I am a 5th semester nursing student graduating in December. My husband is being transferred to the Bay area with his job, and therefore, I will be a new grad in a new city.
I started nursing school here in New Mexico because I love it so much and because here, it is easy to get a job as a new grad. Making this move, though, I am terrified. All that I keep hearing is that it is impossible to get a job as a new grad (especially from an ADN program) and that all the nursing markets in the Bay area are saturated. I'm an A student working an externship in a PICU specializing in Pediatric Cardiology, and have worked as a tech in a busy ER here for years, but I've heard that doesn't make a whit of difference.
I'm terrified. Not only is this the first time in my life i will be away from home (28 years in NM), but i will be looking for a job in a city where I hear it is near impossible to find a job. Please can someone help me with suggestions of hospitals to try calling for info or with suggestions of their own? This move is inevitable, but I don't want to lose sleep over it.
as everyone else said, apply as much as possible, most bay area hospitals have 1 or 2 new grad programs per year, and it is very rare that they hire outside of that, so apply before you graduate with an expected NCLEX date which is what most of us are going to do (I graduate in December, too). there are 30 students from SJSU who will be graduating in December who are already "hired" by hospitals in the area (they've paid for our tuition, we've promised our lives) which might make it a bit more competitive right now, but we are the last group graduating. but some of the graduates who were "promised" a job and graduated last December still have not been placed by their sponsoring hospital.
You are in picu and like hearts. Dont listen to the experience doesnt matter, lots of new grad programs in the area for ER, or ICUs will say they prefer or will only hire grads with experience in those areas. Meaning you spent your last semester preceptorship or had an externship in the area. The fact that you've spent time in a PICU and an ER will help.
Also even though your not moving until after you graduate, look up the new grad programs and apply. You did say you like pediatric hearts and UCSF has a specialty unit for that. Its the only one in the area I know about and has slots in the new grad program. If you like peds the only other two places that have specialty child hospitals besides UCSF are childrens oakland and stanford's lucile packard in palo alto. Everywhere else just has a peds floor, I wanted to work in a child centered facility which made job searching a bit tougher. Peds just isnt the same to me in adult hospitals.
Look around now for jobs, if its a new grad program id apply now if you can or even just get in touch with the nurse recruiters. Apply early and make contacts so they have a personality to match with your qualifications. Know all new grad program deadline dates. They should be up now.
And get a feel for how jobs are posted at hospitals who dont have new grad programs and just hire continuously. You can also call and make contact with the recruiters. If you and your husband go house hunting between now and then, Id make an appointment and meet the recruiters and ask for a hospital tour so you can get a feel for where you like better and can make better connections with the people who will be getting your resume.
jesa
116 Posts
as everyone else said, apply as much as possible, most bay area hospitals have 1 or 2 new grad programs per year, and it is very rare that they hire outside of that, so apply before you graduate with an expected NCLEX date which is what most of us are going to do (I graduate in December, too). there are 30 students from SJSU who will be graduating in December who are already "hired" by hospitals in the area (they've paid for our tuition, we've promised our lives) which might make it a bit more competitive right now, but we are the last group graduating. but some of the graduates who were "promised" a job and graduated last December still have not been placed by their sponsoring hospital.