New Grad, no Job

Nurses Job Hunt

Published

You are reading page 2 of New Grad, no Job

CrazyGoonRN

426 Posts

I would take the 21/hr if its offered to you. The cost of living is lower there. If you don't have the money to start paying you loans back you can request a forbearance for up to 12 months.

NurseChevy

9 Posts

I would consider the relocation to va for job its a good location

mr cooper

57 Posts

Hmm, I'm interested to know but was the home care job an RN job? And I'm surprised your friend got into an RN residency despite having used their license in a SNF because, at least in California, any usage of the license makes you ineligible for the RN residency.

mr cooper

57 Posts

What areas (hospital, SNF, etc) have you applied to?

I'm not familiar with the job market your area since I'm in Washington state but I know a handful of new grads here that started out in SNFs and home care. This helped because they at least gained some nursing experience which opened more doors to other positions later on. One of my close friends did pediatric home care nursing for about 6 months and then got hired into an RN residency afterwards. I met one RN resident during my senior practicum that worked in a SNF for a year before she was hired into the RN residency.

Relocating is also a possibility if the job market is not as ideal in your area.

Hope this helped. Good luck

Hmm, I'm interested to know but was the home care job an RN job? And I'm surprised your friend got into an RN residency despite having used their license in a SNF because, at least in California, any usage of the license makes you ineligible for the RN residency.

Specializes in ICU.

$21/hr is better than the $20/hr I make as a new grad. Sure, it's low, but $21/hr is more than enough to pay rent and buy food if you live in a reasonably priced place and don't take major vacations all of the time. $21/hr is also a lot more than $0/hr. I would take that job in Virginia. You won't make any money not working at all, and you won't get any experience so you can move to something better. Most jobs that pay well require experience, so go get some! That's the best advice I can offer.

Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Telemetry/ICU Stepdown.

I'm another relocation story. I moved from Chicago surburbs to a rural area. There is a farm with goats right behind my house, so if your dream is to live on Michigan Avenue, Chicago then you will be disappointed. I work at Swedish American in Rockford which is OK. Management treats us well, nurses are mostly happy, and if they aren't, they have many transfer options to other units. Entry level openings like med-surg or ortho are always available.

I think what's screwing you guys is living in high desirability areas-insane competition from people who have master's degrees and will work for a bag of peanuts. This applies to all industries, not just healthcare. When the economy tanked, college applications exploded, esp. for people in their 40s and 50s desperately trying to go back to school, esp. for healthcare jobs. Now those middle-aged career changers account for most of the college loans taken in the last 6 years.

I think if you have to jump through flaming hoops and swallow swords so you can get an entry-level med-surg job then it's probably time to move. The recruiters in that area won't even let you take your first baby step, not to mention doing something more ambitious than med-surg. Med-surg is supposed to be a sandbox for younglings.

joanna73, BSN, RN

4,767 Posts

Specializes in geriatrics.

Agreed. I'm from a city of 6 million people. I moved across the country with a suitcase, gave and sold everything....to a small town. I needed to work immediately, and I'm so glad I did.

You're not getting experience or paying bills sitting waiting and hoping for a job. All the major cities are saturated with applicants, but rural areas are desperate. Yes, this may not be ideal, but for a couple of years, a rural area may be necessary. You do what you have to do in times like these. Eventually, you will get the job you desire, but often that "ideal" job takes time to find.

+ Add a Comment