How to get a nursing job in a state you do not live in?

[Kaitlyn.w]

Hello! I live in Florida and am going to be finishing my ASN program soon. I may stay in Florida to get my BSN, but it depends. However, I do want to move to Texas and work there. How can I get a job in a state where I do not live? Do companies favor people who live in that state? Would I be able to get a job in another state without any experience, fresh out of my program? I really want to leave Florida, and I love Texas but I'm unsure if I will be employed. Thanks!

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

I went to school in Indiana and had two out of state offers (NC and KY). They do not care where you are coming from, all they care about is that you will have your state license before starting. In fact, the NC hospital paid for my airfare, rental car, and two nights in hotel for the interview. I thought that was generous for a new grad with no experience.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

Both Florida and Texas are nurse compact states. You have to declare residency but it shouldn't be difficult to transfer a nursing license. Regarding preference over in-state vs out-of-state....in our rural areas in Texas you're likely to be welcomed. If you want to work in urban Houston, they're probably hiring. Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin....we seem to have a glut of new students from the ton of nursing schools so research the market heavily and choose wisely when you relocate.

[Sour Lemon]

I worked with lots of "out of staters" when I worked in Texas. They did want a state license before orientation started, but they hired nurses and just pushed their orientation day back if their license wasn't ready yet (or if they hadn't taken/passed NCLEX). Orientation only started once a month, so some of the nurses from out of state did experience hardship trying to survive with no income.