Large or small setting where should I focus my first job search.

[sjm30]

Once I graduate where should I focus my job search, in a large hospital or in a local community hospital? It seems to me that in a local community hospital I would get a well rounded experience in different aspects of patient care whereas in a larger hospital it seems like I would be in only one department and that is it. Since I dont have experience in the medical field outside of the nursing program where would I be most likely to succeed?

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

Honestly, the job market it so competitive right now, especially for new graduates, that you should apply to both locations and start your career wherever you get a job offer.

But if you're given the choice I would suggest the larger hospital. Larger hospitals tend to see a wider variety of sicker patients, have more job openings, and offer more opportunity to transfer to another floor within the hospital. Sometimes experience from a larger hospital is valued more than a smaller hospital. All in all, the larger hospital gives you more options for the future.

[Leonardo Del Toro, RN]

Yes. Apply everywhere I don't know where you live but bottom line is large metropolitan centers are not hiring new grads and the ratios of who's looking for vacancies is about 2000:1 in southern California. If you are serious about getting a job you might have to get out of your comfort zone and look in rural areas, but you might get lucky and get a job right away as some people do. If it looks like is getting hard don't think to much and go to rural areas where they still hiring because new grads might just discover that too and even these places might be filled up!

[perioddrama]

Large and small and anything in between. And the bordering states as well. :)