CA RN needs to move out of state

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi, I graduated in May of 2010 and live in CA. How do you go about finding jobs in other states. Do you have to have a license for each state as you apply? We obviously need to move somewhere, I don't know what to do. I am about to find another new career. I am extremely frustrated and discouraged that I will never become a nurse. It has been 9 months and I interview and they know I do not have experience and they tell me "oh sorry we hired or want someone with experience". Why interview me then. Sorry this has just been frustrating. I have almost every certification I can think of to get. (NRP is next). I know I am in the same boat as a lot of other Californians and other states, but I am getting tired!

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My husband recently told me that he is willing to relocate if that is what it takes for me to start my nursing career. I graduated in May 2010 too and have yet to even be offered an interview. I understand your frustration and have also expressed to my husband that I want to have a career change too. He thinks I'm crazy for saying that but he doesn't fully understand how this whole situation makes me feel. We worked our butts off to get to this point and spent a whole lot of money to go to school and get all the different certs out there to make us look more appealing on paper, but still all we face is rejection. I'm sure it was devastating being called for an interview and then being told you did not meet their qualifications. I recently applied to a new grad program in Arizona (Mayo Clinic- it closed on the 16th) but if I find anything else I will be sure to post it here. I know I may sound ridiculous and maybe a little dramatic but I tear up about 4 times a week because of this whole situation. By the way, what certs do you have? All I have are the BLS and ACLS. I'm thinking of getting my PALS and EKG soon, but gosh, money is really tight right now. Are you volunteering anywhere? I'd like to volunteer but I don't know where to being looking...

And yes you'd have to apply for a new license for the new state you will be practicing in, and you'd have to pay another fee and everything...

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Specializes in Corrections, Education, Med/Surg, AGNP-HIV.

You do not need a license to apply for a job in another state but you will need a license if you get a job and work in another state. You will have to check each state board in the state you are applying to to find out what it takes to endorse to that state.

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Some employers won't consider out of state applicants without a state license. Unless you want to start investing in all these licenses, you can indicate on the application that you will obtain the license with a job offer.

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Specializes in CT stepdown, hospice, psych, ortho.

Pick carefully which states you want new licenses in (most bang for buck will be a compact state) because the whole license thing is a giant money siphon. Every one you apply for will end up setting you back at least $100 by the time you pay for transcripts, background checks, etc, etc

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
hi, i graduated in may of 2010 and live in ca. how do you go about finding jobs in other states. do you have to have a license for each state as you apply? we obviously need to move somewhere, i don't know what to do.

get a license in texas (it is a compact state) and move to texas. right now they are hiring new grads.

my husband recently told me that he is willing to relocate if that is what it takes for me to start my nursing career.

same advice, move to texas.

i am not from there, but i know of new grads that moved and landed jobs quickly within the specialty units of choice after moving to texas. check out the texas forum to see the best areas to live (places that are hiring and have a relatively low cost of living). gl!

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@abeecal2010 I have BLS, ACLS, PALS and apparently this is not enough. I was told by a recruiter that they don't want me because I graduated in May. They only want the ones just graduating. She said it is because I have lost skills daily by not being away from patient care. This blew my mind!!

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I would not move anywhere unless I had a job in hand--maybe that seems obvious, but some of the above posters seem to be suggesting that. It's too big a risk to take and you can't be sure what a job market is like until you're actually in it and applying.

Once upon a time I was a CA new grad with almost two years of unemployment. I applied at several places across the country and took the first job that was offered me. I think some of the keys were learning about the licensure endorsement process before my interview (I knew a lot more about it than HR or the nurse managers) and showing that I really was motivated to move. But I got very few responses to my applications and only the one interview.

To my surprise, they didn't seem to care at all about my gap between graduating and working. I guess at one time--and still, in places where there is a nursing shortage--it wasn't unusual for nurses to take a variety of paths to employment, to take time off to raise children or whatever, or to graduate and then follow a military spouse overseas before working, and so on. Neither did they seem interested in my BLS/ACLS/NRP, though surely some hospitals would be.

So, apply widely, word your cover letters carefully, and make sure you have enough extra money around to fly for some interviews. I got the tip that resulted in my current job here on AllNurses, so ask around. Good luck. I know how hard this is.

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get a license in texas (it is a compact state) and move to texas. right now they are hiring new grads.

same advice, move to texas.

i am not from there, but i know of new grads that moved and landed jobs quickly within the specialty units of choice after moving to texas. check out the texas forum to see the best areas to live (places that are hiring and have a relatively low cost of living). gl!

interesting you say that because if you read the texas forum new grads are having a hard time finding jobs. i want to move to texas but i think it's just a hard to find a job there as anywhere else.

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Neither did they seem interested in my BLS/ACLS/NRP, though surely some hospitals would be.

I had a few interviews before being offered a position, and I also found that none of the hospitals cared that much that I had ACLS - they only wanted me to have BLS. What they cared most about were things like my GPA, letters of recommendation, and the school/program I went to. So once I started highlighting these things more and redid my cover letter, I started getting call-backs.

Most recruiters are super swamped with applications, so when I wrote my letter and revised my resume, I thought about what I would look at from the perspective of the recruiter. I made it as easy as possible for them to see my qualifications without wading through unnecessary material, knowing that at this point, they just need to see the necessary info. I really saw results this way.

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I have applied to a lot of places in Texas. The hospitals I heard back from told me that they were giving first priority to in state applicants. Definitely do your own research and don't make a move unless you get something in writing.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical/ Telemetry.

if you're looking for a job in texas with no experience, you'll have a hard time finding one if your target cities are the big cities (houston, san antonio, austin, dallas). they dont accept new grad most of the time.. but if you'll apply to those small cities, rural areas far to the big cities in texas, you'll have a big chance..

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