are you happy in the state your in?

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Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN

4 Articles; 7,907 Posts

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
I'm wondering where is the best state to begin my career?

Honestly, in whatever state that you can land a job in. The new grad unemployment rate in CA is horrible--40+%--and many are leaving CA to gain experience elsewhere. Check out the new grad threads in the CA Nursing Forum for the gory details :( So even though the ratios may sound like heaven, they mean nothing if you can't get a job here.

Now what state(s) are hiring new grads...that's a whole other ball of yarn. I think it's not so much the states themselves as it is the types of areas that are hiring. Based on the trends I've seen here, you're more likely to get hired in rural areas than you would trying to crack major metropolitan areas.

shaggy77

19 Posts

Couldn't agree more with Marshal1.

shaggy77

19 Posts

Totally agree with Marshall1...every state is hard to get a nursing job in now. Someone who has no experience and was educated in another state is even less likely to land a job right out of school. I live in Florida and we have so many of these nursing schools now. It used to be you had two choices...University or Community College...now there's a vast array of "private schools" that gouge you for tuition and churn out grad nurses like wax dolls. It's especially hard now because of the economy. Veteran nurses aren't budging from their positions, retirement has been postponed, hospitals want more for less and there's a Noah's flood of grad nurses.

I haven't much room to talk though. I am graduating in May, and we're moving out west to Oregon. I will take any job to start, even non nursing, as I have a child to support, and just keep trying for a nursing job. Hopefully something will pop up. It's tough out there right now.

To address your question, the only state out of the ones you mentioned that may have a slightly better chance of getting a job is Texas, although as another poster mentioned, Texas is tough on licensing. Don't mess with Texas! lol...If I were you I would stay right in California, try for a job where you do your clinicals at, get some experience and then maybe consider moving. I'm leaving Florida not only because I hate it here, but the area I'm in is an absolute glut of grad nurses and seasoned ones alike. No hope for me here. Nepotism is big as well. It's who you know if you want to get an interview.

Best of luck to you.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

*shrugs* you only can be happy as you can be...I'm in a metro area where it takes up to two years to find a job, and the whole process took 8 months to find, interview, and start a job.

This is my parents hometown and I actually like the area, the culture, universities, activities, etc, that the area has, the surrounding areas...there is a lot to do for all ages.

The job market is tight, but so are a lot of states. You are still in school, it may get better, it may get worse, who knows? The best thing for you to do is assess the job market at the halfway mark of your junior year, and then the beginning of your senior year, and begin applying then.

Specializes in Developmentally delayed.

So much good advice! My husband will need to find work as well, but he is a real estate appraiser primarily subcontracting for a large firm that is national, so he should be able to transfer his license and work wherever... I am just the one in question, I don't really have to work as long as he can maintain the amt of work he has here, but if he slowed down at all it could be tough. He just hates everything about CA and has been considering leaving for quite some time. I keep telling him though, I have a lot of connections here so it "might" be easier for me to find work, but then again, I keep hearing of a lot of new graduates who either have to do home health to get the experience under their belt (my absolute last resort would be home health, with long term above that). It is nice to hear what others think of other areas :)

Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

My current state is denial. Har har har. New England isn't bad but we're a bit oversaturated with nursing school graduates.

Specializes in Developmentally delayed.
Based on the trends I've seen here, you're more likely to get hired in rural areas than you would trying to crack major metropolitan areas.

My husband refuses to move to a metropolitan area, maybe that will be a good thing ;) (I just require a target within a 20 minute drive lol)

Am I happy in the state I'm in? When the 6 feet of snow in front of my house melts and I don't have to bundle up in layers of clothes just for a trip to the store, then I'll be happier. JK. But seriously, I'm pretty happy where I'm living right now.

Specializes in Nephrology, Dialysis, Plasmapheresis.

My husband refuses to move to a metropolitan area, maybe that will be a good thing ;) (I just require a target within a 20 minute drive lol)

Move to Texas! No state taxes on your income, cheaper cost of living, I think the patients and employees there are pretty amazing. I worked in San Antonio for only 3 months at 4 different hospitals(travel assignment) and was very impressed with the respect you get from patients and the teamwork I saw among employees. I had been living and working in South Carolina prior to. You could live near Corpus Christi and be by the beach or move somewhere near Austin and get the hills and beautiful scenery. The weather there is mild. I would move there if I had any family or friends there but it's just to far away from everything for me.

Katieerin

97 Posts

The wages are lower than average but it is also untaxed state taxes and there's quite a few jobs with great benefits.especially around okc or tulsa.

Katieerin

97 Posts

In oklahoma ^

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