New grad prospects in Bay Area

[kubelkabondy, ADN, RN]

So I'm in my final quarter of nursing school and just found out that I will be relocating to the Bay Area from Seattle as soon as a I graduate in December for my husband's job. I would really prefer to stay in Seattle as I want to work in the OR and feel that there are a lot of opportunities for me here even as a new grad, but it's a big career move for my husband so staying isn't really an option.

While I know that I ultimately want to work in the OR, I'd be willing to start out in a different specialty, but I'm definitely not interested in doing anything outside of acute care. 

Based on research I've been doing online, it seems that the market is very saturated for new grads and a lot of the residency programs (I only looked into Kaiser and UCSF a little bit) are extremely competitive. I will only have an ADN (plus a B.A.) so I feel like I won't stand a chance. Now I am wondering if it would be best for me to postpone my job search until I've gotten my BSN which I think I could probably do in about 6 months.

However, I only started looking into this today and I don't really know anything about the job market in the Bay Area. We would be living in the East Bay, specifically San Leandro. There is a Kaiser right there and it looks like they are actively hiring experienced OR nurses, but not new grads. 

Any insight or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks. 

 

[darcsyde, BSN, MSN, RN]

Hi there,

I live in the Bay Area now, and you are right in that competition for new nurse jobs here is very fierce. One reason is that there are a LOT of nursing schools here from ADN on up. So, not only will you be competing against hundreds of other applicants, but most will have experience in the local hospitals, which is a plus. There are plenty of non-acute RN jobs available for things like COVID testing, vaccines, or SNF work. However, if you want to be in an acute setting, you'll likely need to find a new grad program. Most of the new grad programs do strongly prefer BSN grads. Not saying it's impossible to get a job with an ADN, but many hospitals favor folks with a BSN or higher.

If you're interested in Kaiser, they do have a new grad program for their Nor Cal hospitals. I think their application process begins in the Spring sometime. It's a very hard time to be a new grad. So, apply to as many positions as you can and don't get discouraged. Good luck with the relocation and job search!

[kubelkabondy, ADN, RN]

On 9/28/2021 at 8:29 PM, darcsyde said:

Hi there,

I live in the Bay Area now, and you are right in that competition for new nurse jobs here is very fierce. One reason is that there are a LOT of nursing schools here from ADN on up. So, not only will you be competing against hundreds of other applicants, but most will have experience in the local hospitals, which is a plus. There are plenty of non-acute RN jobs available for things like COVID testing, vaccines, or SNF work. However, if you want to be in an acute setting, you'll likely need to find a new grad program. Most of the new grad programs do strongly prefer BSN grads. Not saying it's impossible to get a job with an ADN, but many hospitals favor folks with a BSN or higher.

If you're interested in Kaiser, they do have a new grad program for their Nor Cal hospitals. I think their application process begins in the Spring sometime. It's a very hard time to be a new grad. So, apply to as many positions as you can and don't get discouraged. Good luck with the relocation and Job Search!

Thanks so much for this info. After looking into this a bit more, my husband and I are considering just being long-distance for a while. Hopefully once I have a year of experience under my belt and a BSN, my prospects in the Bay area will be a little better. Had no idea SF was so cutthroat for new grads! Seattle isn't like that at all. 

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

On 9/30/2021 at 4:09 PM, kubelkabondy said:

Thanks so much for this info. After looking into this a bit more, my husband and I are considering just being long-distance for a while. Hopefully once I have a year of experience under my belt and a BSN, my prospects in the Bay area will be a little better. Had no idea SF was so cutthroat for new grads! Seattle isn't like that at all. 

I can't say from experience but everything I hear points to the Bay area as being one of the very few places that still has an extremely competitive job market, especially for new grads. Apply, apply and then apply some more. If you can't secure a job right away and you can afford the time off while looking for work it might be worthwhile to get your BSN while continuing your job search. Keep applying to open positions during school as something might come through especially if you can say you are actively pursuing your BSN.

Another consideration is the sky-high cost of living! Is your husband's job helping with moving expenses and securing housing before the transfer? If you are on your own in this expect some sticker shock and possibly even a difficult time securing a decent place to live without a ridiculous commute at all.  Cost of living and housing availability is bad in the Seattle area now but I believe it's even worse in the Bay. 

I can see it being pretty difficult to maintain two households in two high cost of living areas if you decide to try long-distance, not to mention you'd have to factor in travel time and related expenses for when you do see each other as I expect you would want to do as frequently as possible if you are living apart.