Published
So Houston, TX accepts a large number of new grads into ER jobs? Should I get a Texas and Florida RN license even though I'm graduating from PA? I know that those two states are high in demand for all types of nurses.
That seems like jumping the gun. I wouldn't pay to get my license endorsed in another state unless I had a firm offer.
And I would say that the single best way to get a job as a new grad on a desirable floor is to work on that floor as a tech first.
That seems like jumping the gun. I wouldn't pay to get my license endorsed in another state unless I had a firm offer.And I would say that the single best way to get a job as a new grad on a desirable floor is to work on that floor as a tech first.
you're right- but does co-op experience give me credibility when applying for an ER job? Drexel offers a 5 year BSN program with a year or so focusing on co-ops in different nursing floors including ICU. Not sure about co-op in the ER though. I doubt that's an option.
What is a co-op?
From looking at Drexel's website, paid internships in and around Philadelphia.
OP, there's no one hard and fast answer as to if a new grad will be hired into an ER. It depends on the facility, their needs, and their abilities to absorb a new nurse who will need quite a bit of training to be able to hold their own during a crazy shift.
Or, one major ER where I live hires new grads all the time. Another one - same acuity level, similar size - flat out refuses to hire them. A third is hit-or-miss. My facility gets quite a few applications from new grads, but will only hire them to one shift, so it's easier to just say no, you need to have a minimum of one year in an ER someplace. But my ER has two nurses on at a time, three with the overlapping shift...can you blame us for not wanting to throw a new grad nurse into the deep end?
As for what your co-op can offer you...again, look at the job postings for the ERs where you'd like to work. An ICU co-op will give you a small step up, in that you'd know a bit more about critical cases, but it still wouldn't prepare you for the full ER experience.
Cooperative education program- Drexel will put you in hospitals around the USA for 6 consecutive months a year to gain experience in the nursing field. Co-ops start in sophomore year and ends junior year. Co-op nursing students get paid roughly $16,000 for 6 months. They work in contemporary public health networks, acute & chronic illness nursing, and an elective specialty nursing field of the student's choosing.
Consequently, it will take 5 years for me to graduate w/ a BSN and I'm assuming the in class schedule is more intense as a result of the co-op work experience.
I heard that people that utilize the co-op plan have a 99.4% employment rate.. 38% of co-op students end up being employed by their co-op employer upon graduation. However, I'm not sure if it will help me specifically get an ER nursing job or even be a credible thing on my job resume after graduating.
bigdreams01
27 Posts
As a fresh BSN graduate, what is the likelihood of getting a job as an ER nurse? Or ICU?
What would you need to accomplish this? Does co-op experience help? GPA? Connections?