Australian looking at NY. Any Advice?

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Hi,

I'm Australian, with a New York state nursing license and have been searching for a job in New York city since March, without any luck. I have 9 years nursing experience and specialise in emergency. I have emailed agencies, without a positive response. ive filled out many applications on hospital websites and have physically posted my resume to hospital emergency departments without any response. What do you think my next step should be? Should I try to get in contact on the phone directly with the nurse managers of emergency departments and ask for a job? I was also thinking of flying to NY and just walk into the hospitals? Are you able to provide me with some guidance please?

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

NYC is an over-saturated market with often hundreds of applicants for a single job. Do you have work rights in the US? There is little initiative for NYC employers to go through the time and expense of recruiting overseas nurses and filing for a visa.

Do you have any of the relevant equivalent credentials ACLS, PALS, TNCC, CEN? Local NYC nurses often have difficulty securing full time employment depending on experience.

Walking into a NYC hospital with the higher security levels will only get you directed to the online applications. Sending resumes to anyone other than HR or a nursing recruiter will be fruitless as nurse managers are often prohibited from accepting unsolicited resumes. In nearly every NYC hospital all applications must go through HR. This is for security and pre-screening as also to reduce potential bias in hiring. If you even could obtain the name and contact number for an ED nurse manager you won't likely get much more than submit an application online as a response. You may be able to find contact information for a nurse recruiter in the employment or nursing section of a hospital website.

Many facility websites will indicate if a hospital is willing to sponsor a nurse for a work visa (or not). For example, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore MD, has extensive information on their website regarding work visas but also indicates that they are neither recruiting nor sponsoring nurses that require a H1B or EB3 visa at this time.

Your next option is to look north of NYC. It's more rural 1-2hours (or more) away from NYC for hospitals in Syracuse, Albany, etc. you may have more luck with your experience.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

However Australian can apply for the E3 visa which may be an option as not $$$

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Thank you both for your response. It is very insightful. Yes, I was hoping to get an E3 visa, but I need a job first. Yes, I do have my ACLS, PALS, I also have a post graduate certificate in emergency and paediatric nursing. I'm starting to think I should just give up...

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

If you mention to employers about E3 and not as costly (ghillbert is the best one for advice on this visa) you may have a better chance on finding employment

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Thanks again. I mention in my cover letter the E3 visa, and that it should be at no cost to the employer, but still nothing...

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

The issue may be they might be misreading it as an EB3 immigrant visa though...

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Specializes in CTICU.

How are you searching? Are you in Australia now and just looking online? Many online application systems automatically kick back applications if you cannot answer "yes" to the "do you have US work authorization?" question. Is there a reason you are set on NYC? I made contacts at hospitals here while in the US and was able to get someone who wanted to hire me. The hospital was completely ignorant about E-3 visas - and my employer has 50,000 employees, of which I was the only E-3 employee. The E-3 process is essentially no cost to the employer, apart from if they reimburse your trips to the outside-US embassy to get renewals. You need to get a recruiter on the phone that you can speak with to explain the process. Explain there is no "petitioning", it is NOT the same as a H1b but is much easier (they have many physicians on H1B and are familiar with the process), that there is no "sponsorship". Really all they have to do is give you a job offer letter and a completed LCA form.

If you have any interest in being less selective with area or specialty in order to get a foot in the door with US experience, the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital is usually hiring and I know has had an Aussie nurse working there before.

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