Advice needed for new BSN, RN in the Tampa, Fl area

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I recently graduated with my BSN from a school in St. Louis. I passed boards in January '12 and I relocated to Tampa, Florida. For every application I fill out and every HR department that I visit, I seem to get the same response, "We do not hire new nurses." I can understant that to a degree. However, I also have a BS in Psychology and 10 years of experience as a EMT medic in the Air Force. Not to mention, I was selected during nursing school to do research and study abroad to Africa and teach about HIV. During my military time, I worked in Labor and Delievery and was deployed as a combat medic. I have tons of experience in nursing, just not under a RN license. Does anyone have any advice on how to get a job at a hospital here in Tampa if they only go off your time as a "RN"???

Thanks!!!

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Specializes in Peds OR as RN, Peds ENT as NP.

I do not know long you have been in Tampa, but last month there was two new RN residency programs hiring. That was St. Joes and Sarasota Memorial. Both of them hired many of my classmates. Lakeland Regional Medical center also hired friends from my Program. Both Lakeland Regional and Sarasota Memorial hire on a rolling basis I think. I was hired for AllChildren's Hospital new RN residency. Right now Bayfront and St. Pete General are hiring new grads for their residency program. Try those.

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The Residency thing is a little confusing to me. We don't have anything like that in St. Louis or anywhere in the midwest in fact. I talked to a recruiter at Tampa General and she explained it as a 32-52 week program, half clinical setting, half classroom. I just can't go back to any type of school setting at this point. I have my BS in Psychology and BSN. Are the residency programs all the same? I guess this is all just very frustrating for me because I have been a medic for the past 10 years in the military. I have years of combat/trauma and basic nursing skills. I know I'm ready to start! I will check out the 2 programs you mentioned. How is your program? AND...thanks for the info!

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Have you considered hitting up the temp agencies to at least get some "RN job experience" of some kind? That way you might get a foot in the door & you will meet people in the area and in the nursing field and can network. Too bad you don't have a FL EMT license; you could probably find a position with Sunstar or one of the other ambulance companies.

Definitely try the hospitals in St Pete that were suggested. We have tons of hospitals on this side of the bay. (I live in Clearwater myself.) I'd stay away from Northside in St Pete unless you were absolutely desperate though. I'd also consider looking at jobs in Pasco County, just north of us here in Pinellas. Heck, if it was me, I'd be looking all the way from Daytona to Sarasota/Bradenton and north to Pasco & Hernando counties. Rent's cheaper in the latter two areas anyhow. Commuting stinks but it beats being unemployed.

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Specializes in Peds OR as RN, Peds ENT as NP.

I don't start until next month. I will be in the OR so my orientation will be one year. Other units are way less. The residency program is just as you described- classroom, support, and actual working. Pretty much as a new grad nurse no matter the experience we are novices. I imagine you want to go into Trauma/ER huh:)?

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@RN Sam, It just surprises me that after getting a BSN and passing boards to be an actual RN that this area makes you continue doing classroom stuff. I understand being on an orientation of some sort, but the internship seems a little much to me. My hope is to get an ER or Labor and Delievery position. I worked for 4 years on a L&D unit and did all the skills of the nurse with the exception of hanging meds. Thanks so much for the info though and good luck with your new job!

@ hgrimmet, I hadn't thought about temp agencies because I would think they would have the same requirements as the hospitals. (To have RN experience) Have you heard differently? Also, thanks for the heads up on the area, I am really not familiar with anywhere. I just moved to Riverview and it's only temp. until I figure out where I am working and get something close to there. I like the St. Petersburg area though!

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I honestly don't know what the temp agencies requirements are, sorry.. i'm still a nursing student :) but I've lived in the area here since 1999. I dod software tech support before, and the temp agencies always kept me busy. I know a guy who worked primarily thru the temp agencies for a while (at least 4-5 years) as LPN.. he seemed to like it and it worked out well for his schedule. Yeah, any agency isn't going to pay as well as a hospital, but you don't have to do it forever either.

Welcome to the area! St Pete (like any city) has its good and bad neighborhoods. Out of all Pinellas County, (since I can't afford to live on the beach) :cheers: my favorite places to live would be St Pete, Dunedin, and Largo. I could rent a house in Pasco County for 2/3 what we're paying for rent at our apartment.. but then there'd be a commute involved. My hubby works in Clearwater and wanted to live close to his work.. we used to live in St Pete and because of all the construction on US 19, it took 45 minutes to an hour just to drive 14 miles. So we moved to Clw. The people who have it the worst on commuting here that are the folks who have to cross Tampa Bay (in either direction) during the am and pm rush hours over any of the bridges. So not fun. Try to avoid that if you can. There'as always wrecks

:(

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Thanks for the info! Im trying right now to get on to LRMC. I heard they hire new grads. Hopefully they do! I wish I knew which hospitals hired new grads and which only hire for their internship program. I would do a program if it came down to it but I don't want to wait months to get into one. haha

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:) All Children's where RNSam is going is a good one. I would love to get in there myself. I don't know if Hospice of the Suncoast is hiring but that is my first choice when I finally graduate. They have a couple of positions listed on their website. Don't know how you feel about hospice though.

BTW if you don't know about indeed.com it's a meta-job search webpage, and free. I like it because it is easy to look at (not too cluttered) and they have a zip code feature.. for example, you can tell it to show jobs that are no more than 50 miles or 100 miles away from a particular zip code. Since you're new to the area, that might be helpful for you, that zip code thingy. I'd hate for you to get an interview for a job on the wrong side of the state (unless you want to move :)

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Specializes in cardiac.

I would check out some of smaller bed hospitals. I got hired a a small hospital on a VERY busy unit as a new grad from out of state.

Im getting crazy experience and I don't had a long residency program. I have friends in residency programs where I moved from and they like but many find it limiting in some ways.....so it's all in what you are looking for.

I applied at every hospital before I applied at the one I am work at. I applied at 8 am and had an interview at 10 am. I was in shock. This is peak season, all the "snowbirds" are here and they are all sick :)

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I have a lead on a job at LRMC. Waiting to hear about that one. Also, St. Anthony's hospital is having a job fair on thurs. If you don't mind me asking...what small hospital did you apply to? Im not from here and its hard to google and find these smaller hospitals. Thanks again!

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Specializes in school nursing; pediatrics.

Do any of you know when All Children's starts it next new grad program? I live in AZ and am thinking about relocating (have family in FL) and have been googling all of the peds hospitals in FL. I couldn't find anything online about All Children's next start date.

Thanks for any info!

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