Less than 1 year experience but need to move 1000 miles away. Help!

[Unesdala]

Hi all! I changed my career a few years ago (read: older than your average bear/38) and graduated from nursing school in May 2012. I'm originally from the Northeast, an area with a saturated market of new grads, so I expanded my job search nationwide. 150+ applications and 6 months later, I started my first nursing job.

I was fortunate to land a job as a nurse resident at a surgical ICU at a big teaching hospital in the southeast. We're a regional center for transplants of all kinds as well as a neuro center, and we take care if severe acute cases. I've cared for a variety of patients in the past 9 months an no longer feel like an ultra-novice nurse.

Here's the dilemma. I now live 1000 miles away from my family (immediate family-I'm not married an have no children). My mother's health has taken a turn and she needs more help. She's home and not in critical condition, but could be in the hospital very quickly. No way she can move to me and I'd really like to move back near home. My original plan was to put two years in and re-evaluate, but circumstances changed and now I feel I need to head back ASAP. I love critical care and would ideally like to continue working in the field.

So, advice please. How do I make myself look like a competitive candidate with less than one year of experience? Will this make me look like a flake/job hopper? Or do i stick it out and start applying after a year's experience? Or wait even linger until I qualify to test for the CCRN? What would you do in this situation?

TL;DR - less than one year of nursing experience and need to move 1000 miles away. How do I sell myself to recruiters?

Any advice is appreciated!

[sourapril]

If you tell your new employer that you have to move and get a new job because you need to be closer to your mother, I don't think anyone would think you are a job hopper. We are all human and we need to take care of our sick mothers. Good luck!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Before you make the jump, consider using your knowledge to help get her care where she is, be sort of a telephonic case manager for her. There are lots of great resources for that in the NE (google geriatric care manager (city) ); perhaps you could work c some of them, keep your job, and visit more often unless things really demand your physical presence.

Have her sign the paper that allow her care team to discuss her status with you, get a case manager for her (or if she has supplemental insurance for her Medicare, contact the case mgmt or disease mgmt dept at her HMO), get home care to drop in now and then even if it's an a private pay basis-- every VNA can do that, they don't require insurance approval or payment.

I think you have a lot of options you might not know about to keep you involved but let you keep that great job a bit longer.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Totally agree with GrnTea ^^^. Many of us end up as the primary caregivers in our families, so we understand what you are dealing with.

If you can obtain your CCRN prior to relocating, you will have a much easier time finding a job.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I agree with GrnTea.

My first thought while reading your post was to tell any prospective employers the truth about your situation. I thought ..."They'll understand and not consider her just another 'job-hopper.'"

But my thinkinking quickly changed. Yes, they'll understand -- and maybe hold it against you. They may fear (understandably) that you might be a difficult employee to include on their staff as you feel responsible for your mother's care and are prepared to sacrifice a good job to provide that care. They may fear you will need special scheduling considerations, call in "sick," etc. as your mother's condition deteriorates and be hesitant to hire you for that reason.

Look into your ALL your options, such as those GrnTea brought up. Consider talking with your current boss to see if she make some schedule adjustments so that you could fly home more often. She may be willing to do that to keep you now that she has made the initial investment in you. Work a little overtime if need be to pay for the plane tickets home.

Both my parents died (a few years apart) while I was living in another part of the country. It may not be ideal, but it can be done.

[Unesdala]

Thank you for your advice everyone. There's a lot to take into consideration!