AZ New Grad RN

Nurses New Nurse

Published

I graduated nursing school and passed the NCLEX (June,2018).. I am having trouble finding any New Grad jobs in the hospital setting.. it seems like the ones that are available at this moment are a good 3-4 hours away (and I am having some car troubles at the moment). I am not a picky person especially because I do not have any prior experience in the healthcare field but, I do not want to settle for a job that is not in the hospital. I have considered applying at LTC, rehab, clinics as long as they are part time so I can still apply at hospitals but, even then I am having a hard time finding PRN/Part time positions that do not require any previous nursing experience...

Does anyone have any ideas when any new grad positions will be opening soon?

Also, during most of my searches for a New Grad RN it seems like Indeed is the only site that has jobs, is there any other websites that could be helpful?

Thank you! :)

0 Votes

btw, I also forgot to mention I am located in AZ

0 Votes

Have you tried looking at Glassdoor or Monster they may have job openings as well? Perhaps asking your fellow peers who have currently have jobs in hosptials around your area? This may give you a reference and allow you to put your foot in the door at the hospitals they work at as well. Have you considered travel nursing? There are plenty of opportunities to work in the hospital setting as a travel nurse as well. The only con about this is that it is usually a contract at the hospital for a certain period of time. However, it will allow you to gain experience and you will be able get your foot in the door at that hospital and apply to a position that opens up.

Hope this helps

0 Votes
Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

New grads need further training, not many are able to just step into a job right out of nursing school, especially if you don't have any previous experience.

Why do you think you need a part time spot in order to keep applying to hospitals? Even the nonhospital jobs expect to have to train you for a while, and aren't willing to invest the time and money if you aren't likely to stay.

0 Votes

I have looked on Glassdoor but, I definitely will look on Monster thank you!... I have seen alot of jobs for a travel nurse, do you happen to know if most require prior experience? The travel jobs I have came upon require a certain amount of years in a specialty

0 Votes

My reason behind seeking a part time position in a non-hospital setting(LTC,Rehab,Clinic) is that I think it would be hard to balance a full time position such as a M-F and still be able to apply for jobs as well as going to interviews.. And if the situation came to having to choose between a full time job in the hospital and a part time job in a non-hospital setting I would definitely try to see if I could go on-call/PRN for the part time job, I've never been that person to drop a job for another one especially because you never know what opportunities can come your way...

0 Votes
Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.
Have you tried looking at Glassdoor or Monster they may have job openings as well? Perhaps asking your fellow peers who have currently have jobs in hosptials around your area? This may give you a reference and allow you to put your foot in the door at the hospitals they work at as well. Have you considered travel nursing? There are plenty of opportunities to work in the hospital setting as a travel nurse as well. The only con about this is that it is usually a contract at the hospital for a certain period of time. However, it will allow you to gain experience and you will be able get your foot in the door at that hospital and apply to a position that opens up.

Hope this helps

This is horrible advice, new grads should not be placed into any type of traveling position.

My advice would be to consider a full time position in a non-hospital setting, not just a part-time position - it is often hard to get a part time position with no experience.

0 Votes
Specializes in Critical care, Trauma.
I have looked on Glassdoor but, I definitely will look on Monster thank you!... I have seen alot of jobs for a travel nurse, do you happen to know if most require prior experience? The travel jobs I have came upon require a certain amount of years in a specialty

Yes, Travel nursing absolutely requires experience. It is not a good place for a new grad. I say that because, aside from the experience requirement, the orientation period is VASTLY different. In coming into a hospital as a New Grad you can expect to get 8-12 weeks of orientation depending upon your unit. Travel nurses typically get 1-2 DAYS of orientation in their unit. They are expected to hit the ground running, so they have to have a breadth of knowledge base and experience from which to draw.

There's nothing wrong with starting outpatient. My 3 years of Primary Care experience before moving into the hospital proved really valuable. I've worked Med-Surg and 1 year of ICU so far, and even here in critical care I have a knowledge base that many of my colleagues don't. There's nothing wrong with being well-rounded.

No matter where you start, expect to struggle for the first few months, if not the first year. And that "struggle" period renews each time that you accept a new job and have to learn a new specialty, new policies and procedures, etc. So don't be so picky that you're unemployed for months on end, but do accept a job that you'd be willing to keep for that "blessed" one year of experience.

Good luck with your decision.

0 Votes

Have you tried any Nurse Residency programs? Just google Nurse Residency Programs in Arizona

0 Votes
Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, Peds.

Abrazo has a nurse residency program. Apply to any of the positions and if selected they will place you in the new grad program. Banner and May also have new grad programs. Although I think Mayo has specific opening days and you have to be on the look out for them as they are only open for a couple of days. Banner, go to their website and search for new grad. I know a few from my class who go into Banner's new grad program and Mayo. Also, Maricopa County also has a new grad program. You also have to been on the look out there for specific listings.

Also, don't forget Honor Health. I have seen some new grad listings - not sure if they have a specific new grad program though.

I recommend signing up for email notifications from all of the above. I also used Jobing.com - Good luck!!

0 Votes

One more thought on your Job Search that I haven't seen mentioned yet- Most, if not all, hospitals have a career section on their own websites where you may find job postings. I would go to the individual websites of hospitals you are interested in and apply directly through their application system. I don't believe all job postings get floated to the career sites like Indeed and Monster. This is also a good way to research the hospital and target your resume and cover letter to each individual application. Good Luck!

0 Votes

I have looked at Nurse Residency Programs in AZ and at the moment all of them are a good 3-4 hour drive away from me, I have considered applying for them but, like I said my car is not reliable.. I am just waiting around for one to open a little closer to me

0 Votes
+ Add a Comment