any opportunity if you say that your family will depend on two incomes. Personally, I would accept a med/surg job, work on the floor for six months to one year, and attempt an internal transfer to the ICU.

Remember that 5,000 other nurses in the area only want to work in critical care, too. You are up against tremendous competition to get noticed by recruiters, nurse managers, and human resources.