Moving to the area- have questions!

[tortorRN]

Hello there, I am a recent RN grad from a MI ADN school. My husband's military career is taking us to Bestheda, MD in September/October where he will be working at Walter Reed. I know absolutely nothing about the area and we will likely be living relatively close to Walter Reed. I've googled the area and I'm overwhelmed with the information I've seen. I'm *probably* going to get a Maryland RN license.

I am curious about a few things:

- What hospitals hire new grads or have residency programs?

- Since MD, VA, and DC are close in proximity.. Where do you have your license from and where do you work?

- I know most hospitals will hire ADN and BSN educated nurses, but are there any that will NOT hire an ADN educated nurse?

- If I end up getting a MD license but hired in DC, how does that work do they allow you to practice with a MD license or do you have to apply for one in DC?

Sorry for the numerous questions, but I appreciate any of the information you are able to share!!

[Wana_Mama]

Hi,

There are many hospitals in the area that hire new grads. Md and VA are compact states and if you get a license in one I believe that you can use it in the other. You will need to get a DC license as they are a separate entity. Some of the hospitals that hire new grads/have residency programs are; in MD Holy Cross (Silver Spring), UMMC (Baltimore), John Hopkins (Baltimore), Suburban (Bethesda); in DC Sibley, Washington Hospital Center, Georgetown University Hospital, George Washington University Hospital; in VA the Inova system (Fairfax, Alexandria, Mount Vernon). A lot of the places on only the programs a few times a year and right now there are a lot of applications cycles open that will close out soon. Also the VA has a residency program and you would need a license from any state.

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/370822500

Once you get to Bethesda there are offices that help the spouses of military members find jobs, don't be afraid to use them. I was prior service and there are a lot of resources.

Also a little warning the MD BON is a pain in the ass. Often times if you want anything done you have to go there in person. It is located in Baltimore and it isn't that far of a drive from Bethesda. I hope this makes sense and helps. I am a recent grad and haven't even taken my test yet but I have been applying for jobs like crazy which is why I know about the programs. Good Luck to you.

[Uncle Rico]

facilities like Walter Reed and Fort Belvoir use staffing agencies to fill their nursing vacancies. If you stop by the HR dept they will give you a list of the companies they use for employment. Inova only hires BSNs, Holy Cross requires a BSN or a 3.5 from Howard county community college, Shady Grove uses the "Pegged" software questionnaire to filter the applicants. Georgetown and GW have residency programs but they are tough to get into. Sentara and Norvant basically will not hire new grads for any position, and they rarely offer residency programs in the N. Virginia area. Sibley (DC), Providence (DC), Suburban (MD) and Virginia Medical Center are probably your best options.

[tortorRN]

Wow you guys are very helpful!! Wana_Mama, do you have names of the agencies that would help spouses find jobs to help me point in the right direction?

Also, it's legal to hold multiple licenses depending on residency, correct? So for example, I would originally get a MI license (my home state), then endorse to MD and the DC area (just to cover all of my bases as we will be there at least a few years). That wouldn't be a problem since they are not compact states, right? I just want to make sure I'm understanding this all correctly.

One last question, I heard from someone who stated that I had to keep up my original license no matter where I went. Is this true? I've heard from MI BON that it's not true for MI.

[tortorRN]

Bumping this up since I'm moving there in a week! Passed my NCLEX a few weeks ago and I'm going to be ready to start applying for jobs once I arrive! Very nervous to see if I will even get hired anywhere.. I haven't heard good things about the market for new grad RNs out there.

[Faeriewand, ASN, RN]

Congratulations on passing NCLEX!