Does anyone know any open positions for new grad in Bay Area?

Yeh, Suzanne is totally correct. I lucked out in finding my job that took me over a year of searching. And, I got it right before the new grad hiring programs were froze. The best chance is to go to the middle of CA where they are in dire need of new grads and will not be putting their new grad programs on a freeze.

It's saturated here in the SF bay area..

Thank you guys. I guess I still need to try more or just stay at home having a baby..lol...my husband works at uc berkeley, i can't go anywhere else.

Jobs are in very short supply/non existant in the south bay area also.

CityKat-

I have not found that they need new grads in the "middle" of California. In fact I have found that they have cut their new grad programs, or they have no interest in me because I am not from central California to begin with. I would honestly be happy to move anywhere in California. Do you specifically know any hospitals that actually need new grads?

Hi, I am also from the Bay Area. I am not a new grad but I have been out of nursing for 1.5 years to go back to school and take care of a family member. I am reading the new grads' posts and I agree with the posts here. Believe me, if I had known the job market was going to be this bad, I never would have quit my previous RN job. Yes, the Bay Area is over-saturated with nursing schools but it was never this bad.

I looked for jobs in north bay, east bay, silicon valley and up around Sacramento but I could not find openings. I even tried to look at nursing home jobs in the Peninsula area (San Mateo, Burlingame, etc) but I could not find any openings. I also tried New Grad/Re-entry postions for med-surg (I was a psych nurse) but was told there are no current new grad positions. I went to a job fair at St Francis Hospital in San Francisco but never heard back from nursing managers there. I met new grads at the job fair who had stories of being out of school for more than a year and still looking for RN jobs in the Bay Area. I could not believe it was that bad here but now I do.

Today I finally received a full-time RN position at Atascadero State Hospital. Yes, I will have to move approximately 220 miles away but as of today, I have $216 left in my checking account. I am eating peanut butter sandwiches, sometimes tuna fish sandwiches. I am not joking. I use the internet at the public library because I cannot afford internet service. I sleep on a relative's air matress. At this point I would go wherever there is a hospital that will give me a full-time RN position.

I don't mean to be plugging an ad for state jobs but if you are a new grad and don't mind working in forensic psych, there are openings in Coalinga, Atascadero, Patton,Napa, Metropolitan State Hospitals. They will take new grads. Psych is not for everyone but it is an interesting job. Sometimes frustrating (sometimes my previous co-workers were more difficult than the patients!) but never boring.

Don't lose heart, you guys and gals will find jobs--you just have to be willing to broaden your job search and look beyond the immediate Bay Area. I wish you the best.

Thanks! I was jumping up and down like a little kid when I received the job offer letter from ASH. When I interviewed there, I was nervous and kinda rambled on and on when the interviewers asked me questions. I was intially scared when I saw the letter from ASH today---it was a thin envelope and I have always thought that 'thin' envelopes never bode well, ha ha. SLO is very pretty--it was my first time there when I had my interview at ASH.

I am referring the places like Tracy and Stockton. Areas that are very hot in the summer and totally rural. I was looking that far out and I did a few phone interviews. I cannot remember the exact names of the hospitals, b/c it's been about 5 months now and I've long forgotten them. One was associated with St Marys the catholic hospital here. They were in need of new graduates to fill their positions out in the central valley. I never got the "you're not from here kind of thing". They welcomed me and were interested in interviewing with me over the phone.

How does someone apply for the state positions? Do you think they take new grads?

How does someone apply for the state positions? Do you think they take new grads?

You can go to this website http://www.dmh.ca.gov/

On the left side of the menu, click on the link "Jobs at DMH" and then you will see another menu on the left side--click on the link "Continuous Testing Exams" where you will see a listing for "Registered Nurse." There should be a list of all the employment addresses and phone numbers for each state hospital location (i.e. Atascadero, Napa, Coalinga, Metropolitan, Patton, Salinas, Vacaville). Those are the contact numbers and mailing addresses for each of the state hospital employment office. A caveat: Be patient! The employment offices took about a week or two to return my phonecalls after I left messages on their voicemails. If you are lucky, you will hopefully get an actual person on the phone. I think this happened to me once, ha ha. But she was very nice.

You will need to fill out an application form (If you call the employment office of the specific hospital you are interested in, they will send you a hardcopy of the application). I was told not to use the on-line form because the employment office will not receive it. After you fill out that form and send in back to the employment office at the state hospital, they will contact you with an interview date for what is called the "open examination" (this is an oral exam/interview).

Yes, they take new grads. Don't be afraid to apply! Best of luck.

thanks jujube! I have been printing out applications all day! I actually had already applied to the state prison system online so I started caling them today too, to see if I could submit an application directly to them. Thank you!!