Good states for new grad nursing jobs and bad states?

Nurses Job Hunt

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Specializes in Geriatrics/home health care.

As in, what states have an adequate amount of jobs for and will hire new grads?

Obviously, California is a horrible job market for new grads.

Also, what would you recommend for a new grad looking for an out-of-state job? Whats the best way to look for jobs out-of-state?

I am sort of looking for a list of "good", "bad", and "OK" states for RNs with either an associates or a BS.

Thanks

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Unfortunately, this answer changes rapidly. Right now it's supposedly North Dakota. Not too long before, it was Texas. Before that, the Southern US

Tomorrow...who knows?

To make things worse: for every location that someone posts as being a new grad job jackpot, there will be someone else following along shortly to post otherwise and explain why (not).

I have noticed that in general, new grads seem to have better luck finding things in smaller or more rural areas, than trying to break into job markets in major cities or almost anywhere in California. Then again, it's been a while since I've been a new grad so I'm not actively looking for new grad work: I go by the trends I see and the feedback I hear.

Also, I'm moving this to the First Job Hunt Assistance forum to help you get more targeted responses.

Best of luck!

I'm from PA, but moved to Hawaii back in September after graduation in August. I know the majority of people I graduated with got RN jobs in PA not long after graduation. However, a lot of them were PCT's or nurse's aids on the floors they got hired or they previously did an internship at the hospital that hired them after graduation. I know there are a few nurse residency programs in PA though that will consider new RNs. Hawaii and California are awful places for new grads. I just landed a job here in Hawaii after searching for months but it's in an assisted living facility because no hospitals here really hire new RNs without experience.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I think it's relative...In the nursing orientation class I'm in, it's about 10 out of 40...On the unit they hired five nurses...I'm the only new grad. There is one unit that had hired 5 new grads, then 2 for another, one for two ther floors. Only ONE was a nurse extern. One of the new grads is from Long Island, NY.

Although I was a LPN before I got my BSN, I STILL got over 50 rejections/week, and it took me 8 months to find a new grad job. I'm in Philadelphia, PA, BTW. I just went to a career fair almost 1 year ago, waited patiently (200 people were in line) and spoke to a recruiter at a job fair. She gave me suggestions to tweak my résumé, then told me the trend when hospitals in the area hire...usually, September they begin to search and interview for a start date in the beginning of the year, December to be hired by March/April, July/August by September. It's cyclical, and most recruiters who are nurses are in the same circles especially, if they have relationships with other hospitals as well.

I say keep your options open, as well as seek out contacts, even from your school...your nursing instructors may have those connections in when they are hiring. You may land a job in another place as my new colleague did...if there is nothing holding you back, then the world is your oyster...land that new job!!!

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Texas still has new grad jobs - but not in major metro areas. For instance, Corpus Christi (CHRISTUS system) hires a lot of new grads and has internship programs available. It's the same story in other smaller cities.

iam a new graduated i heard it's hard for lpn to found job i don't no how true it's i'am living in PA

pasc36 - what part of PA?

NE PA (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area) is a decent place to get a job...I will be a new grad in May and have already had 3 interviews and an (unofficial) offer...

Specializes in LTC.

Have you looked into to Rural Northern California? We still have jobs here... Probably not for too much longer though, as every 4th or 5th student I meet is pre-nursing nowadays. :)

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
iam a new graduated i heard it's hard for lpn to found job i don't no how true it's i'am living in PA

If you are in the Philly area, it IS hard, but not impossible...just going to take longer to land a job.

NC is a bad state for any nurse--new grad or experienced nurse! Finding a job is difficult, plus the pay is not great at all. People can say it's a lower cost of living state, but it still doesn't cut it. Contrast it to Arizona where the pay is great and cost of living still pretty low.

Hawaii is probably the WORST state in the union to find an RN job if you're a new graduate without any acute care experience. I have graduated from nursing school back in May 2014. Since then, I have been working as a hospital CNA, applied numerous times for the new grad program in my area.....NO LUCK.

Hence, I have applied for endorsement RN licenses for various states on the continental mainland, and plan on leaving Hawaii.

I have only known of one or two instances where new grads were able to find jobs here. however, these individuals had connections via their nursing school, manager, etc.

Otherwise, don't even bother moving to this rock if you have recently graduated from nursing school with ZERO experience!

Texas still has new grad jobs - but not in major metro areas. For instance, Corpus Christi (CHRISTUS system) hires a lot of new grads and has internship programs available. It's the same story in other smaller cities.

^^ Gosh, looks like I will have to start also applying for an endorsed RN license to Texas. I have some classmates who have moved to places like San Antonio, almost have one damn year of acute care experience under their belt, and ready to move back.

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