moving new state 1st yr OUT of school?!?

Nurses General Nursing

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so i graduate in may, and naturally, i feel completely overwhelmed by how little i know. i also have NO idea what kind of floor i want to work on.

anyway, i want to move. big city. maybe chicago, maybe san francisco. is this a bad idea? to be completely new to a city, know maybe 1 person, and also be new to nursing? will i be completely stressed? also, will i notice that a different region of the country does things differently? i'm from the south, and i'm scared the hospitals will be different than what i'm used to, etc

THANKS!

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Specializes in SRNA.

As a new nurse you should expect a good orientation wherever you're hired, so I wouldn't worry so much about different cities possibly doing something different that what you're used to.

However, cities like San Francisco have many nurses competing for new grad positions, so it may be easier to move there once you have some experience under your belt. It wouldn't be a cheap city to move to and then do job hunting.

I think moving is one of the more stressful things you can do. Being a new nurse is quite stressful too. Do what feels right to you! If you want to experience nursing in a new location, go for it!

I wish you only the best!

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Specializes in NICU.

I moved from NJ to Texas after graduating nursing school. I have family here so it's a bit different because I know a few people; however it's sort of the same because it's family I haven't seen in like 10 years so I barely know them.

It was actually very exciting for me because in NJ there are not many nursing opportunities for new grads and here in Houston there are a lot of opportunities so I got hired into an awesome hospital AND into the unit I really really wanted to be in. There are a lot of things that are stressful- such as finding a place to live, but luckily for me I am able to live with my aunt and uncle while I get settled into my career.

As far as things being different- I haven't started my job yet, so I don't know if they do things different then what I was taught in nursing school. But I do know that there are a few differences because there were a lot more limitations for nursing schools in NJ than nursing schools in TX so the texas new grads are ahead of me (for example: they were able to start IVs in nursing school, I was not.)

Overall, I think if you really want to move that there are things that are stressful about moving, but you can be happier by moving because I definitely am despite the stress!

GOOD LUCK!

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Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.

I would say it depends on several factors. How adaptable are you? Are you moving to a part of the country where you would have to adapt to a new climate? New geography like flat vs. hills or mountains? Will you have connections to friends or family? I can only share from my own experience.

When I graduated nursing school, I moved from beaches and flat land in Florida with easy to navigate straight roads to ice, snow and hills in the interior Northeast. I went to work for a large teaching hospital when I had no such exposure in my home town. There was family in my new home but everything was foreign to me. The roads were winding and confusing and still are but thank God for GPS. Then throw in the first year of nursing. I was sick all the time from feeling overwhelmed and completely stressed out always being in learning mode. From the sole perspective of learning the ropes as an RN, I believe it would have been better had I spent my first year in my home town. I was unable to put all my focus on nursing which is where it needed to be. But overall looking at the big picture, it was what I wanted to do, I survived and am continuing to acclimate. It's been 3 years. No regrets. BTW, I was 50 when I moved and was a Florida native. BIG change!

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it'd definitely be a major chance, considering i live in new orleans and i'd be moving to chicago (my number 1 choice). i know no one there, so that would kinda suck. however, i make friends pretty easily.

my idea was always to finish school here, work here for a year to "get the hang" of nursing, then move after a year. but lately, i keep thinking why the hell not just move in may? from what i've read, it's not hard to switch hospitals/states, but it's definitely not easy. is that right?

i don't know what the nursing situation in chicago is, which i guess is something i need to look up. i'm just wondering if the stress of that first year is as bad as i think it will be. i just feel like my clinical skills are so limited at this point, and i'm almost done! it stresses me out to not know what i'm doing, especially if i've never even been in the hospital i'm working at prior to starting a job there.

is it common for people to start working in a place they've never had a clinical at? and like i said, it also worries me that people in chicago could have better skills than i do, or even just be taught things differently.

ahhhh!

thanks for listening to this rant!

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Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.

Will you be an RN or LPN? I moved to a new state after 2 months of working as an LPN. Lo and behold, I had many more skills I was expected to know in the other state. I don't think the same would apply if you are an RN, fortunately. LPNs have quite a spread in what their respective states allow them to do.

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RN . knowing more than expected would be a dream come true!

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Specializes in SRNA.

Well, I can tell you that members of my nursing school class have moved from Reno to San Diego, CA, Philadelphia, PA, Sacramento, CA, Charleston, VA, and Denver, CO, Los Angeles, CA... and they all seem happy.

I'm sort of doing what your initial plan was. I graduated in December of 2007, started work in January of 2008 and I'm moving to WA state in January of 2009. I feel that the year of experience definitely helped me feel prepared and confident when I interviewed for my new job....they offered me the position the following morning!

If I were you, I would start researching hospitals in Chicago and possibly contacting some nurse recruiters at various facilities to get an idea of hiring practices, how long licensing takes. Heck, if the need is great enough, the hospital may fly you there for a tour/interview....I know the hospital I work at now does that.

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Specializes in NICU.

You DEFINITELY need to check out the need in the area you want to move to. Some areas just don't really have a high need for nurses anymore so it's really hard for new grads to get hired. So if you don't check it out first and then move there and they aren't really in a shortage then you'll just be miserable because you'll have a hard time finding a job.

If you go onto the region forums here and go to whatever state you want to move to you can sort of get an idea if there is a shortage or not.

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Specializes in SRNA.
If you go onto the region forums here and go to whatever state you want to move to you can sort of get an idea if there is a shortage or not.

That's an excellent suggestion. Visit our regional forums here and check out Illinois: https://allnurses.com/forums/f183/

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