Out-of-state New Grad/Intern applicants

[Lovelymo79]

Hi All,

I'm 1 year down, 1 year to go in my nursing program and starting to get a little concerned about graduating next year. I'm starting to look into new grad/internship programs (yes, a year early) and most of them are out of state (I live in NJ and there aren't GN positions as far as I was told).

Has anyone applied to a new grad/intern position outside of your home state? I'm interested in Texas (heard good things about some of the San Antonio hospitals), GA, DC...really anywhere!

Let me know your experience and what would be some advice to give someone who will be applying out-of-state. Thanks!

[Danielle27]

I started applying to jobs out of state after I had been out of school for a year and realized there was no new grad jobs in MA. I went on about 5 interviews out of state (3 in VT, 1 in NY, and 1 in DC). The biggest challenge I encountered was that all of the hospitals couldn't believe I couldn't find a job in MA. They didn't understand how bad the market for new grads is in Boston. Plus they questioned why I wanted to move to that particular location. They don't want to hire someone who is just going to move there, get a years experience and leave to go back home. I ended up getting offered the job in NY (rural NY) and accepted it. I would definitely recommend looking out of state if you are finding that its difficult to find jobs in state but be prepared for them to question you on why you are interested in relocating.

Also, I've found that if you look in less urban areas at smaller hospitals the competition for jobs is not quite as high and you are more likely to get an interview.

Goodluck!

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

The major urban areas of Texas are very saturated with new grads. You can certainly apply, but be aware there are tons of new grads already local looking to snatch up those internships. You will face heavy competition by the locals. That doesn't make it impossible for you to get your foot in the door of course, but it makes it less likely. Like the above poster states, you will have better luck looking at less urban, more rural areas pretty much no matter what state you consider moving to. Texas is no longer the fertile ground for new grads it used to be. It is suffering from the economic downturn too, less so than some other states, but not so much better that it is a mecca for new graduate nurses. There are a ton of schools here churning out new grads every six months.

[Lovelymo79]

Thanks guys!

Danielle -- what was your answer for "Why are you looking to relocate here?" because honestly, unless it's somewhere where I was interested in moving to ANYWAY (like Texas -- even before nursing school), I am only interested in getting some experience and bouncing a year or 2 later (unless I really enjoy where I'm living). And what part of NY did you end up?

The hospital where I work as a nursing assistant actually is owned by a corporation that owns a hospital in Texas..so they recruited some people from my school to come down to San Antonio. But, I heard some horrible things about this hospital so I wouldn't be interested in going there anyway.

Thanks again guys!

[Danielle27]

I tried to be as honest as possible without telling them I didn't plan on staying long term. I would tell them that the job market in Boston for new grads is really difficult and thats why I'm looking out of state. I would research the area in which I'm applying and the particular institution. For example, for a hospital in Vermont I might talk about how I've been living in the city for 6 years and I'm looking for a change of pace. I prefer a community centered hospital and if the hospital is magnet certified I would tell them how that stood out to me and is a particular reason why I am looking into employment at that facility.

The job I accepted is in the southern tier region of NY, near the PA border and finger lakes region. Its a nice area. Much more rural than what I'm used to but I also like that. I'm actually planning on staying for 4 years because they will pay 100% for my MSN as long as I stay 2 years after I get my degree.

I only wish I had started looking out of state sooner because I could have been working for a year now if I hadn't been so stubborn. Anyway, good luck with everything, feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[Lovelymo79]

Cool! Thanks for sharing your experience!

I'm sure I'll be in touch as time gets closer...paying 100% of your MSN..that's awesome!

[tlc365]

So when is the best time to contact and apply for out of state jobs? I will grad in Nov this yr and can take my boards in the spring 2011. I live in a compact state so I have been researching new grad positions around the country but unsure of how and when to start contacting Nursing recruiters. Any advice would be great!