Moved to CA from WA having trouble finding job

[reets]

Hi, I am a RN and worked in long term and rehabilitaion for a year in WA. I moved to fresno, CA about a month ago. Applied for bunch of jobs but no responds back. Just recieved my CA licence yesterday. I am really freaking out now. Have so many qestions.

should I call the places I applied to update my new licence information?

helpful sites to find an job?

Will I be able to find a job in this area?

Any advise is appriciated?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

moved to CA forum for best response.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Without any acute care hospital experience, I am going to be straightforward with you and state that finding a job in Fresno is going to be an uphill battle. The local job market is horrid due to the slumped economy and the number of nursing schools in the Central Valley that pump new nurses into the local job market without the corresponding demand.

You may wish to cast your net to areas south of you such as Visalia, Tulare, Corcoran, Hanford, Porterville, Lemoore, and Delano. These cities and towns are more isolated and the facilities might be more responsive to your applications and resumes. Good luck to you!

[perioddrama]

Hi, I am a RN and worked in long term and rehabilitaion for a year in WA. I moved to fresno, CA about a month ago. Applied for bunch of jobs but no responds back. Just recieved my CA licence yesterday. am really freaking out now. Have so many qestions.

should I call the places I applied to update my new licence information?

helpful sites and places to find a job?

Will I be able to find a job in this area?

Any advise is appriciated.

thanks!

CA is brutal right now, even for experienced nurses. Long term and rehab may not be considered "acute experience" by some hospitals.

Use the usual job hunting sites - simplyhired, indeed, monster, etc.

If you are having a hard time finding a job, branch out. Say you were applying to places in a 25 mile radius, do the whole county. Or even the whole state even.

Good luck!

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

It's so bad out here that the standard 1 year of experience won't cut it in many facilities. I've been telling people that when possible, not to come out here unless they have at least 2 years under their belt.

But since you're here, you're here, so you need to make the best of it. And it's not impossible to get hired with one year's experience...it's just very hard.

Apply everywhere to everything. SoCal and coastal CA are very tight. Inland CA may give you better chances. Since you've done LTC and Rehab, try the Kindred hospitals. I'm not sure if any are up in your area, but since they're LTAC they may be more open to you.

Also, have you tried registry/agency nursing? They may be willing to take you on with a year if you can sell your abilities well enough.

Best of luck!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Two threads/discussions have been merged into one.