Are there any hospitals out there hiring New Grads? I'm willing to relocate!

[pearl_jammin_girl]

I'm kind of in a weird predicament. I graduated with my BSN in June of 2011 after a 1 year program to go from ADN to BSN. (I went straight from my ADN to my BSN) I worked as a per diem Peri-Operative nurse for a plastic surgery center in WA state for 9 months before I made the huge mistake of moving to California. My per diem work was sporadic at best and probably ended up being less than 200 hours of total experience. (So it's not technically a first job, it's more a first steady job that I'm looking for.)

The market in San Diego is so glutted with New Grads, the hospitals are getting inundated with 1,000's of applications. I'm getting edged out by all the new nurses being churned out and I have aged out of the "New Grad" window (which is apparently 18 months). I wasn't even able to get an interview at the hospital that I've volunteered at for the past year. So I enrolled in a RN refresher course that included 192 hours of clinical on the Telemetry/Stroke unit, which I am just finishing up. The course was awesome and I have regained the confidence in my nursing skills that I lost over the past year and a half without a nursing job. I'm ready to get out there and use my skills, even if I have to pick up and move. The question is, where to? Is there any state in this country where hospitals are looking to mentor inexperienced or "unseasoned" nurses?

Before anyone suggests I try to find a job in a SNF...Yes, I'm being picky in that I want to work in a hospital, but my friends from nursing school who took those long term care jobs are finding it tough to transition out of long term care and into hospital nursing even after a couple years of experience. I'm looking to continue on to become a NP and I want to get the most exposure to different disease conditions and learn and become proficient with as many skills as possible; which is why working in a doctor's office (again) won't be a step in the right direction either. Any leads or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Lrome11]

I found some openings in Las Vegas and Reno. I went to school in Las Vegas and made the mistake of moving back to California when I graduated and have had only agency jobs with spotty hours and no benefits. I applied to a posting at a Vegas hospital for RN 1 and got a call back less then a week later. Was able to do a phone interview also so I didn't have to spend the money to go over there. I graduated 3 years ago all my friends from school work in there desired place now. Weather that is hospice or hospital. Not saying its a piece of cake but seems a whole lot easier then CA to land a job.

I WOULD consider going to the right SNF for a couple of years as a conduit to an acute care job.

I would also look at the little, tiny rural hospitals that have a tough time retaining staff because they're far off the beaten track, have lousy pay, and limited patient types -- again, as a 2-3 year stepping stone.

I've heard that the natural gas money in ND has turned it into an economic haven that's having a hard time hiring enough folks. Supposedly parts of TX are the promised land, too.

Do you not have any knowledge of, or connections in WA that you could leverage?

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

Apply to South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, GA. That's where I just got hired. They have a year-long critical care residency with a two-year commitment. It seems like they really need people because they are doubling the size of most of their ICUs when they open a brand-new ICU tower in the fall. There are many, many openings in their CICU especially - I looked a couple of days ago and I think there were at least ten separate postings just for CICU. :) I applied to the regular MSICU postings and not new grad postings. You automatically get considered for the residency if you're a new grad, I think.