New RN, New to Houston, and No Job

U.S.A. Texas

Published

Hi everyone,

I moved to Houston from Pennsylvania after I graduated nursing school at PSU a few months ago. I passed my boards almost a month ago and have applied to probably 70 jobs since then. I have my ADN, and am 3 courses away from my BSN which I hope to be finished in May. I also did an externship in critical care. I haven't heard anything from anywhere I applied. It is discouraging, because I feel like I worked really hard to get here, and I want to start working badly. It seems like many hospitals here either want experience, or a BSN. Does anyone know of anywhere that hires new nurses without experience to positions other than internships/residencies in the Houston area? Everyone I've been in contact with tells me to apply to their internship or residency program (which I haven't had much luck with so far). Any information/assistance is greatly appreciated!

I am having the same exact predicament! I am a May Grad, got married in May also, passed my boards at first try in early July, and moved from Maryland to Houston, TX , end of August and it has been HARD! I mean I was aggressive about looking for jobs and calling, but somehow I am always left feeling like an outsider. In MD I actually had a job offer in a Beacon unit and everything! Here in Houston, it's like they won't deal with new grads, or you must go through an internship first, and the internship programs seem to be hiring people they already know. I had one interview with Memorial Hermann it was Horrible! But hang in there! Just keep pushing and checking those websites. I got called for another interview this week and I am praying this will be it :-) Good luck on your search!

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ainusca, the job search here is awful isn't it!? It's very hard to get into these internship programs. I'm glad you at least got 2 interviews though! I hope this one goes well for you :) This time are you interviewing for an internship again? I've applied to about 90 jobs and I think 5 internships, so I'm just hoping for 1 interview at this point! Best of luck!

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Hey there,

Just wanted to share that Conroe Regional Medical just opened their RN Grad posting on their site.

I also applied to the Versant at Cypress Fairbanks, my fingers are crossed.

Trying to stay motivated as well.

Kingwood will open later in the winter.

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Miss Kisha,

Thank you for being so kind to share that! I heard that Cypress Fairbanks is going to be starting interviews for the program around the first week of November. Good luck to you!

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Thank you guys, it's really encouraging to know I'm not alone in this! I also applied to the Versant at Cypress Fairbanks. But unfortunately haven't really heard from them.

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

Where do you live in Houston? I lived in Houston for most of my life. If you want to get a job as an ER nurse you have to do a couple of things first. First, you need to get a staff nurse job on a med surg floor at a trauma hospital. Try to get on a surgical floor or see if they have an internship for the ICU. That will be either Memorial Hermann or Ben Taub down in the Texas Medical Center. I guarantee you they have vacant positions for the floor positions. It may not be what you want to do, but you will get excellent experience on the floor. Now, while you are there you should do the following: get ACLS. PALS, TNCC and your CEN certifications. Have as many of these as you can when you apply for the ED. Depending on your schedule and available time, try to get your EMT certification. Go to work, don't call in sick and keep a spotless employment record. I would strongly recommend that you get at least 2 years under your belt before moving to the ED. Some nurses do well there directly out of school but it has been my experience that most do not. I have worked in both those facilities in the ED and they are both tops. Go to your interview dressed in a VERY professional manner. Do a cover letter outlining what you have done so far. If you need help with this, email me privately and I can send you an example of how to word your cover letter. Ben Taub Hospital is part of the Harris County Hospital District and they have another hospital located north of the medical center called LBJ hospital. They have I think a level II ED there as well. If you are going to work in the ED you might as well aim high and gear your work toward the two best ED's in town. Once you get a job at either of these ED's you can then write you ticket when you decide to go elsewhere. My experience at Ben Taub got me in other jobs that I would have never gotten without that job on my resume. Good Luck to you.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I'm a PSU alum now living in houston (clear lake, specifically) too!! i got my bs in biobehavioral health in may 2009 and instead of pitt/rutgers, i moved down here with my now fiancee. im in the alvin RN program. i already have a BS, so im hoping employers will take that into consideration.

I would suggest you call up recruiters, physically go to the nursing floors, visit hr depts, online, word of mouth,etc and KEEP applying. but that said, if you plan on working in the TMC downtown, your bsn is invaluable. if youre lucky, they will pay for it. if not, i would start looking and applying to BSN programs asap.

good luck my fellow Penn Stater!!! :-)

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diane227, sorry I'm just writing back now. Thank you for replying! I live on the west side of Houston. Right now I'm trying to get into a critical care or ED residency position. I just had an interview last week for a critical care residency, and I'm hoping to have another soon for an ED. I took your advice and went dressed extremely professional in a pant suit. Neither of these are in the TMC, but I'm hoping by doing one of these I'll get to do what I love and get some great experience for a few years. At this point I have applied to every hospital in the TMC..it seems like all of them want you to do an internship there. I'm completely on board with this, even if it's not in my area of choice, but they are very competitive and I haven't received any calls. I did apply to several RN 1 positions at Ben Taub and emailed a recruiter with my resume and cover letter. I would LOVE to work there, but still no calls. I also applied to some RN 1 positions at LBJ. As a student I did an externship in critical care, but it seems like no hospitals in the TMC want to talk to me because I have my ADN and not BSN. I am however pursuing my BSN and only have 3 courses left. I'll send you my resume and cover letter to take a look at. Thanks again for responding!

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For anyone looking for a job, Cornerstone, Triumph and Kindred are hiring in SE Houston.

FYI, Nurse Managers don't care what kind of degrees you have outside of Nursing. In the suburban hospitals where both ADN and BSN's are hired, no one cares if you have a BSN. If you have RN behind your name and a warm body, they will hire you and pay you the same as BSN.

No one is going to hire an ADN in the Medical Center. No one is going to hire a nurse who works in the suburb in the Medical Center. You have to have had an internship there locally.

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Specializes in med surg and acute behavorial health.

@shah thanks for the tip i graduated last year and have been looking for work. I've applied to kindred before but havent gotten a reply from them. If they are hiring do you suggest going in and talking to the HR department or applying online at open positions? Thanks

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I am a new graduate and have not had an interview yet. I was a student professional nurse for three months and I have applied to three internships that begin in May or June. Wishing everyone luck!

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I need some help with the cover letter and resume Diane227. If you would please contact me at [email protected]. I am a new grad but older. Never dreamed it woud be this hard to secure employment but it is. I could use some mentorship please. Thanks, Barbara

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