Does anyone know of any hospitals in Hampton Roads, 757 area where I should I apply?

CrossCountryRN2008 · Nov 3, 2013

Sentaras Chesapeake Riverside

Bea Bea, MSN, NP · Nov 9, 2013

Does anyone know of any places in Hampton Roads / Newport News, Va Beach, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Williamsburg, etc, hiring & willing to accept new grads rn, bsn? Been applying to ALL hospitals since I got my license in July. Please &'thanks

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 9, 2013

Merged similar threads.

As I posted in your other thread, Sentara grads get preference at Sentara facilities. Bon Secours and Riverside also have their own schools with students to place. That's not to say you can't get hired at any of these places, but the hospitals are going to try to place their own grads first. Just keep plugging away and applying to every place you can.

Here's a list of hospitals in VA...not all of them are in the 757, however. But it's a starting point:

Virginia Hospitals and Medical Centers * VA

smn2010, BSN, RN · Nov 10, 2013

If you have an interest in psychiatric nursing.....

Apply with the Commonwealth of Virginia (State of Virginia). Eastern State Hospital (ESH) in Williamsburg, Virginia is hiring!!!

Disregard the salary range listed on the state job listing site. Regardless of what you may think, the state pays well. As a new nurse, you will make about $46,500 base pay annually but then you must include the shift differential to this. If you are able to work 3pm-11pm, the shift diff is about $5.75 hour (which is an additional $12,000+ annually = $58,000 annually). Not bad for a new grad!!! For those with years of nursing experience, the state usually provides 10-15% salary increase about your current job salary when hired.

With Eastern State Hospital you can work in either of two new buildings:

(1) Hancock Geriatric Center is building 1

(2) Adult Mental Health Treatment Center (AMHTC) is building 2.

Building 1 contains geriatric patients 65+ in age as well as patients who are younger than 65 but have medical conditions (cardiac, amputations (usually knee), PEG tubes, etc.) who cannot be cared for in building 2. Building 1 also has newly units that will contain patients who are preparing to be released to the community. These patients are like you and I however they have criminal backgrounds and basically served their time at ESH versus the local jail or prison. The new units will help these patients prepare for the outside world.

Building 2 contains civil (civilly admitted) patients and Forensic patients (the criminally insane). The forensic units consist of men/women who have been adjudicated Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI). These men/women may have committed heinous crimes (murder, brutal rapes/serial rapists, pedophiles...) which you must disregard while you care for these individuals.

I work with the forensic patients. The job is exciting, interesting and at times, mentally draining. The criminally insane are not "stupid" --- they are just crazy/insane!! (smile!) and there IS a difference!!. What I mean is, they are actually very intelligent. They are much smarter than most and can easily manipulate their caregivers (RNs, LPNs, CNAs). The forensic units are dangerous so you must be aware of your surroundings at all times. The patients usually get transferred from local jails. Once at ESH, the patients can be "off the chain" !!! Combative, threatening, inappropriate (walking around naked, urinating/defecating (urinating/defecating is rare; but it has happened)....) You will go through training on how to protect yourself as well as your staff. Your staff, in turn, are there to protect you. Every few months, we (forensics) do get patients that take weeks to get under control. Most of the jail transfers are not medicated (they can refuse their psychotropic meds while at the jail) so it does take days or weeks (2) before the medication becomes effective. Once this occurs, the patients are fine; but prior to this it may be constant - holding (of patients)...administering IM injections (buttocks usually)....placing patient into a seclusion room.

I can only say....it is NOT as bad as it sounds. The first month you are on the floor (out of orientation) you will be a "little" scared because it is all new to you; but once you get to know your patients, what their "triggers" (what upsets them) are it will be no different than a medical-surgical unit at your local hospital.

Many people will say, "I can't work psych" but keep in mind, EVERY nurse that goes to work on a med/surg, cardiac, oncology, etc. unit deals with psych EVERY DAY. There are many people/patients who are taking psychotropic meds so you will deal with the schizophrenic, narcissistic, schizo-affective personalities at your local hospital and not focus on it since the patient is there for reasons OTHER THAN psych issues. The bad thing is, you (the nurse) just won't know what they are capable of. You can be punched, spit on, kicked, etc. in any Emergency Room as well as the usual units in a hospital at any time. At least with psych hospitals, you know what you're dealing with-->right when you walk in the door. I actually feel safer going to work at ESH than walking inside the local mall. I say this because there are patient's who literally have beat innocent people to a pulp just for "looking at them the wrong way" while walking in the mall. They were arrested for the aggravated assault and the judge determined them to be NGRI and now they are at ESH on the forensic unit.

So if psych is your passion, decide whether you want to work with forensic patients, civil patients, geriatric patients or those patients preparing for release....

When you submit your application on line, PLEASE add a cover letter (Hint: find out who the director of the human resources department is and address your cover letter to him). In your cover letter, PLEASE indicate which area you are interested in/what your preference is. If you are hired, you will enter into an orientation period; however, you won't know what unit area you will be assigned until about 4 weeks into the orientation process. This part is a bummer!!! If you prefer forensics, you may find you are being placed on a geriatric unit. So, for this reason, be clear and SPECIFY what your preference is in your cover letter. If you get an interview, be clear and SPECIFY what your preference is!!

Commonwealth of Virginia employment website:

https://jobs.agencies.virginia.gov/applicants/jsp/shared/Welcome_css.jsp

Just do a search of "Registered Nurse" or "Nurse"....

If psych is not your interest -- consider public health with the state of Virginia (use the same website). Additionally, check each cities' employment site (Norfolk, VA Beach, Chesapeake, etc.) and look for nursing jobs with crisis rehabilitation, substance abuse, mental health departments. The jobs are out there.

Also for psych nursing positions, consider Virginia Beach Psychiatric Center (First Colonial Road in Virginia Beach) and other establishments like this because they hire new grads. Their website: www.vbpcweb.com

Think "outside of the box" when looking for nursing jobs. For now, forget the local hospitals and "think" about other places that nurses are needed (Patient First, dialysis centers...). It will be easier to find a job this way since most new grads will be bombarding Sentara, Chesapeake Regional, Riverside, etc....

I've written a short novel... So sorry, but I get carried away when it comes to helping others find jobs!!!

DON'T FORGET... CREATE A GOOD -- SPECIALTY SPECIFIC -- COVER LETTER !!!

(I have cover letters written specifically for psych, urgent care, doctor's offices, etc.)

Best of luck to you --- in whatever field/specialty you pursue.....

Bea Bea, MSN, NP · Nov 10, 2013

Thank you so much, I am actually interested in Psychiatric Nursing, and I plan on going back to school to specialize, I just hope that the hospitals would be willing to hire a new grad rn. But thank you for the detailed response, I really appreciate it! :yes: