Philly BSN grad: no jobs - wait it out or relocate?

I don't think "relocation" is as easy as you think it is. Most places that still have jobs are pretty savvy about people moving to get experience then bouncing back later on, and won't consider you as a candidate. Out of the dozen or so interviews I had, all of them had pretty probing questions on why I was interested in moving, several of them downright suspicious.

Many applications from the Philadelphia area are simply ignored, one recruiter telling me that she "as a general rule, don't consider people from Philadelphia because they aren't usually a good fit" mainly related to the fact that it was a rural Texas town and things are much different from the Phila Metro area. One recruiter asked me where I was in Pennsylvania, and when I told her I was near Philadelphia, I had to spend the next ten minutes trying to keep her on the phone because "she has had bad experiences with people from big northeastern cities." Both of those conversations turned into semi-productive ones for me, but the general consensus is that it's hard for people from the northeast to "adapt" to other parts of the country, especially more rural areas.

I've spent a lot of time out of the northeast (in fact, out of the country entirely) so I was able to turn their prejudice against the region in my favor, but at the same time I don't entirely disagree with their points. The first thing I do when I get to Philly, NYC, Chicago, or any other major city (even Houston, yuck) is gorge myself on "city food." Greek, indian, mexican (less of a problem in the south and Texas, but a b*tch to find in Wisconsin or Africa), sushi, you name it. I am also frustrated that the best shopping option is frequently Walmart. You get used to having "things" be that restaurants, shopping malls, public transportation, whatever. And many of the places that haven't been hit by this recession (as badly) don't have any of those things.

To address your other questions: You can't wait it out. Once the next bacth of new grads comes out of the pipeline, you're pushed to the back of the line. Wait too long and you may become unemployable.

Regarding the military, the first question to ask is 'do they have a job for you?' Recruitment is much easier in bad economic times then good, so they may not be recruiting as heavily, may offer fewer bonuses, and may even turn you away if they have too many applicants for limited slots. I don't know that first-hand, so addressing the military question would be better oriented towards the subforum here. If the military is your last choice, I wouldn't think you should consider it. It's not just a job, it's a lifestyle. You can't quit and it isn't a good fit for many people.

That's the million dollar question, and everyone is trying to answer it. I personally would recommend going back to school. MSN, MPH, Clinical Nurse Leader ... something. It should reset the clock once you graduate (again), and hopefully things will have recovered by then.

RELOCATE! I am a May 08 grad from Boston. There are about a bagillion Boston hospitals here and no one is hiring unless your mom is the nurse manager. I finally caved in January and started applying out of state and finally got offered a job in DC that starts Monday. Best thing I ever did.
If you were to join the military it takes about a year for the process to be completed and then start boot camp. Bottom line is you need a job and you need one soon. If Philadelphia isn't proving to be a good market for jobs then go somewhere for a year and come back.

RE Military- I've been looking at the Navy for when I graduate. With a BSN you go in as a commissioned officer in the Nurse Corps and they're still offering sign on bonuses. I've actually thought about starting the process before I finish so that things are ready to go when I graduate, but I don't know. The thing that gets me right now is that I couldn't just quit if I really hated it, but at the same time maybe that'd be good for me?

Hi,
I understand your frustration. It is hard even for those with significant experience. I wouldn't recommend relocating to Texas or any southern area. It is very different from the Northeast. I close friend moved to Texas a year ago because her husband got relocated and she hates everything about it. She says people are very different and could not get used to the weather, she even developed some health problems. Have you thought about relocating to a more rural PA area like P-burg, Williamsport, Scranton, or even nearby states like DE, MD, or VA? The commute home wouldn't be so bad, and I do believe the market is not so saturated. Good luck to you.

There still seem to be plenty RN positions in the Pittsburgh area, although I have heard the same things that previous posters have mentioned about applicants coming from areas where there are few jobs just to gain experience. The hospital doesn't want to invest the time, money, and effort into integrating a new RN into the system just to have them bug out in a year or so when they have "experience". I might be wrong, but I think it takes a bit more than 12 months to gain true experience. Best of luck with the job search, and as I said, both systems in Pittsburgh (UPMC and WPAHS) are hiring RNs.