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

suzanne4, RN · Feb 21, 2009

Sorry to tell you but the new grad positions will not start again until July/August. They are only offered two to three times per year in the Bay Area. And for the facilities that did not cancel, they just started.

Next and bigger problem that you are up against is that there are a large number of nursing programs in the area and there are not enough jobs to go around for the grads from here. Even trying to get into nursing homes is quite hard at this time when one does not have experience.

One may see job offers posted on the computer or even in the newspaper as HR depts are required to post them. However, and a very big however is that most managers already know who they are going to hire from those that rotated thru their dept or worked in the hospital as a student; so many jobs that one may see really do not exist or were never really open.

Not sure how long that you have been up here or looking for work, but things are getting tighter on a weekly basis. Not sure if you will be able to get anything quickly or at all.

Best of luck to you.

CityKat, BSN, RN · Feb 21, 2009

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..

kim129 · Feb 21, 2009

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.

bigsurgirl · Feb 22, 2009

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

newgrad82 · Feb 23, 2009

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?

jujube · Feb 24, 2009

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.

caliotter3 · Feb 24, 2009

Many people would be happy to get a job working for the state at ASH. SLO is not an undesirable area to live in either. Good luck with your new job.

jujube · Feb 24, 2009

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.

CityKat, BSN, RN · Feb 24, 2009

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.

newgrad82 · Feb 24, 2009

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

jujube · Feb 24, 2009

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.