New Nurse, New to New York City

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Hello,

I am a brand new RN. I just passed NCLEX last week after graduating from an associates degree program in Philadelphia. My fiancee has gotten the job of his dreams in NYC, so we will be relocating to Brooklyn in less than 2 weeks, and I will be looking for a job!

Ideally I would like to work in a med-surg setting. I am planning to get my BSN in the next year or two, probably after I have gained NY residency, so tuition reimbursment would be a real plus for me.

I am not familiar with NYC hospitals, and I am finding it a little overwhelming to begin a job hunt in such a large market. I know that in Philly it can be hard to find a med-surg job without a bachelor's degree. Is it the same in NY? I would love any advice on the process from those of you working in the city.

Thanks!

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

From what I have read here the job market in NYC is all but closed to new grads. Particularly grads without a BSN in that area are not looked at. Several hospitals in NYC have closed their doors, leaving even experienced nurses out of work and there are a lot of nursing schools in the area cranking out new grads several times a year. I am sorry to say the job market in NYC is probably tied for top most dismal in the US for new grad RNs.

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Let me just say, if you dont have a BSN at least, hospitals will not look at you. i dislike to sound pessimistic but I graduated in 2011 with my BSN, took my nclex and registerd in NYS. with the hopes that I can get a nursing job in the city close to my family. NEGATIVE. Hospitals will call you, if they missed the fact you have no experience, and ask how much experience you have and when you say "none", they'll say call us when you have atleast 1-2 years. That was about how many phone calls i received, till i aimed my applications upstate, ny. Even being a BSN graduate, graduating from an excellent EXCELLENT school, that didnt cut it. its just because its nYC, they dont have the time and patience for new nurses. I found a job upstate, and been working there for 5 months, although i miss being home, nyc is not trying to give me the experience i need. most schools upstate are teaching hospitals and have the time for the new grads and the critical staffing isn't as intense as nyc, so nyc hospitals really want an experienced nurse, who can just get off orientation QUICK and start work as opposed to us new grads, we are fresh, and new to the game. good luck tho. im sure there is a hospital there you can find, but get ready to search long and wide, and phone calls that may not be what you think.

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ooof!

thanks... I have been doing some reading since my first post and it sounds pretty bleak. I am still really hoping to find something within commuting distance of Brooklyn. Is there any advantage to getting a NJ license and looking for jobs there?

My fiancee has been working at his job in NYC for over a year now, staying with friends or commuting 2 hours each way while I finnished school. We are eager to be living in just one city again.

My original plan/hope has been to start off with a med/surg job for a few years in order to gain well rounded experience and a variety of skills. I was also thinking I would wait to go to school until I gained NY residency so that it would be more affordable to attend one of the SUNYs or CUNYs. Eventually I would like to work in hospice care or in a community setting, and go back to school for my masters and possibly go for NP. But it looks like I might have to rethink things.

It might be possible to start school for my BSN sooner - if I can't find a job I guess I will have no choice. Is the employment picture any better for non-hospital jobs? As I said, I am interested in hospice care and community care. My school had a focus on geriatrics. I enjoy working with that population, though I would rather not work in a long term care facility. Mostly because I have heard that may limit my career options in the future.

Does anyone have any tips as far as finding externships and volunteer opportunities that might be useful for making connections? Right now my network is all in Philly, and I know I need to change that.

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