May 2012 graduate with questions

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Hello all,

I'm a new graduate still anticipating to take my boards at the end of July. I graduated with a BS- Nursing and have been working for the past 3 years as a CNA in a nursing home/rehab center. Since many places are making experience, speciality, and registration as qualifications is there any expections being made for new graduates with BS degrees with none of the above or should I basicly wait until the end of July to start applying? Anyone have experience with this? Your comments are appreciated.

Sincerely, LC

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

Most hospitals will require that you have an active license (have passed NCLEX and received your license number from the BON) before you can be considered for the job. So in that case, it makes sense for your to wait until you've passed NCLEX to start applying.

The exception is for positions specifically for new graduate nurses and nurse residency programs. You can apply for those at any time because there is no expectation that you'll have an active license.

When you do start applying for jobs, it's okay to apply for the ones that state they want experience too. Some positions will accept new graduates, even if they say they need experience. Of course, your best bet is looking for positions that just require an active license, a BSN, and BLS certification.

Good luck!

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I've been sending my resume out even though I don't test until June 18th. I just make sure to mention in the cover letter or application when my test date is.

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