New grad trying to find a Job in CA San Diego

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Well I'm graduating with a BSN this may. I'm graduating with Magna Cum Laude. I had 4 years of experience as a Navy corpsman ER and I have 10 points on the veterans preference. I am bilingual (Spanish,English ) and i speak a little bit of Tagalog. I got my nclex the first time. I have recommendation letter from all my clinical professors. My program was in English but on a Puertorican university. So how hard can it be finding a Job as an RN in San Diego? I really want to move back there.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

It sounds like you're in pretty good shape, particularly as a veteran.

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Specializes in Near Future: ED, Future Future: ACNP!.

Very, very hard. Been looking for 7 months.

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That's what I heard but why is that? Where in CA do you live?

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

Securing a new-grad position in CA is hard, no doubt. From the conversations I've had, they see something on the order of 100 applications for every new-grad posting.

That said,

+ being a veteran helps, particularly in a USN-centric town like SD. Our society presently lionizes veterans so that will certainly work to your advantage. Recognize, though, that formal 'veteran's preference' is not universal but rather a hospital-by-hospital policy.

+ being bilingual in Spanish is huge (a bit of Tagalog is meaningless unless "a bit" is "quite a bit")

+ a BSN is borderline mandatory for many new-grad positions in CA, especially at the big hospitals

+ Corpsman experience is very helpful because it means that you can show up to work every day and handle your stuff. Don't think it makes you 'all that,' though, because it's a whole different realm of the medical spectrum. I had an acquaintance tell me in admiring tones, "they can even do stitches..." which was meaningless because we don't suture... the MDs suture. In SD, you're more likely to run across managers who've come out of the Navy, or at least have Navy connections, and who will recognize your experience as more meaningful than will folks with no military connection.

My recommendation would be to cast your net far and wide and to take whatever job you can find (hint, look rural... very rural). After a couple of years, you become a viable candidate for postings that you have no shot at as a new grad.

How much trouble you'll have getting hired is hard to say but from the little that you've posted here, I'd say you're more competitive than many new grads.

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Specializes in Near Future: ED, Future Future: ACNP!.
That's what I heard but why is that? Where in CA do you live?

I'm in San Diego. When the new grad programs open their apps up there are over a thousand applicants. Not to mention all of the hospitals here are Sharp or Scripps for the most part, which means you can't apply to each hospital. You have to apply to their central system. They also don't hire new grads outside of their new grad program. The other hospitals in the area require 1-2 years of acute care RN experience for their positions.

I've also applied at LTAC and LTC. They also want RN experience.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Your advantages are that you will have a BSN, are bilingual, are a veteran, and have corpsman experience (which usually translates to LVN-equivalent experience, or at least general healthcare experience, in the eyes of many employers).

Disadvantages: you have to get past the CA BRN (I know, Puerto Rico is part of the US and isn't exactly "foreign"; however the CA BRN has some of the strictest educational requirements out there), corpsman experience isn't technically RN experience, and you're choosing a very competitive area that is saturated with new grads.

Overall, you're probably more competitive than the average new grad, but nowhere so advanced that you've got a significant advantage.

Since you're a veteran, I would definitely apply at the VA as well as military facilities: your veteran status won't guarantee you a job by any means, but when it comes to military/GS jobs it could give you a stronger edge over other new grads. As far as veteran's preference in civilian facilities, Song's right in that your mileage may vary: some places love vets, others will not be impressed in the least.

Best of luck.

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Specializes in Near Future: ED, Future Future: ACNP!.

The VA and the Dept of the Navy (civilian job) both have positions posted frequently. You would definitely have an edge there.

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Tagalog is enought to have a good conversation but not really good writting it.

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