New Grads: how long did it take you to find a job, or how long have you been ...

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Me:

Bay Area, CA

Graduated August '13

Passed NCLEX 1/25/14

Applied to over 120 jobs

Have ACLS, PALS, and NRP

STILL NO JOB!!!!

How about you??

Tennessee

Graduated: April 21, 2015

Passed Nclex: June, 10, 2015

Hired: June 22, 2015

I interviewed at 2 facilities. I had actually already interviewed with the facility that hired me on May 4, 2015, but I think they somehow forgot that they interviewed me! 😒 Their new DON interviewed, drug tested, and hired me in 25 minutes flat! 😊🙌🏾

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Western Washington

Graduated March 2015

NCLEX April 2015

Still looking, not super serious yet though. Waiting to hear on a residency program I really want to participate in. Applied for 6 acute care positions, interviewed for one.

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Graduated May 2015

Passed NCLEX May 2015

Job offer April 2015

I was one of the lucky ones to get a job offer before I finished school. The offer was from the unit I was doing my last clinical rotation at. I wasn't super excited about it, but took it anyway. Then was offered a job way closer to home a few weeks before I was to start. I know most of the people in my class had job offers before we graduated. I think it is a Midwest thing! There were only a few who had a hard time getting a job, but from what I heard they do now. Of course our pay scale is pretty much at the bottom, meaning in our rural Midwest area, most of use make less than $22/hr.

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Specializes in OR.

Georgia

Graduated early May, 2015

Accepted the new grad residency position I was hoping for mid-May, 2015

Passed NCLEX mid-June, 2015

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California.

Graduated May 2015

Passed NCLEX End of May 2015

I started applying to jobs once I had my license. I looked for small, rural hospitals in towns that have low cost of living. Within three weeks had two interviews at the same hospital, one for Rehab unit, one for LTC. I got both jobs. I accepted the Rehab unit position. The hospital takes 4 weeks to do a background check so during that time I continued to apply to other hospitals.

I heard back from one hospital two hours away from where I live; ER position, nights. I went up for an interview and was hired at the end of the interview, to start in two weeks. It's not a residency position, will have two months minimum of orientation before being switched to nights and set free. Additionally told that I will be crosstrained in ICU because the Manager of ER/ICU wants all his nurses to be able to float back and forth, depending on census. ICU will be an additional 2 months of orientation to that unit, starting whenever I want in the first year.

Needless to say I'm really happy, especially after hearing all the different stories regarding how hard it is to find a job in California.

Here is my advice: look for small, community hospitals in nearby cities (if you can move). Realize pay isn't going to be ideal (it's $29.30 for me for day shift, plus $4 night shift differential, plus raise once I pass my 3 month probation).

Also--be honest with interviewers. I was honest with each of my interviewers regarding my 5 year plans, my desired career path, and what I felt I could reasonably commit to the hospital. I told the ER position that I would probably want to leave after 3 to 4 years to go back to school and get my masters/doctorate depending. I told the Rehab unit that I preferred ER but was willing to work hard. The Rehab unit promised me 1 year there and then I could transfer to ER with their blessing. They also said that given my passion for ER they wouldn't require me to sign a contract, and as long as I gave 2 weeks notice I could leave if I found a job that suited me better.

I start at the ER position in two weeks! Eeep!

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New York

Graduated May 2015

Took NCLEX June 2015

Job offer July 2015 (but I started interviewing for it in April)

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Specializes in LTC, Med-surg.

Graduated May 2015

Passed NCLEX July 16, 2015

Received RN license# August 8, 2015

2 interviews in LTC, 2 job offers

1 interview pending with NJ hospital for August 24th

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

I don't recall if I've posted in this thread... I graduated in May 2014, got licensed 3 weeks later, found my 1st job 8 months later, and I just got off orientation of my 1st position as an ER nurse. Yes, I was hired as a new grad into the ED!

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Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.

I graduated in December 2014. Got licensed in early February. Had a job offer three weeks later, but due to personal circumstances, I could not take it. Got another offer in April at another hospital and am currently working there.

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Specializes in Oncology.

South Dakota

Took the NCLEX mid July.

By the end of 2 weeks I had 5 job offers from the maybe 10 places I applied for?

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Graduated: May 2015

Found out I passed NCLEX: July 25, 2015

Still looking for a job.

Interviewed for two positions: T2P (Rejected) and RN Position (Waiting on HR response)

Still looking and applying to jobs every single day. ANYWHERE in California.

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