New Grad RN - Job advice?

U.S.A. New York

Published

Hello,

So in September I will be starting my 4th and final year of my BSN program at Rutgers.

My goal for a while has been to get a job in the city and live there several years. I know it's especially hard to get a job in NYC especially for new grads as the market is very saturated right now. However, is there any advice/are there any ways I can increase my chances of getting hired?

For now I work as a CNA at a hospital in NJ so by the time I graduate it will be 1 year experience under my belt. I don't have any certifications besides the BLS/CPR, although I've heard getting your ACLS and PALS before graduating is sometimes a waste of money because hospitals train you for it.

Is there a way I can stand out amongst new grads? I used to claim I would never take a job in med-surg but I think doing CNA work has gotten me more adjusted to it and for now I wouldn't mind getting a job in any department (although my true passion is mother/baby, but that won't be for a few more years once I get other experience).

Thank you very much!

JWEMT

173 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care.

Since you have no experience I would definitely take ACLS, IV cert, PALS, phlebotomy, ekg etc. It will help you stand out. If you have the money go for it. True hospitals will pay for it but you would want to look dedicated. You could upgrade in NJ and then get 1 year RN experience before moving to the city.

Jasmin910

10 Posts

Hey! Good for you for being proactive! Being a CNA is definitely an advantage just because it shows you have some medical experience. I know when I graduated last year I was a mess looking for a job before finally landing one so here are some tips:

- Network with professors/hospitals that you did clinicals at

- Once you graduate take time to get your resume together (don't wait until after you pass NCLEX)

- Start looking at hospitals you're interested in (Sloan, NYP, NYU, North Shore) to see when they hire new grads (I know NYP has an event for new grads in like Jan or something for people graduating in May)

- Look for any nursing job fairs to go to even though you don't have a license as yet just to get familiar with people and get business cards

- Create a LinkdIn profile (a recruiter actually reached out to me from seeing my profile)

- If your schedule allows see if it's possible to do some volunteering at one of the hospitals you're interested in (I know even volunteering at a hospital can be difficult, but worth a shot!)

- Also if all else fails, if you like where you work maybe take a job there and once you hit a year start applying to other hospitals (trust me a year flies by, it's crazy)

Good luck and congrats on entering your final year, you're almost there!!!

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