TristanT

Start networking on day one and work at a hospital at any cost--even though you will surely burn out putting the 500-lbers on the commode... . Otherwise you are at the mercy of your clinical preceptors to get your foot in the door. I was not lucky--had some crazy preceptors and one really good one who got ill... So I had to move out of state for a new grad job. The Seattle market is brutal for new grad nurses. Honestly, I can't believe anyone is even still going to nursing school with the amount of saturation there is in that city. It's really criminal that the schools keep taking the money of nursing students. Most of my classmates are STILL unemployed or underemployed and we graduated in 2009. With BSNs. And no, they are not bad interviewers and/or holding out for some perfect placement. There are no jobs for new grads unless you know someone. Period.

The GEPN program will cost well over $100K when you factor in living expenses--you will not be able to work at least the first year and a half, certainly not full time. You can get loans for all of it plus living expenses. I doubt you will receive any other kind of aid (I will cross my fingers for you though!). I did some kind of combination of private and subsidized loans. Honestly, the difference between federal and private loans is negligible--most people consolidate their loans at the end of the program. Expect the monthly payments to be equivalent to that of a payment for a nice, new SUV. That's what my monthly loan payment is at this point, and I only took out $35K in loans because I had other means of support. So I only borrowed about 1/3 of what was needed for tuition only... Does that make sense? You realize that UW raised tuition for all graduate programs by about 30% in the last 2 years? I don't see this trend slowing down since WA state is broke, and higher education is low priority. Also keep in mind, most NPs--especially in family medicine--make less than hospital RNs. UW really plays up that after you become an RN, you can TA/RA and get your tuition covered. But they cut the TA/RA appointments to almost nothing recently. Plus GEPNs have little chance when they are up against RNs with experience who want the TA/RA jobs. UW also likes to talk about how after GEPN you can get a job where your loans are forgiven through the U.S. government. But I have never, ever known anyone who has managed to accomplish this. The placements I've seen are out in the middle of nowhere, and you have to get the job and THEN apply for the loan forgiveness program. *Maybe the forgiveness program will be better under Mr. Obama, but don't count on it.* New grad NPs have gotten stung when they move to the boonies hoping to get government loan forgiveness and were then turned down for loan forgiveness and stuck with a crap job, far from home. But at least they had a job... Go to Yale. In the long run, even if it costs more up front, you'll have the school name recognition to get your foot in the door.

I am not a happy UW MEPN alum, and I can't think of anyone in my cohort who is particularly happy with the program... I do know quite a few unemployed MEPN grads (or MEPN grads who went back to their former occupations because the job market for nurses is so brutal). The education isn't the problem per se. I've worked with nurses from many different schools and backgrounds and we all received the same basic nursing education. I remember when I went to the informational session about MEPN, they were straightforward about UW nursing students having to find their own way. And they weren't kidding. I'd say maybe two of my instructors were supportive, involved, or kind in any way and the rest were researchers who weren't thrilled with teaching or students. Seriously, I am talking about people who are on the autism spectrum in terms of people skills... So the tuition is simply outrageous* for the absolutely pathetic amount of support you receive--no academic advising or support, no career counseling and FORGET about any kind of post-grad employment tips or advice. Nobody hiring nurses gives a horse's heiny if you graduated from "the No. 1 nursing school in the country." In fact, I found that a degree from UW is sometimes intimidating to nurse recruiters in the Seattle area because they are mostly old-school ADNs (a.k.a. they resent any new grad nurse who hasn't paid dues as a CNA). In the end, it's all about your clinical experiences. And the clinical placements at UW suck (do not assume you will ever see the inside of the UW Med Center). All of that said, I do know some happy BSN graduates from UW. They seem to have gotten much better clinical placements and the instructors didn't seem to resent them (yep, there's that too) because BSNs follow a more traditional academic track. If I had to do it again, I'd do a BSN program--probably elsewhere, because UW was such a disappointment. There are programs for 1/100th of the cost ...and then I'd work at a hospital where they offer tuition reimbursement to continue on. Or maybe Yale does direct-entry better... Sorry to be Debbie Downer about this. I do love being a nurse now ;-) Good luck! *Financial aid in the MEPN program is nonexistent, except for loans, unless you are a member of an underserved population AND you are very motivated/savvy about financial aid.

