New Grad from NJ thinking of moving to Boston, Baltimore or Virgina...

[LookForward]

Im 21 yrs old and recently graduated last december. How are the working conditions in these places and the job prospects? Also, can you share the process of how to obtain the license for these places and how long does it take. Thank you so much!

[gatherswool]

For Boston:

If there's an area you're especially passionate about, try emailing the nurse manager for that unit first, then, if all goes well, contacting HR. But do be aware that most hospitals in Boston require a BSN. If you're not 100% sold on the acute care track, you could probably find a job at a community health center. The pay and benefits are much better than in stand-alone primary care practices, and you get exposed to a lot of different (outpatient) stuff. It's not impossible to go from a community health center job to a hospital job after a few years, but of course it's a lot easier to go from one acute job to another.

Be sure to look through craigslist to figure out about how much you'd pay for rent -- I wouldn't count on anything less than $600/month for a share with at least 1 or 2 other people.

A few community health centers that see a lot of volume/are well known in Boston:

Dorchester House MSC

Codman Square

South Boston Community Health

East Boston Neighborhood Health

Upham's Corner

Dimock

Many hospitals also have busy outpatient divisions and may provide an entry point, *if* they hire ADNs -- you'd have to check their HR websites, I only know for sure that MGH and the BID don't.

Good luck, and happy travels!