Post-Graduation relocation

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Sep 7, 2020

My two choices were out of state, 150 miles out of state or 800 miles out of state. As long as you are willing to relocate there and get their state license, hospitals don't care what state you came from.

FurBabyMom, MSN, RN · Sep 7, 2020

I have to agree. My first, second and third jobs were out of state compared to where I went to nursing school and took NCLEX. I didn't move between my first and second jobs (close enough to commute - well - mostly). But otherwise, I had an offer letter before I committed to moving.

I will warn, that with as financially challenging as COVID has been, I would imagine that relocation assistance is something many hospitals are foregoing to trim costs. Depending on your financial situation - it may be worth waiting if you can't "eat" the cost of moving.

MotoMonkey, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2020

As long as you have a license in the state you wish to practice I don't see any reason you wouldnt be able to find a job. The smart advice would be to land a job offer prior to moving, or at minimum researching the job market in the area you want to move. But I think this is one of the awesome parts of being a nurse, you have the ability to find a job almost anywhere.

bitter_betsy, BSN · Sep 7, 2020

My answer a year ago may have been different - but so many things are crazy right now. I would stay at home for that first year or two and then move. By staying at home, you can get that experience, and get over that "new grad" money. If you have a year or two under your belt, the economy can stabilize a little and when you move you can negotiate a better salary so you'll have a couple more dollars an hour to put into your budget. You'll also have time to save for moving expenses assuming that they won't still be paying for those. In addition, it will give you time to seek out a place you really want to stay for a few years. Graduating, licensing (assuming you don't have or aren't going to a compact state), moving, starting a new job, figuring out the area and commute times, even just finding a safe place to stay right now - those are a lot of "stressors" that could be spread out over a little more time.

In all honesty, I would have the urge to just go as well. If you had family where you were going so you could take out some of the unknowns It may not be as bad. I mean there isn't any reason you can't go - just be aware of all the "things" that will need to happen in addition to just graduating and getting a job that you have to deal with. I think licensing and location safety would be my top 2 priorities.

JKL33 · Sep 7, 2020

Based on discussions here and there (including threads here on AN) I would be concerned about an uptick in hiring shenanigans, such as being grossly misled about the nature of the position or the facility's staffing situation, etc., etc. While this would not be limited to out-of-state jobs, I would think that the out-of-state aspect would make it even more difficult to find out what's what. Personally I would not move out of state for a job sight-unseen unless I had to...but I also tend heavily toward playing it safe in a lot of things in life so take my comment with that in mind.

If there are jobs available around you I'd stay put in that general area where you can better vet the employers' situations, MOs and offers; I think that might be even more important when one is a novice and not completely aware of what kinds of employer (nursing-related) practices are okay or not okay, when is something kinda bad vs. super bad/intolerable, etc., etc.

bitter_betsy, BSN · Sep 7, 2020

19 minutes ago, JKL33 said:

Based on discussions here and there (including threads here on AN) I would be concerned about an uptick in hiring shenanigans, such as being grossly misled about the nature of the position or the facility's staffing situation, etc., etc.

This is a great point. Many of my friends that I graduated with were promised jobs in certain locations and most did not end up there with "covid" being the excuse.

2021NEgrad, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2020

Thanks for all the responses!

Ideally I'd love to pack up and head to a suburb of Denver, CO (who doesn't want to go to CO?!), but I've heard the nursing market is quite saturated there.

I've done quite a bit of research on NLC states and the job market in those states, Kansas City, MO and Conroe, TX more so than other cities. But a lot of positions advertise "HIRING NEW GRADS" then halfway down the page it says "6-12 months experience required". Any words of advice on any of this?

FurBabyMom, MSN, RN · Sep 10, 2020

On 9/7/2020 at 11:44 AM, 2021NEgrad said:

Thanks for all the responses!

Ideally I'd love to pack up and head to a suburb of Denver, CO (who doesn't want to go to CO?!), but I've heard the nursing market is quite saturated there.

I've done quite a bit of research on NLC states and the job market in those states, Kansas City, MO and Conroe, TX more so than other cities. But a lot of positions advertise "HIRING NEW GRADS" then halfway down the page it says "6-12 months experience required". Any words of advice on any of this?

Some of it could be a form. Often there is something on the job posting side that wasn't unchecked. Apply, see what they say. Make an educated decision based on what is or isn't offered. The worst they can do is reject your application. I will say that with organizations doing Zoom / Skype / Webex interviews it is very difficult to assess culture and situations in organizations.