Frustrated new grad with NO job opportunities

U.S.A. California

Published

Ok, so I graduated in May 08 from a school in SC and got my RN license there. Then we moved to California later that month and I applied for a Cali license. I now have my temporary CA license and CANNOT find a job. I missed out on all the new grad programs in my area because they started around June 23 and my license wasn't issued until June 17! Now I cannot find a job anywhere and the recruiters at the hospitals are not very helpful or friendly. I am willing to work in any hospital in Orange County, but no luck. My dream job is in the ICU at a trauma level one teaching hospital because I worked as a student nurse technician in one in SC. They were willing to hire me, but we had to move for my husband's job. I am so frustrated and disheartened here. I have put out so many resumes and joined so many sites. Please help me if you have any ideas. I am an ADN by the way. Rent is killing us here since I am not working. :banghead:

Well, welcome to California!!

I have recently come across some good news...I got a job :bow:! I don't start until September sometime, but I will be at Saddleback (right...by...my...house!). They were actually the only place that called me back--except I actually got a call from UCIrvine while I was parking at Saddleback to go to my interview. They offered to interview me for a position in my dream job(ICU) but they said it wouldn't start until January. I politely told her I would be happy to interview, but I am looking for something sooner. She said she didn't want to do all the paperwork if I might just find another job so she told me to reapply in like early November if I was still interested. So you apply there! The key to finding open positions for new grads there is to click on each job number. It will open another window that shows pay rate, specific duties, etc. It will also say in BOLD letters that it is for a clinical I or clinical II. So these are their equivalent of "new grad" jobs. They are hidden and sneaky. Look, they had tons. So good luck.

And not that you asked, :coollook: but my advice on the NCLEX is to take it ASAP and not to wait if you don't have to. Knowledge slips piece by piece as time slips by. I want you to be successful and I think waiting (if you don't have to) could be detrimental. Honestly, I passed the first time, but I walked out saying I felt incompetent and lost on over half of the questions. They seemed to be so different from all the ERI and practice tests and review course questions. So good luck. And let me know if you need any additional info or help :redpinkhe

Congratulations on the new job!!!!!

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Specializes in Trauma.

All of northern California is SATURATED and they are actually putting some of the city hospitals on a hiring freeze. TOO MANY graduates and NOT ENOUGH positions. There are those of us up here in the bay area who haven't found a job after passing the NCLEX and being out of school from May 2007.

Good luck to all of us. I believe CA is saturated with new graduates:(

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Specializes in Inpatient Psych, Eating Disorders, Tele.

Wow, congrats May08!!!!! You definitely did all you can do! :bow:

so that is the trick! apply to clin I or II? i thought it would have to specifically say "new grad" in the title. a lot of them say "recent 1 yr exp in an acute care setting" and that always puts me off. i'm guess that's how you applied to UCI; haven't seen any new grad jobs there. now i know! thanks. At this point i don't care WHAT i do, just hate to wait until jan.

i was supposed to take the nclex in july but just did not feel ready. the earliest date to take it was in sep and i didnt want to lose my ip by failing. i took the kaplan pretest and it said i would have failed at that time.

i got an email from a recruiter who says there are jobs in riverside, pomona and chino hills, but they seem a bit far, although i would drive to chino.

i agree, i think CA has a lot of new grads. back home in dc, all you had to do was pick your hospital - they were begging for new grads. never thought i wouldn't find a job. lol! oh well, it is worth it for the WEATHER. :)

Congrats again!!!

ck

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Specializes in Inpatient Psych, Eating Disorders, Tele.

oh i forgot, May08, if you don't mind sharing, what hourly rate(s) were you requesting. I heard $30 from mission hospital but worry that may be too high. thanks so much!

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Dear Heart,

I always knew I was an ER nurse but did it old school. I started on med/surg floor where I was an extern, moved to a surgical floor, then a transplant unit, and THEN to ER. I spent 3 years learning how to be a nurse, and then moved to ER. And I wouldn't change a thing. I was offered a job in ER as a new grad but wanted to finish learning about patient care prior to entering critical care. All my friends thought I was crazy. (We all made the exact same money by the way!) When I finally decided it was time, I went to the ER with a wealth of knowledge. I knew a lot about specialty meds/procedures the ER nurses didn't. I also was very good at talking with my patients and their families. Perhaps you don't get to start in the department you dream of, but take a job you are not as interested in. Take any job to get started. As a new grad, you put everything together in the first few years. Then you will have the experience to apply for the dream job. Figure out which hospital you really want to work at, and take any job they will give you. You will learn new things everyday, and grow as a nurse.

