New Grad BSN/Military Spouse Moving to Tacoma Area

cyclone67 · Feb 4, 2018

Starting 4-5 months after graduation is not a big deal -- you just want to make sure you stay in the new grad window and get a job in that first year or it will be tough. I graduated in August and started in October but the 2 other new grads on my floor both graduated in May and started in September and October.

Check out CHI Franciscan -- they have several hospitals in the Tacoma area -- St Joseph's in Tacoma is the largest, they have several other locations to include Lakewood which is very close to JBLM (St Clare). They have a revolving residency program with no set cohort dates. You get hired and they have classes scheduled monthly and you just get put into the cycle. I started a residency in October at St Joseph's and am very happy with it. That would give you more flexibility with your move and not having to worry about being ready to start by a set date. My unit manager was pretty flexible about giving me a bit of time before starting if I needed it.

Also in Olympia / Lacey area there is St Peter's Hospital which is a part of Providence. That is also a very convenient area to JBLM. Located just west of JBLM; a lot of people on base live in that area also.

I would really try to lock a job down before you find housing because if you ended up living on the Olympia side and had to commute to Tacoma -- that would really suck and vice versa. The traffic in the area on I5 is pretty bad; especially in the JBLM area. If you can get on post housing -- it is convenient either way.

It can take a bit of time to get hired so I wouldn't wait until you get here to apply. I applied for my position in late May / early June and didn't even get a phone call until mid-August from St Joseph's. From there the process was very quick. I set up an in person interview a week later and was hired within a few days. They were very flexible about the start date -- when I was hired I hadn't even taken my NCLEX yet. If you apply at Providence they will contact you fairly quickly and you go through a process of a video interview using an online program and then an in person interview with a hiring committee from several floors.

If you apply to CHI, put in multiple applications to what interests you. I applied to 4-5 different positions and 2 different hospitals. It is set up a bit differently where you don't apply to a residency cohort but you apply for the specific positions. They do hire new grads for peds and L&D.

Just FYI, Providence St Pete does 12 hour shifts. CHI Franciscan has some floors with 12 hour shifts and some with 8 hour shifts. I am not sure about Multicare. The thing I really like about St Joseph's is that my unit culture is great -- very supportive to new grads and are ratios are great. We are mostly 4:1 on my floor and on day shift when it is super busy they have break nurses to make sure you get your breaks. And night shift keeps the same ratios; which is great!

NoleArgo · Feb 6, 2018

Wow Cyclone67, Thanks for all of that info! It is SO APPRECIATED! So great to hear about your unit culture and the ratios. It is nerve-wracking moving so far away with little knowledge about the cultures in the different hospitals in that area.

With regards to what you described about CHI Franciscan. Did you only apply to residency programs? With the revolving residency programs, they just post whatever positions they have open year round right? I definitely want to apply before I move, just don't know when would be too early to apply.

Again thanks for all the great advice and information. You definitely gave me some much needed advice and direction.

cyclone67 · Feb 7, 2018

I would go ahead and apply in the last months of your program. Start looking at the different residency webpages and contacting recruiters for information. They sometimes have dates posted for specific cohorts and sometimes not. For CHI Franciscan I did a search for residency positions -- they will actually post them as such often times. I believe they also say you can apply to just regular postings. It seems like their webpage is down right now -- I tried to go on and refresh my memory on the process. They do have a nursing residency page that told you what to do. Regardless of where you apply, make sure to attach a cover letter (even if not prompted). It's usually optional and I noticed that a lot of people who didn't get interviews didn't bother to do them! There's a ton of hospitals in the Tacoma area so I don't think you will have any issue finding a job. St Joseph, Tacoma General, Allenmore, St Clare, St Anthony, Mary Bridge Children's ......

Novicenursing · Nov 3, 2018

NoleArgo,

i am currently in nursing school in florida and my husband was pcs'd to JBML. Did you sit your nclex in Washington or Florida? Also which state did you apply through?

Thanks for your help!

