Is New Grad Relocation Desirable

Nurses Job Hunt

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Hi all,

I am a nursing student in my senior year (Graduate May 17 w/ BSN) and am starting to look up nursing residency programs as most deadlines are in December. My heart lies in ICU nursing, and I am totally willing to relocate anywhere in the US to get a residency program in the ICU setting. My question is, is an out-of-state candidate really desirable? I live in a state that most residency programs are not offered in the ICU setting.

I see in a lot of threads that once past the phone interviews students have an in-person interview. Obviously I cannot afford to fly out to multiple states if I end up being chosen for interviews.

My question is, should i put all my "eggs" in one basket and choose one hospital that is my most desirable institution to work at and fly out there for the interview? I have already secured a position at the hospital I am working after graduation but the floor is not where I want to end up.

My resume so far is not extremely competitive, I don't hold any leadership positions. I'm hoping I have my senior practicum in the ICU but there is no guarantee.

-4.0 GPA (which I know doesn't really hold much weight in the real world)

-Internship on general floor

-PCT position on same floor

-Additional work experience that doesn't really relate to nursing

-Some volunteer work

Thanks for all your help in advance!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I am curious. Why do you feel that ICU is the place you want to be? I can confidently inform you that the reality is frequently MUCH different than anticipated. What if you pull up stakes, expend significant financial resources on a move, separate from your personal support system... only to find that you have made a terrible mistake and it isn't working out. Worst case scenario .. what if that you are unable to satisfactorily meet the expectations of that ICU internship & you're far from home without a job? I don't want to scare you, but it's important to think everything through and explore all the worst-case scenarios.

Relocating for your first nursing job will add to an already stressful process. If you poke around here on AN, you'll uncover posts from new nurses who express profound regrets about moving away from their personal support systems. It can be a wrenching experience to feel alone and isolated at a time when you need all the hugs you can get.

No one expects a new grad's resume to be impressive. Most organizations (including my own) use other types of criteria to screen new grad candidates such as GPA, exit test scores, references, and personal interviews. We're most interested in your capabilities and potential rather than your experience.

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Thank you for your comment. From my time experiencing "floor nursing" I just don't feel that I would be fulfilled. There tends to be a fair bit of down time and I personally want to be challenged. I really enjoy looking at the whole "clinical picture" of my patients (why they're here, why their labs are high/low, looking at everything I can in their history to understand their conditions) rather than being task oriented which is what i notice from a lot of the nurses on our floor.

Perhaps it's the floor I am on or the hospital but I really want to be somewhere where I feel like I am constantly learning and feel fulfilled.

I appreciate your input and you do bring up a good point about leaving my support system and making such a big jump. One of my fears is that if I do med-surge or tele (something along these lines) that I will be "stuck" and won't be able to move to ICU or something else if I wanted to.

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Specializes in Psych, HIV/AIDS.

HouTx brings up some good points regarding being so far from your support system.

Meanwhile if you get an interview in a faraway place, jetting to another destination, why not have the interview via SKYPE? I would think the potential employer would understand.

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Specializes in NICU.

HouTx has some good advice. I relocated 3 hrs away in another state as a new grad. I had a 135 clinical hr Senior Capstone placement at a Level IV NICU (70 miles from home). When I graduated, I decided that was the specialty that I would pursue. The problem was that there were no Level III or IV NICUs in commuting distance except the one 70 miles away. I had two hospitals interested in me. The first was three hours away and the other was 800 miles away. Both had several phone interviews (Nurse recruiter & Unit manager). I had a in-person interview on Friday at the one 300 miles away (I drove) and an interview on Monday at the other. Fortunately, the farthest one paid for 2 nights hotel, rental car, and my flight. I ended up accepting the offer from the one 300 miles away. My situation is different than yours. I was an older new grad (48) and knew what I was getting into since I had the Capstone placement. I was bringing my support system with me.

No one on this forum knows you, so have to make the ultimate decision. You need to determine if you are capable of moving to a strange city and starting in a highly technical specialty where you don't know the hospital or any of your co-workers. If you have researched what it would be like to work in an ICU and the maturity to handle the stress of the residency without an in-person support system, then go for it.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

As a new grad, no matter the setting, med-surg, ICU, LTC, clinic, etc you will be learning. If you work for 1.5 years on a familiar floor and then transfer to ICU is that so bad?

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Hi -guyinbabyland I know it's been a while, but I'm curious how everything turned out for you? I'm a new grad (adn but enrolled in an RN-BSN program online) very interested in relocating for an internship. I am older as well with tech and nurse extern experience. Thanks for any honest advice!!

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