Out of state student applying for a job

[ki3t]

Is it still tough finding a job in WA if I went to school out of state?

I got a BA degree in accounting and worked in eye care for 5 years (ophthalmic technician) in WA before moving to Virginia for nursing school. I'm about to graduate with a MSN with hundreds of hours of 1-on-1 preceptorship experience in a cardiac ICU. I had a great time and I love all the nurses on that unit. They would gladly hire me, but I decided to move back to WA and be closer to family after I graduate May 2018 (next month).

My goal: continue working in a cardiac ICU (or at the very least work with cardiac patients) while pursuing research.

There was a thread from 2012 saying it is very hard to get a new nurse position in WA for out of state students.

I've applied to Harborview nurse residency in December 2017, but haven't heard back and my application status online has always said "in review". I've emailed and left messages but haven't heard back. I'm thinking they really don't even want to consider out of state students.

I want to work at harborview because they are a academic hospital and will have plenty of research opportunities. Should I try to get hired onto their cardiac ICU as a CNA, work as a CNA for a few months and then try to apply for a nurse residency?

Any other thoughts?

[dianah, ASN]

My advice is not to make assumptions about why you have not heard from the facility you have applied to.

Keep trying to reach someone.

From what I have read on this board, it is not a good idea to work beneath your ability (i.e., hire on as a CNA). I can see why you would use the CNA to get your foot in the door, so to speak.

But it would be wisest to be hired on as an RN. You may not be able to be hired in the preferred unit but perhaps in an alternate. Are you able to identify other units in which you would be interested working?

You may need to take a jaunt over to the hospital and scope it out, and put a face to the name on your applications.

[ki3t]

There is a waiting period after I graduate to process my application for the NCLEX, so I can't take the NCLEX exam until July/August 2018. I thought the interim period would be a good time to work as a CNA. Thanks for the advice - I won't work beneath me and just focus on looking for RN opportunities at Harborview and other hospitals.

I'm still in Virginia, but will be back in WA by June. Once I get back, I'll go over to Harborview to scope it out. I'd like to get some shadowing opportunities at my primary choice and a few alternatives choices. With the way Harborview sets up their online application, I can't go back and apply to more units.

I just applied to the cardiac ICU at UW Medical Center. I'll try to apply to more places.