New BSN graduate: job options other than hospital RN?

Nurses Job Hunt

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Hello nurses and fellow nursing students! I am going to be graduating with my BSN this May from the University of Central Florida. I am extremely excited to graduate and finally start working! I originally wanted to try and get a job at Florida Hospital, until I learned more about their new grad contract. I hear that you need to commit to two years of work, and if you leave before two years you owe them a lot of money. I am planning on moving out of Florida the summer of 2019, so if all goes as planned I will only need to work in FL for about a year. I have a feeling that most hospitals won't be too keen on hiring a new grad who can only stay for about a year. So, I am trying to find job options for new nurses that do not involve working in a hospital but still involve a lot of learning opportunities. So far I have considered hospice nursing, home-health nursing, public health nursing, clinic nursing...but I'm not sure how easy it would be to get into any of those positions as a new grad. Is anyone else currently in a similar situation, or has anyone already gone through something like this? I would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions!

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Specializes in NICU.

What makes you think that hospice, home health, public health, clinic nursing are going to be happy to hire you, put a lot of time and money to train you knowing that a short time after you are trained, you are going to quit?

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That's my predicament...I know that very few companies will want to invest time and money into a new nurse who isn't going to be sticking around, and I don't blame them. However, I really want to try and find a job for the year that I'm in Florida so that I can gain experience and earn money. I'm hoping that with something like home health or hospice nursing I could find a nationwide company, and be able to transition from one state to another while sticking with the same company so that they find me worth their time. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'll be able to find anything health-care related that would want to work with me for such a short time, and the ideas I listed above were the only options I could think of that aren't hospital related. Can you think of any other options?

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This is not exactly what you are looking for but......In May when you graduate, your recently-graduated new grad status is a limited time, perishable commodity with an expiration date! My advice dont waste it! If acute care is where you want to be eventually, the shortest distance to that acute care job is through a new grad internship in a hospital. A few geographic areas of the country are very, very competitive for new grad jobs and some areas cant get enough new grads so it depends which area of the country.

IMO, home health or hospice require do not offer the collaboration or support from tenured nurses which is key for new nurses to learn from. Speaking from personal experience: be super suspicious of any home health agency willing to hire you saying zero experience is no problem. Some will try to bait and switch you saying there will be training or orientation and then it suddenly evaporates. Run for the hills from that mess.

Good luck to you!

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your recently-graduated new grad status is a limited time, perishable commodity with an expiration date! My advice dont waste it! If acute care is where you want to be eventually, the shortest distance to that acute care job is through a new grad internship in a hospital.

I'm just starting nursing school but I've worked in a hospital for 6 years as a CNA and talked to a lot of nurses. What riverlands said is important. Most residency positions are available for nurses less than 12 months post-graduation. Once you pass that mark most of those acute care job postings will be off limits to anyone without previous experience in acute care. There are still places that will hire nurses from hospice nursing, home-health nursing, public health nursing, clinic nursing. But they will be fewer and far between.

I'm not sure why you plan on leaving Florida in a year, but if you can push that back a little to take a residency it's going to make life a lot less stressful. good luck either way.

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Hi! You can do contract agency work. It's an option but a lot of those employers are looking for experience. Another option is Home Care and Field Assessment. These aren't bridges to hospital really but at least you can get some Assessment and/or practical skills. Is ur move truly urgent? Because if not, I'd stay in FL for the two years. It's so difficult to find hospital jobs for newbie nurses. If hospital is what you want eventually, I'd def take that new grad program. Good luck. í ¾í´—

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Thank you very much for the advice riverlands! That is a good point about being a new grad, I did not completely consider that.

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Thank you for the advice wildnursebrendan and Jujlover87! I appreciate your help.

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The expedient thing to do, if you don't find a better alternative, is to not bring up any future relocation plans while in the hiring process. After all, your plans could change, so why give the potential employer any reason to toss your application aside?

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
The expedient thing to do, if you don't find a better alternative, is to not bring up any future relocation plans while in the hiring process. After all, your plans could change, so why give the potential employer any reason to toss your application aside?

That's what I recommend. Your plans may change. So don't throw away your best chance of ever getting an acute care job because you "might" be leaving the area next year.

As for buying yourself out of the new grad contract you will have to sign. So what? It's not going to cost you more money than you made in that first year. Live cheap; think of it as another year of being a student; and save a portion of each paycheck to cover the amount you will have to pay when you leave. Getting your career off to a good start with a new grad internship is worth the price you will pay.

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