NoleArgo · Nov 4, 2018

I took the Nclex in Florida and got my original license there. But I know people who took it once they moved out of Fl to other states and there were no issues. It is really up to you. I did not want to worry about studying while moving across the country. But it is more streamlined and cheaper if you apply and take the exam in Washington. With that said it was super easy to apply for endorsement here and the process goes faster if you are a military spouse.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions about the hospitals here and residency programs. I am working at St. Joseph in Tacoma and I really love the culture:). Good luck! Oh and also I recommend Uworld hands down to prepare for the Nclex.

Novicenursing · Nov 4, 2018

NoreArgo,

Thanks so much!!!

PhatRN · Mar 11, 2019

On 2/6/2018 at 6:55 PM, cyclone67 said:
I would go ahead and apply in the last months of your program. Start looking at the different residency webpages and contacting recruiters for information. They sometimes have dates posted for specific cohorts and sometimes not. For CHI Franciscan I did a search for residency positions -- they will actually post them as such often times. I believe they also say you can apply to just regular postings. It seems like their webpage is down right now -- I tried to go on and refresh my memory on the process. They do have a nursing residency page that told you what to do. Regardless of where you apply, make sure to attach a cover letter (even if not prompted). It's usually optional and I noticed that a lot of people who didn't get interviews didn't bother to do them! There's a ton of hospitals in the Tacoma area so I don't think you will have any issue finding a job. St Joseph, Tacoma General, Allenmore, St Clare, St Anthony, Mary Bridge Children's ......

What is the best RN residency program in Tacoma?

PhatRN · Mar 29, 2019

On 2/4/2018 at 12:57 PM, cyclone67 said:
Starting 4-5 months after graduation is not a big deal -- you just want to make sure you stay in the new grad window and get a job in that first year or it will be tough. I graduated in August and started in October but the 2 other new grads on my floor both graduated in May and started in September and October.
Check out CHI Franciscan -- they have several hospitals in the Tacoma area -- St Joseph's in Tacoma is the largest, they have several other locations to include Lakewood which is very close to JBLM (St Clare). They have a revolving residency program with no set cohort dates. You get hired and they have classes scheduled monthly and you just get put into the cycle. I started a residency in October at St Joseph's and am very happy with it. That would give you more flexibility with your move and not having to worry about being ready to start by a set date. My unit manager was pretty flexible about giving me a bit of time before starting if I needed it.
Also in Olympia / Lacey area there is St Peter's Hospital which is a part of Providence. That is also a very convenient area to JBLM. Located just west of JBLM; a lot of people on base live in that area also.
I would really try to lock a job down before you find housing because if you ended up living on the Olympia side and had to commute to Tacoma -- that would really suck and vice versa. The traffic in the area on I5 is pretty bad; especially in the JBLM area. If you can get on post housing -- it is convenient either way.
It can take a bit of time to get hired so I wouldn't wait until you get here to apply. I applied for my position in late May / early June and didn't even get a phone call until mid-August from St Joseph's. From there the process was very quick. I set up an in person interview a week later and was hired within a few days. They were very flexible about the start date -- when I was hired I hadn't even taken my NCLEX yet. If you apply at Providence they will contact you fairly quickly and you go through a process of a video interview using an online program and then an in person interview with a hiring committee from several floors.
If you apply to CHI, put in multiple applications to what interests you. I applied to 4-5 different positions and 2 different hospitals. It is set up a bit differently where you don't apply to a residency cohort but you apply for the specific positions. They do hire new grads for peds and L&D.
Just FYI, Providence St Pete does 12 hour shifts. CHI Franciscan has some floors with 12 hour shifts and some with 8 hour shifts. I am not sure about Multicare. The thing I really like about St Joseph's is that my unit culture is great -- very supportive to new grads and are ratios are great. We are mostly 4:1 on my floor and on day shift when it is super busy they have break nurses to make sure you get your breaks. And night shift keeps the same ratios; which is great!

Thank you so much for sharing such valuable information about the hospital. May I know, how long is the Didactic training before they put you in the Clinical area? Can you please share how does RN Residency training goes if you may please?

Like what to expect in the Didactic(Theory) and in the Clinical. Is it skills lab 1st or is it directly to the patient. Do you have a mentor? Like some hosp. they have 1 veteran RN is to 1 Resident Nurse that they tag along for the entire duration.

How long is the Residency and how long is the contract?

Thank you very much!