Where are new grad jobs?

Ebostylin · Mar 10, 2009

This is a problem that will be affecting many of us who are slated to be graduating this summer. I've been working at a hospital for the past 3 years as a nurses aid and even they don't have a job guaranteed for me. I have to check back sometime in May to see if they will have an opening for me.

Your best bet is to just contact the HR department or nurse recruiters for each of the hospitals to get some info about them hiring new grads. It's bad up here, but certainly not as bad as it is in California. I think you will eventually be able to find a job at one of the hospitals around here if you look hard enough. I'd look from Everett/Bellevue down to as far as Olympia if I were you though.

newgrad82 · Mar 10, 2009

Thanks I have been doing that all day. Good luck to you, too!!!!

lindarn · Mar 11, 2009

In case any one is interested, The Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education (ICNE), in Spokane, is holding a job fair this Thursday, March 12 from 9:00 AM at 2:00 Pm, at the down town center 412 Spokane Falls Blvd. The major hospitals will be there, and I am not sure who else. The new grads will be there, as well as the RN to BSN students.

This was not advertised widely except for the ICNE students. I found out from a friend of mine. You can call ICNE for more information: (509)324-7360. Hope this helps someone.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

pererau · Mar 11, 2009

Try the Franciscan Health System (Tacoma area), the Providence Health System (Everett and Olympia) or the Legacy Health System (Vancouver and Portland area). All three have residency programs.

retronovice · Mar 14, 2009

I think that Tacoma General in has a new graduate residency program for nurses. You might want to check it out. Best of luck!

fathertod · Mar 15, 2009

harborview has a new grad rn candidate pool (which means they are limiting hiring of new rn grads prolly, and are being selective). consider texas or new mexico first... possibly. heres some links and info..

texas

in austin, tx new rn grads jobs are hard to find (typically, low starting pay in sa)

in san antonio, tx the new rn job market is spotty. some facilities are hiring others are not. (typically there is low starting pay in sa).

in dallas, tx the market for new rn grads is alright. possible employers are being selectively picky about who they are hiring. (starting pay can range from $21.00 to $24.00 per hr)

3/12/09: valley baptist in harlingen has a hiring freeze (census is down, hurricane damage is still present in some rooms supposedly, other rooms havent reopened, ceo recently quit for unspecified reasons, i hear that if a rn quits they are opting generally not to fill the position but this depends on the department). travelers are being phased out. nurse techs having jobs waiting for them when they finish school at the facility is iffy--at best--as of now. http://www.valleybaptist.net

per this site and other sites: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/s...y,698857.shtml

(vbic is vbhs's health plan insurance division, which is a possible cash cow or cash drain. overall vbhs posted a nearly $30 million dollar loss on some $450 million in revenue. ceo quitting, losses and credit downgrades in a tight credit market = disaster likelyhood is high)

"the ratings of vbic are driven by poor capitalization as a result of unfavorable underwriting results and membership growth, which both pressured the capitalization of the health plan. capitalization, as well as profitability, improved at the end of 2008 due to the sale of the medicare business, but in a.m. best's opinion, it remains low, especially for the current growth rate.

the revised outlook is due to the uncertainty vbic experiences being an important strategic affiliate of its parent, valley baptist health system (vbhs), providing quality care in the harlingen and brownsville service areas. several one-time items, such as the 2008 hurricane season and current market conditions, have influenced the financial position of vbhs, thus affecting vbic.

offsetting factors include good membership growth across all product lines, divestiture of some unprofitable accounts in late 2008 and reduced enrollment concentration. a.m. best anticipates operating results to normalize in the medium term but remains concerned about the pressure the member growth will have on the capitalization of the health plan. "

valley baptist brownsville is probably working its way close to a hiring freeze, they are starting new grads out at $22.00 an hour. for example, they haven't hosted their usual recruitment festivities for new grads in the area and are tending to take a picky/wait and see/or it doesn't matter if you choose to work here, but we'd love to have you hiring attitude. additionally both are being flooded with apps from rn's from california and the northeast. not currently hiring any nurse techs. my opinion of this facility is dependent upon the shift and department respectively. the er is ok, med-surg floor is...eh...snf is ok, peds sometimes never has any pts, ld is always packed, day surgery is awesome, tele is packed but can be a pain in the rear, icu is usually packed. http://www.valleybaptist.net

valley regional medical center in brownsville, which is owned by hca, is hiring new rn grads, and starts new grads out at $21.50 per hr, prefers to "hire" locals as of now, however is not hesitating in hiring new rn grads from indiana, california, new jersey, and pa. i have met 4 to 5 new grads from those areas which are now working at valley regional. they are "being flooded by applications from southern california and the northeast". they are hiring nurse techs, but have a hiring freeze on other jobs like housekeeping, etc. turn over rate is rather high, however, they are addressing the issue. imo its not a bad place to start out. http://www.valleyregionalmedicalcenter.com

doctors hospital in brownsville, which used to pay the best by far in the area, especially for new grads and prn nurses...old rumors say that prn nurses are having issues making their 40 hrs a week now.

south texas rehab hospital in brownsville.. i have no clue what's going on there.

