L&D new grad positions LA

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Hello all! I'm in desperate need of some advice.

I'm currently a BSN student in Atlanta, GA who is planning to make the cross country trip to start my new life” in Los Angeles this fall.

I will take the NCLEX there so will have a current CA license, but I am seeking advice when it comes to getting a job there as a new graduate.

My senior practicum is with labor and delivery so I will have 168 clinical hours in this setting and would love to find a job in this area once I make the move, but am unsure if they hire new grads?

In Atlanta they do, but only to residency programs, but residency programs seem to not be nearly as popular/readily available in LA as they are here.

I realize Los Angeles is a huge area with multiple hospitals, but I am willing to live/commute based on wherever I get a job, but am unfamiliar with the hospitals and hiring process.

Any advice?

Hello all! I'm in desperate need of some advice.

I'm currently a BSN student in Atlanta, GA who is planning to make the cross country trip to start my new life” in Los Angeles this fall.

I will take the NCLEX there so will have a current CA license, but I am seeking advice when it comes to getting a job there as a new graduate.

My senior practicum is with labor and delivery so I will have 168 clinical hours in this setting and would love to find a job in this area once I make the move, but am unsure if they hire new grads?

In Atlanta they do, but only to residency programs, but residency programs seem to not be nearly as popular/readily available in LA as they are here.

I realize Los Angeles is a huge area with multiple hospitals, but I am willing to live/commute based on wherever I get a job, but am unfamiliar with the hospitals and hiring process.

Any advice?

I'm starting to feel like a broken record, but this question comes up often. I also planned to move to the area after graduation, but quickly changed my mind after some quick research. Instead, I decided to stay in my home state, get two years of experience, and then move. LA is a terrible market for new grads, with the spaces available far outweighing the new graduates looking for work. In fact, when I worked in Texas, I worked with a lot of California nurses who couldn't find work in their home state and were forced to move.

The cost of living is also super-high in LA and the traffic is almost unbearable. A 20-30 minute drive on a day with no traffic (like Christmas) is easily a 2 hour + drive on a "regular" day. You'll want to live close to where you work ...and go ahead and buy a luxury car with a good stereo system because you'll spend a lot of time in it.

Good luck!

Unfortunately Atlanta is very similar in terms of traffic.

It currently takes me less than 20 minutes to get into work and more than an hour to get home.

So traffic/commute is not a concern--more just if L&D is possibility??

Unfortunately Atlanta is very similar in terms of traffic.

It currently takes me less than 20 minutes to get into work and more than an hour to get home.

So traffic/commute is not a concern--more just if L&D is possibility??

We were actually found to have the worst traffic in the world in LA. Moscow came in second. New York City came in third. Atlanta did come in eighth, so I guess you do have some idea.

Try looking in the California section. People start new grad application threads that might be helpful to you.

https://allnurses.com/california-nursing/

I did not attempt to find work here until I got experience ...and L&D has never been an interest of mine.

Specializes in NICU.

I interviewed for a new grad residency in L&D at UCLA, so yes, they exist in LA. But I would add my +1 to Sour Lemon's comment that Socal is an absolutely desperate place to be a new grad. If you have a look at the California forum, you'll get a sense of it. I wouldn't recommend you move out there unless you have a job actually in-hand.

I wouldn't recommend you move out there unless you have a job actually in-hand.

Strong second. I definitely would not move out to LA without a job offer. As others have stated, many of the California forums basically read "Help, new grad unable to find job for 8 months, have sent out 100+ applications" and the advice is generally "Start applying to nursing homes or move." When I lived in NC, I knew plenty of new grad BSNs who had moved from CA to take med-sug jobs because they simply couldn't get hospital jobs out west.

I'm sure there are some L&D jobs for new grads in LA, but you wouldn't want to spend thousands of dollars moving cross country just to find that you can't pay your rent. This is especially true if you are only willing to accept work in one particular specialty.

If I were you, I'd get L&D experience wherever you can (even if it means Atlanta or rural Georgia) then attempt to break into the SoCal job market with some experience under your belt. Another benefit of waiting is that the hospital may cover your moving expenses as an experienced nurse, which they probably won't do for you as a new grad. There's no harm in applying for LA OB jobs, but have a realistic understanding of the market.

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