Best way to find a nursing job in the US ?

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Hello!

This is my first post in the forum.

I'm a French nurse and I'm planing to move to Florida. I started all the paperwork to pass the Nclex but I don't really know which way is the best to find a job...

Based on your experiences, do you think it's best to find a job on your own ? With a law office ? Or with a recruitment agency ?

And if you think a law office or a recruitment agency is the right path, do you have some to recommend or any advice and/or warnings ?

And lastly, can you start looking for a job while you're waiting to pass the Nclex or is it a waste of time as hospitals won't even look at your resume without it ?

Thank you all!

Just so that others may try to give some more insight, you said you have been an RN for not so many years, but you do have some years as an RN in what particular special nursing field and was it a paid hospital clinical position for how many years?

It might help in a US sponsor looking at your experiences to see if you're a good fit for them. A sponsorship does mean that the sponsor will be paying for your entire cost to do all the legal paperwork and it's not cheap. But as mentioned earlier, sponsorships are very hard to come by but not impossible, just not as many as previous years.

While FL does allow one to take the NCLEX-RN without presenting a SS#, they will not issue the actual license until they are provided with a valid SS# that's work authorized or you have a valid working visa. I don't know how long the US will begin to start to look at applicants coming from France, but it's expected to be several years with regards to them looking at the visa process.

Check with the local French embassy there or see if you can ask a French immigration lawyer if he/she can give you a 15-30 free minutes of consultation advice on how long it will take to obtain such a working visa as a nurse.

Glance over the FL state nursing forum here and you can see how the job market is going (or not going).

Be very careful in dealing with recruitment agencies, especially if they charge a lot of up-front fees and sounds too good to be true (and it is if they can promise you the moon and the stars with easy to get visas, as each level gets more expen$ive).

Thank you for your advice, here's some more information about my nursing career ;)

I have been a registered nurse in a Parisian hospital for more than 2 years in recovery room and acute care. Before that, I've been a nurse's aide for about 6 years in different wards, also in Parisian hospitals.

And regarding the Nclex, if I pass it in Florida, do I have a limited time to get a SSN or will my diploma stay "on hold" indefinitely until I get one? Do you think I should pass the Nclex in an other state? I want to go to California but it's even harder for now as I can't even get a shot at passing the Nclex there...

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Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical.

It doesn't matter what state you take the NCLEX in as far as passing it. It is a NATIONAL exam meaning that the test I took in Wisconsin is the same one you'll take in Florida and the same one given in California. LICENSING in a different state may be easier, but as far as taking the actual exam, it doesn't matter where your backside is sitting when you take it

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It doesn't matter what state you take the NCLEX in as far as passing it. It is a NATIONAL exam meaning that the test I took in Wisconsin is the same one you'll take in Florida and the same one given in California. LICENSING in a different state may be easier, but as far as taking the actual exam, it doesn't matter where your backside is sitting when you take it

I know it's national but I have to choose a state where I can pass it without a SSN, that's the problem. If it wasn't for the SSN, I would pass it in California directly :(

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I know it's national but I have to choose a state where I can pass it without a SSN, that's the problem. If it wasn't for the SSN, I would pass it in California directly :(

CA Board of Nursing has been very rigorously looking at applications. The major issue is concurrency which is having class and clinical at the same time. Also your time as nurse is considered "nursing experience" so you have 2 years experience. Most hospitals are looking for nurses with a college/university degree.

Applying to a state which you have no intention on working can be expensive and time waster.

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I'm also very interested in working in Florida but my ultimate goal is California. And as I can't go directly there, I thought I could work a couple of years in Florida and then try to move to CA. I think it will be easier if I'm already in the US with US nursing experience, don't you think ?

And regarding the Nclex/SSN issue, Is someone knows if I have a limited time to get a SSN once I have passed my Nclex in Florida or will my diploma stay "on hold" indefinitely until I get one?

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

If you have trouble with the CA BON due to concurrency issues then trying to endorse from FL will not owrk.