harlingen medical center (which is a physician owned and run hospital), which starts at around $22.00 per hr for new grads, generally census is high now due to issues at valley baptist so the rumor mill says. valley baptist owns some 40% of hmc, which probably means loans (for things such as payroll or operating expenses may have been floating around). overall, i like harlingen medical center, but the financial outlook is a tad scary imo due to its connection with vbhs. phased out their nurse tech program around 6 months ago. seems to be hiring new rn grads currently http://www.harlingenmedicalcenter.com

rio grande state center in harlingen, tx is supposedly hiring new rn grads (pay rate is unknown) its a mental health facility. http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/mhhospitals/riograndesc/default.shtm

knapp medical center in wesalco, tx is hiring new rn grads. (pay rate is rumored to be $21 or $22.00 per hr) http://www.knappjobs.com/current-openings/1087

rio grande regional medical center in mcallen, tx is hiring new rn grads (~21.50 to $22.00 /hr), http://www.riohealth.com/ or http://www.nosnowjobs.com

mcallen heart hospital in mcallen, tx is hiring new rn grads. http://www.mcallenhearthospital.com

mission regional medical center in mission, tx is currently hiring new rn grads, pay rate is unknown. http://www.missionhospital.com/careers.asp

laredo should be comparable, maybe even higher than the rgv. laredo is an icky town too closer to the downtown you get. the outskirts of the town are nice and new, and the report about the hospitals there from the travelers that i talk with are mixed.

eagle pass, tx: fort duncan regional medical center is hiring (even tho its an icky town), has a $24,000 sign on bonus for nights. is currently hiring new rn grads (pay is either $21.00 per/hr or it's alot higher, information is sketchy right now. http://www.fortduncanmedicalcenter.com/

alpine, tx: big bend regional medical center: small town and small hospital is not currently hiring. http://www.bigbendhealthcare.com/pages/home.aspx

new mexico

roosevelt general hospital in portales, nm is not currently hiring new rn grads due to staffing needs being met (pay rate rumored to be around $20.00 per hr.) http://www.rooseveltgeneralhospital.org/

plains regional medical center in clovis, nm is currently hiring new rn grads (pay rate rumored to be $22.00-$23.00 per hr). http://www.phs.org/phs/hospitals/hospitals/clovis/index.htm

unm hospitals (university of new mexico hospitals) in albuquerque, nm was offering a graduate nurses residency program circa feb-march 2009, but no job listing was found on the employment site. http://hospitals.unm.edu/nursing/residency.shtml

lea regional medical center in hobbs, nm is currently hiring new rn grads (pay rate unknown). http://www.learegionalmedical.com/job%20opportunities/pages/job%20opportunities.aspx

holy cross hospital in taos, nm is currently hiring new rn grads (pay rate is supposed to be around $24.50 per hr). small hospital and nice environment supposedly. http://www.taoshospital.org/ths.nsf/view/employmentlisting

los alamos medical center in los alamos, nm is currently hiring new rn grads (starting pay is unknown). http://www.losalamosmedicalcenter.com/job_opportunities/

fathertod · Mar 15, 2009

Try the Franciscan Health System (Tacoma area), the Providence Health System (Everett and Olympia) or the Legacy Health System (Vancouver and Portland area). All three have residency programs.

Franciscan Health Systems residency program doesn't start til July or August.. the pay can range from $23 to $25 per hr depending on the hospital... Seattle's market for new RN grads is either frozen or hiring in spots. It just worries me that hospitals are laying off staff (like LPN's and secretaries, etc.) and are still hiring RN's.. it kinda puts a bad feeling in my stomach.

vivicaq · Mar 22, 2009

Believe it or not but the health care industry is booming in Detroit Michigan and also in the Grand Rapids Michigan. The pay is good and the cost of living is reasonable, they have new grad programs and tons of overtime. housing is reasonable the only downside is that this is the mid west and snow is part of the equation. Am glad that you have a formal education as a nurse but now you will need to do whatever it takes to build a nursing resume, try not to stay out of the mix for so long and try to work on your license and certifications, be flexible and you wont regret it. I am speaking from experience, I have been an RN since 2000 and have made sacrifices along the way.

fathertod · Mar 22, 2009

The market for new grads has seized up in most parts of the country, especially where the housing boom especially was either hot or where it burst badly. I must disagree with you about moving to michigan because with a 10 or 11% unemployment rate in the state the chances of a new RN grad getting laid off are even higher. Jobs for experienced RN's are available, but for new grads its slim pickings. Heck, I can't even get hired in Yuma, AZ as a new grad... thats the sign of "market saturation"... I have hospitals in seattle interviewing me for nurse residency programs that begin in OCTOBER (and its march now...and i gradumate in may)... thats another sign of a problem..

I won't disagree with you about new grads being open in parts of MI (as evidenced by these slim offerings):

http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=new+rn+grad&l=mi

But basically, new rn grads should avoid the big cities at all costs because the hospitals are reaching there staffing saturation points... Essentially, new grads should be prepared to live in the middle of nowhere.

vivicaq · Mar 22, 2009

I beg to differ, I personally live in Michigan and the industry that is hurting the most is the Auto industry not health care. Detroit and Grand Rapids are in need of nurses. I am licensed in multiple states and the health care industry is still short in these specific places. The health care job are not being filled by the auto workers at this time because formal training takes time.

fathertod · Mar 23, 2009

You = experienced nurse with 10 years training

me = new grad rn

= different job market prospects since we are in two different spectrums of the same job market.

Its been 10 years since you've been a new rn grad, so I offerred up the proof that the new grad rn market is dead or dying most everywhere irrespective of the auto industry layoffs.

Housing bust = tight job market for nurses.