Murray77

Wow....starting to get it. At first I felt lost searching through threads but I'll try to get more involved in exisiting discussions. Guess I started out backwards...thanks again

Thanks ladies! Any advice on how to maximize my experience here is much appreciated! Take care!

I've put up four or five posts and received very few replies. Are my questions to general? Or are all the californians not interested in talking to out of staters? Just trying to find a use for this site. Any feedback is welcome. Of course I'm also doing my own legwork...just thought it would be fun to be part of an online nursing community.

Hi all, I will graduate in May '09 with an accelerated BSN. I have been researching California as a potential place to work for several reasons. I suffer from a mild case (so far!) of Crohn's and would love to live in a moderate climate. I live in the Northeast now and the long winter/short summer doesn't entirely agree with me. Secondly, the shear size and population of Cali would seem to indicate that the need for nurses is very real. Internet research has shown me that there is a projected nursing shortage into the thousands going forward. Thirdly, I was born on an island and have always been near the ocean so I am determined to live on one coast or the other. Lastly, much of my family is on the west coast of Canada. It would be nice to be a reasonable plane ride away from them. I have heard of some acquaintances who went to California with nursing degrees and did extremely well for themselves. Yet this was 4-5 years ago. Am I now to understand that landing jobs is difficult? As a new grad next May should I suck it up and get a year of experience in Maine before looking to move? We are constantly being told that as nursing students the world is our oyster and that jobs are to be had everywhere (even as new grads). This site has woken me up to some other realities. Any thoughts? Take care!

Hi Steph, Thanks for the info. It will probably be very difficult to compete with new grads from the city but I'll contact the hospitals and try to network a bit! Thanks for the heads up!

Thanks for the reply! We are looking for a change of pace but are not necessarily hungry for the big city life. Your reply is most helpful. From what I can gather you believe Mercy is the place to be nursing-wise? If we were stay in Maine even the largest hospital starts new grads at $22/hr. Not that I am all about the money but I have major loans to contend with! We have been researching Redding real estate and from our perspective it looks quite decent. Is your son a nurse? Do you have any contacts in the city? Is there a need for new grads? Thinking I might just call up the hospitals and see what's what. Thanks again!

Hi there, My gf and I are thinking about moving to Northern Cali after we graduate with our BSN's from the University of Maine. Redding caught our eye. Anybody from/working there? Thanks.

Hey folks! Completing an accelerated BSN in Maine. Went back to school after working for the Canadian Coast Guard for a while. Nursing school is really working out...love the clinicals, hands on stuff and more than holding my own with the academics. Will graduate in May and am trying to decide what the next step is! Just a quick hello as I am new to the site. Hope to ring in on some of these discussions! Take it easy.

Thanks guys! I appreciate the advice. Strange that you should mention the north Janey. We have been researching Redding for the past day or so. Close to the mountains and seemingly a nice lake region. Parkland seems to be plentiful and some of the natural/rural elements that we enjoy here may be available minus the harsh climate. Housing seems reasonable and the city seems big enough for our purposes. Any thoughts?

Hi JaneyW! Thanks for your kind reply! My girlfriend and I have had several animated discussions about location. I suppose the considerations must be balanced between practicality and preference. We will both have substantial loans so salary, cost of living, etc. must be accounted for. We do not have our heart set on urban living but certainly access to culture, dining etc would be nice. We were also both born into scenic, natural environments so if we could maintain some of that it would be great. If I could be close to both the mountains and the ocean it would be just right! We have many more thoughts but those are some of the salient points. Hope to speak with you more and thanks again!

Hi folks! My first post here - hope its up to par! My girlfriend and I are currently completing BSN's in Maine. We are keeping an open mind about life after graduation and are contemplating a move to California among other options. I know this site is inundated with threads about salaries, where to live, etc etc. so I'll try to be quick. I am more interested in using allnurses.com as a networking tool rather than a blog. If anyone is interested in networking about possibilities in California it would be great. As an out-of-stater with no connections I am open to any advice - names of recruiters, programs, managers...anything you might be able to share to get us on the way. Blogging is great but I'd rather get specific details from people on the ground as it were. We want to know what (and who!) you know! If you feel like you may want to help us out we can perhaps use this thread as a 'meet and greet' and go from there. Of course we are doing our own research regarding cities, hospitals and so forth but a little guiding light is always appreciated. Thanks everyone and take care.