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I'm also very interested in working in Florida but my ultimate goal is California. And as I can't go directly there, I thought I could work a couple of years in Florida and then try to move to CA. I think it will be easier if I'm already in the US with US nursing experience, don't you think ?

And regarding the Nclex/SSN issue, Is someone knows if I have a limited time to get a SSN once I have passed my Nclex in Florida or will my diploma stay "on hold" indefinitely until I get one?

I would contact your country's nursing board and see if they know of any current nurses from there that have had no problems with passing thru either CA or FL's BON educational requirements. Yes, you're already aware of the SS# requirement in CA, but just to see if others have "made" it, but only if within the last year.

Make sure that you ask the French BON (??) and they know of "current" French nurses applying recently and I say that as requirements can change without any prior notices, so "current" should be within the last 6-12 months, nothing beyond that as it's too old.

Each state is very specific on their own requirements, so that needs to asked to. Even the border States are different in their requirements.

I don't know about the time requirement to get a SS# in FL, but in CA, it's 8 years or else, one must re-take the NCLEX over again.

Hopefully, your college transcripts will be evaluated as a BSN degree, this again ask your nursing board and your college, still no guarantee however, till the course evaluators does their job.

Yes, CA is very tough to get educational requirements to be met. It seems like most of the European community has issues with lacking pediatrics courses, MS-OB and or Orthopedic courses. If that's the case, finding these schools offering the deficient courses are probably just as tough to find and get enrolled in as there are several countries that do not meet the CA BRN standards.

Having several years of US RN working experience is no substitute to make up for any deficiencies in the college transcripts. The state's BON are all educational based to pass their licensing requirement, so even endorsing into any other state will always depend on your school's transcripts.

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Thank you Loriangel14 and Steppybay, it's clearer now!

So I guess I will pass my Nclex in Florida (as it is a state that I love and that don't require a SSN), then find a RN job there (the hard part) and if I still want to move to California in the future and that my transcripts are not evaluated as a BSN degree, I will try to get classes to meet CA educational requirements. Am I right ?

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Thank you Loriangel14 and Steppybay, it's clearer now!

So I guess I will pass my Nclex in Florida (as it is a state that I love and that don't require a SSN), then find a RN job there (the hard part) and if I still want to move to California in the future and that my transcripts are not evaluated as a BSN degree, I will try to get classes to meet CA educational requirements. Am I right ?

Kind of.....don't forget even if you pass the NCLEX in FL or any other states that doesn't require putting the SS# on the first-timer application or endorsement app, the FL BON or the other State's BON will not release the license till you give them one that's work authorized. Without that license in hand, any employers can't hire you, your resume wouldn't reflect that you're officially an RN yet.

Yes, you're a NCLEX-RN passer but not quite the complete RN yet.

Yes, you need to wait till the CA BON can review your transcripts before looking to take any courses as it's unknown if maybe you're already good to go or lacking in a course or two.

If your transcripts are not deemed as being of BSN equivalent, then you may be more of the LPN or LVN level, both terms means the same level, just depends on the state as to what they call it. Which means you'll need to complete the LPN or LVN to RN route, more schooling, that is.

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Ok, thank you Steppybay!

Yes, I didn't mentionned the SSN cause it will come with the job. I heard many nurses saying that you can find a job if you're a Nclex passer just waiting for a SSN. Do you agree?

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Ok, thank you Steppybay!

Yes, I didn't mentionned the SSN cause it will come with the job. I heard many nurses saying that you can find a job if you're a Nclex passer just waiting for a SSN. Do you agree?

I don't think that if you find a job, it will come with a SS#? Where did you hear this?

It's the other way around, get the SS#, then you're in a position to look for a job.

Not sure about if you pass the NCLEX, you can find a job? Maybe a non-nursing job, but not as an RN without having the license in your hands and it's posted with the State BON. There's too much liability to any nursing employer with an unlicensed employee.

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Specializes in Home Care.

You can't work without a valid work permit

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