[missie]

Hi,
My family and I will be relocating to Cedar Rapids soon. How hard is it for a new grad to get a job in the Cedar Rapids area? I have applied for several, and contacted HR departments, but no one seems interested in hiring. I am also very interested in working NICU or OB, can anyone recommend a good hospital? Thanks for your help guys!

[calla2114]

OK...St Lukes here in CR is known for being SLOW in the hiring process!! Mercy is faster but no speed demon either... You will probably not get hired in either hospital directly into the NICU...it only happens once in a blue moon and always seems to be someone that had an internship there. I interviewed for an OB position at Lukes two weeks ago..I have not heard back, but I am also a new grad and am not expecting to much! I know both hospitals are not really going to start interviewing new grads till the end of this month..that is what I was told at least, so I am not going to go nuts until after spring break...then I might make some more calls! You might also want to keep the Universtiy of Iowa in mind...they have much better pay, and the drive is only like 30 minutes. I have also applied there and I am going to call in the next couple weeks to set up my interviews...they require experience to get into their L&D also, like 2 years med/surg I think...If you need websites let me know...I have them all bookmarked!!

[purple_rose_3]

I know Mercy has internships on several different units for new grads. Check their website to see if they are advertising for those.

[eligrace]

Hi! Welcome to Iowa!
The hiring process is slow for nurses no matter where you go. There is so much background checking involved that it takes quite awhile. Just be patient. There are a lot of jobs to be had here! The advice on Iowa City is a great idea, especially for a new grad. They are very accustomed to training and they have a little bit of everything there!
Of course, since I work for the American Red Cross in blood services, I could always make a pitch for you! But whereever you decide, Cedar Rapids has a lot to offer nurses! By the time you get settled in I would imagine you will be hearing from some of the places that you have applied at.
Good luck!

[island40]

An outsider also has to work against the fact that the local graduates (Mt. Mercy, Coe, Kirkwood, Hamilton...) have contacts and have had the chance to network and in IA the person that they know is the one hired even if a better candidate on paper is available.