Good luck.

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oh i forgot, May08, if you don't mind sharing, what hourly rate(s) were you requesting. I heard $30 from mission hospital but worry that may be too high. thanks so much!

Wellllll, as a new grad I have found there isn't really an option for how much you will make. It is posted on UCI that Clin I start at 30.66, and Saddleback says they start new grads at 29.70. I think you just get that--no bargaining allowed. Really, that is great pay and I don't see anywhere giving much more (and hopefully not less!). I just know that once I get the "magical" 1 year experience down, I can bargain if I go elsewhere. Hopefully though I will just love Saddleback since the commute is less than 10 minutes from my apartment!

At Saddleback it is actually an average of what you make the first straight 8 hours plus the overtime pay for the last 4 (12hour shift) divided by 12. That ends up 29.70. I would bet that is how it is at the other places too-California is totally hardcore about work laws. :twocents: BTW, last time I checked, UCI had like 8 Clin I jobs available in the NICU and Labor and delivery if that is your desire. Good Luck.:nurse:

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Specializes in Inpatient Psych, Eating Disorders, Tele.

may08,

thank you so much for your information. believe it or not, on the west coast the starting hourly is $25, so i felt a little weird asking for 30, but i am sure it is what it is.

out of the blue i got a call from hoag ortho, which is not that close, but closer than chino!!!! :) going on friday. wish me luck! thank god my old suit fits! lol :wink2:

ack, i TOTALLY agree, get your foot in the door first!!! thanks!

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Specializes in Inpatient Psych, Eating Disorders, Tele.

oh yeah, forgot to mention, i applied to all those uci jobs too! thanks! i like that you can apply to them all at once, that was easy. :)

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CK Nurse,

Wow, I have heard great things about Hoag. I hope you get it :D!! It is located quite close to the beach and is just gorgeous. Maybe you will think about moving closer there..that is where we go to the beach whenever we are looking forward to people watching.

I heard a rumor that they only start new grads on 3rd shift though. I suppose that may not be a bad thing--night shift at Saddleback offers a $5 shift differential for night shift. Big bucks!

Again, good luck!

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Specializes in Med-surgical; telemetry; STROKE.

"I have recently come across some good news...I got a job bow.gif! I don't start until September sometime, but I will be at Saddleback (right...by...my...house!). They were actually the only place that called me back--except I actually got a call from UCIrvine while I was parking at Saddleback to go to my interview. They offered to interview me for a position in my dream job(ICU) but they said it wouldn't start until January."

Hi, May08.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

I was reading about your search with great interest because I am looking for job too.

Can you tell more about your interview? what questions were you asked? How many interviews did you have?

Thank you.

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Romantic,

I wasn't asked anything unusual if that is what you are asking. The typical strengths, weaknesses, best clinical experience, worst clinical experience, etc. I was asked why I became a nurse and a little about my nursing school (since it was out of state). I was offered the job at the first interview, but really, I tend to be outgoing and personable even under major stress--so I have never NOT been offered a job at the interview or as soon as I get home. It is pure luck on my part though, because I am sure I am similarly qualified to the other interviewees. I was especially nervous, because before I left the south, my classmates were undergoing their interviews and a new, common question was what kind of animal are you and why. I don't even know how to answer that! Or questions that test knowledge. I think I would draw a blank if that happened. LOL, thank goodness it hasn't. Good luck with your search and did you notice my advice on applying at UCIrvine earlier in the post? It may be helpful since they are so tricky (finding the new grad postings). And Western Med in Santa Ana had some openings willing to consider New Grads. Let me know how it goes. I am rooting for all of you!:coollook:

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Specializes in Med-surgical; telemetry; STROKE.
my classmates were undergoing their interviews and a new, common question was what kind of animal are you and why. I don't even know how to answer that! :coollook:

LOL! What is it all about?! I think "they" are crazy...

Thank you so much for your reply:bow:

Did you find the job of your dream? I don't remember that you said something about your position or you decided to take anything available and will try again later? Anyway, I am very happy for you and wish you the best.

I am in a different area--N.Ca. We have a situation here :) -- 250 new grads on 20-30 positions; that's why I was reading your messages with great interest and understanding.

And Yep, I'm going to try your method of application!

Again, Congratulations! You did it:yeah:

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