Moving to San Diego

[Fabulous34]

My husband and I currently live in Rhode Island. We will be moving to San Diego in the next couple years. I was wondering how difficult it is to find nursing jobs in Southern California? Being that Rhode Island is such a small state. The job market for nurses is saturated and very competitive. Do Hospitals require you to have a Bachelors degree ? Or will they hire you with an associates? I currently hold an associates degree. I have been working as a geriatric nurse for the last two years and would like to branch out into another area of nursing. If any nurses out there working in California have any information or advice I would love to hear it.

[RunBabyRN]

The major cities are EXTREMELY competitive in CA. The high pay and lower patient ratios make CA very desirable, and the job market reflects as much. You might want to call HR departments (Scripps would be a good start, as they have several facilities throughout the SD area) to ask about the degree. There are positions in CA that don't require a bachelor's, including hospital positions, but you'll want to hear it directly from them what they're hiring.

Just a friendly heads up, if your SN is your real name, you may want to change it, as anonymity is highly regarded on AN.

Unimportant side note, I've lived in Newport, RI (where I was a Navy corpsman) and San Diego! :) Both great areas, and VERY different from each other!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

The nursing employment market in most major cities in CA is horrid. You will likely have extreme difficulty breaking into an acute care specialty if the only experience you do have is geriatric and LTC. I would not relocate without a job lined up.

[SailorWifey]

I'm moving to SD in the next couple months and have received several calls from managers and recruiters in response to my application. Everyone is different, and I have a BSN, acute care experience, and am certified in my specialty. It's hard to judge without applying and seeing what response you get. Everyone told me negative things though, so I've been pleasantly surprised with options and ample response.

[Fabulous34]

This is the predicament I find my self in here in Rhode Island. I work in LTC and have for two years. I don't want to stay in Geriatric nursing. I want experience in other areas of nursing. How can I get that experience if no one will hire me because I work in LTC?

[zzbxdo]

All the hospitals in San Diego are highly competitive among each other and magnet designated, thus prefer BSN graduates greatly. Get a job lined up first before moving to sd and maybe try to get an acute care position while you're in RI first. You ain't gonna get hired unless you're proactive and aggressive at the hunt for a job. Maybe you can work on your BSN overtime while still there as well. When I was hired a while back there were many in my orientation that were adn grads already enrolled in BSN programs and that was not an issue.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I'm moving to SD in the next couple months and have received several calls from managers and recruiters in response to my application. Everyone is different, and I have a BSN, acute care experience, and am certified in my specialty.

However, you are a significantly more competitive applicant than the OP due to your acute care experience, BSN degree and certification in your specialty.