Nursing licensure and jobs in FL

nyteshade, BSN · Jun 29, 2010

hello all! i am new graduate nurse planning on relocating from maryland to florida. there are absolutely no opportunities for me here in maryland, so i am taking my chances in florida. has it been difficult for a new graduate nurse to find employment in florida? also, can anyone guide me in the right direction in taking florida state boards (nclex)? where do i start? what do i need? any advice will be greatly appreciated :)

finding a job will be difficult, but not impossible. if i were you, i'd take the nclex there first. you can always get a fl license by endorsement. next, line up a job. different parts of fl have different opps. south fl (my area) is tough on new grads. consider less populated areas of fl such as west or north. if you have your heart set on s. fl, than be prepared to consider jobs outside the hospital. also, pay is low in fl, and cost of living (esp. south fl) is high. you must plan accordingly. if you must take boards down here, check out the fl bon.

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/nursing/

itsmejuli · Jun 30, 2010

Florida's economy is in the toilet and won't be getting better any time soon.

Secure a job, if you can find one, here in FL before even considering making a move here.

Ebank831 · Jul 2, 2010

Thank you both for the replies. My grandparents live in Cocoa Florida, so that is where I will be staying until I find a job and get back on my feet. I am actually moving there this Tuesday due to financial hardships here in Maryland, so I don't have much choice but to take my board exam in FL. My logic behind this whole crazy idea is that I currently live very close to DC and it is way overpopulated here IMO. So, I'm thinking if I move to a lesser populated area I will have less competition and hopefully more luck finding a job. I lost hope in finding a job here when my mother (also a nurse) who works in Baltimore, MD told me that they had 1000 new grad applicants to ONE new grad nurse position. In addition, I have called many hospitals in my area and been told that they are not even hiring new grads.....So here I am....broke....jobless....and well educated. Just doesn't seem fair to work so hard for something and then have to work even harder to find a job. I guess I will just have to hope for the best and keep my fingers, toes, legs, arms, eyes and anything else that can be crossed, crossed .

giftedRN · Jul 2, 2010

Keep on looking, you will find a job eventually...It is very hard. I have no job and I have been looking all over the states for almost nine months now. It is very hard.

Preeps · Jul 17, 2010

I don't believe Florida is in any better condition economically speaking than the Baltimore area. And I know my hospital is not hiring Grad Nurses. My floor is short staffed and we are down 2 nurses and our Nurse Manager will only hire experienced nurses-atleast 2 years and with recent PCU experience. So far she said we have only had 1 applicant that meets the qualifications. I was surprised. I assumed there would be a lot of applicants.

We are pretty desperate and understaffed and she still doesn't want to hire a grad nurse.

But it is all over Florida, not just Orlando. You can read all the posts and all the grad nurses unable to find employement. You may have to go to a long term care type facility to get a job. Good luck to you.

ncole2010 · Jul 28, 2010

Ebank 831 Hi! I guess we are in the same boat. I just moved to FL from NC. I had an opportunity to interview in NC but I didn't want to break my family up. I'm kinda regretting this decision. I'm thinking maybe I should take the NCLEX and then start back up on applications after I pass. I've applied to some graduate programs & I'm willing to travel up to 3 hours if the pay is ok. If anyone has any suggestions let me know! any doc offices? nursing homes? hospices? etc...

Ebank831 · Jul 28, 2010

Hi Ncole! I was called for my first interview today, but the woman did not realize I don't have my license yet. I don't know why she acted like she didn't know because I clearly said "I am waiting to take my NCLEX exam" in my coverletter. Anyhow, She told me to come in anyway and see what we can do since I told her I'm just waiting on the date. My point is....it can't hurt to try to find a job before you take your test. The worst that can happen is they tell you that you need your license first. I figure if it does work out then at least I will have a job as soon as I pass my test if not sooner. Bottom line, you have to do what's best for you....just don't get discouraged.

What part of Florida did you move to? I am in Brevard County.

ncole2010 · Jul 29, 2010

I'm in Orange County. Recently I applied to Parrish Medical in Titusville thats about an hour away from where I live. I am going to go ahead and pay for my Med Error Prevention course and finish up the application with the board of nursing so I can go ahead and take my NCLEX. I've found they have more new grad programs coming up in west florida and a lot of those hospitals are 3 hours away...have u tried the HCA website?..thats where i've found a lot of places to apply.

Ebank831 · Jul 30, 2010

I applied at Parrish also. They said they are interviewing in August, so hopefully we both get a call soon :) I have not even heard of the HCA website, but I will check it out. Health first is also hiring new grads in August, but i'm not sure when there deadline is for applications. Health first includes Cape Canaveral, Holmes regional, Palm Bay, and Viera (not open yet). I just got my ATT today, so I will be taking NCLEX on August 16th. I took the med error prevention course online for $30 at University of South Florida. If you haven't done so already, make sure you get your school to send your transcripts to the Florida board of nursing. I thought the board was gonna get them themselves, but I was wrong and it held me up a little bit. Good luck to you :nurse:

ncole2010 · Jul 30, 2010

Thanks. Is there a list of things I need to send in to the fl state board of nursing? I completed my application on line but that is it! I didn't see anything about turning in transcripts or fingerprints etc. So I have to pay $204 for the application then another $200 (to pearson vue) for the nclex right?

thanks for your help I really appreciate it! good luck to u too!

Ebank831 · Jul 31, 2010

I had to send in the certificate showing that I completed the 2 hour med error prevention course. Then I had to contact my school to get transcripts mailed directly to the board of nursing. They wont accept the transcripts unless they come directly from the school. Just make sure you give the school the address for the FL board of nursing, which is located in one of the confirmation emails you will receive if you do it online. I had to pay for the transcripts as well but it was only $8 and I was able to do it online via the schools website. Your prices are correct.....$200 for Pearson Vue and $204 for the license application. I didn't have to turn in any finger prints. I'm guessing not all states require them. If I were you, I would do the applications online since they actually emailed me mt ATT the day after the FL board of nursing accepted my application. I found it very convenient :)