I just moved out of WA state (for a job) because there are no jobs in the Pacific Northwest for RNs without connections. And I mean even RNs who are flexible in terms of unit and shifts. It's all about who you know and the HR folks and recruiters are, at best, unsympathetic--probably because they are scared for themselves d/t hospitals cutting everyone's jobs left and right. I get that, but still... have a heart! I found that many many many RNs in WA state are in the same boat. I sent resumes, applied online, and interviewed 24/7. I ended up in some temp positions, but nothing consistent. I lived in a constant state of anxiety and doubt about myself. What a nightmare. Lesson learned: No geographic location is worth it. I'm so happy to have my life back, even if it does mean shoveling snow occasionally.

Less. It can be a little more, counting in shift differentials=more for working nights, weekends, holidays. My classmates and I have made between $17.50-26.00/hour as new grads, but the high end was always accompanied by no benefits nor any guarantee of hours per week. I'm not saying the $25/hour jobs aren't out there... just uh, expect a little less and you can be pleasantly surprised if you land one. I also forgot to mention that I did have to show my transcripts to get a job as a new grad. Big surprise for me as a second-career person... We'd always heard "Cs get degrees"... I'm just not sure Cs get jobs in this economy.

I recently moved to CO for a new grad job in a hospital. (And I am not making $25/hour...) But coming from the West coast, where there are ZERO hospital opportunities, I am eternally grateful for my job. Seriously, Denver is a veritable Boom Town in comparison. I am a second career nurse, and I graduated from an accelerated program. Nursing school is not academically difficult. C'mon now, if you got through the prereqs with grades good enough to get into a nursing program: You're smart enough. But nursing school--at least for someone who used to be a rock star at a desk job--is humbling and physically exhausting (esp. for anyone over age 25 or with children). I absolutely do not think nurses are any meaner than people in any other profession. Hello, try any position in a corporate Creative Department for a while if you want to experience "eating their young"! Anyway, the accelerated nursing program I attended was very expensive, and I graduated with no experience. So I was a new grad who was dead broke on top of being bitter/discouraged to find that the nursing shortage was/is an urban myth. (I'd probably do it differently if I could do it over, i.e., ADN-RN bridge through a community college while working/gaining experience the entire time). Very, very, very few places will hire a nurse with no experience, and many nurse recruiters snub graduates of accelerated programs. Trust. In the end, just out of school I landed a number of kind of oddball temp RN jobs (through networking=love thy classmates and clinical instructors). I've learned something new and fascinating every single day that I've worked as a nurse. I can't say that about my previous desk jobs. Honestly I never thought that I had the passion for nursing that everyone talks about. Turns out, I do. Took me a while to figure that out and my ego is still in recovery... The thing about being a nurse is that there are many directions you can take it. This is not usually an option for other careers. Just my 2 cents.

I did not know that. Interesting. Maybe WA state also has good preventive health + maternal health programs--although it sounds like that's all going to get the axe in the next state budget :-(

Just a warning: Many of the Seattle NICUs have low patient censuses, e.g., UW and Evergreen. Nurses who have worked at these facilities for many years are having trouble getting hours. I've heard there will be some NICU openings in Portland, OR this year. But Seattle is absolutely cutthroat for NICU nurses since Microsoft cut their insurance funding for in vitro.

The only hospitals in the Seattle/Tacoma area that offer residencies are Providence-Everett; Northwest (they offered 4 places in the past year--just to give you an idea about numbers); Tacoma General; and Overlake. Despite what the Web site says, Evergreen hasn't offered their residency in at least a year and many students who did clinicals there are waiting with bated breath to apply when they do. These are extremely competitive and much coveted spots, so ... definitely be a nurse tech and start networking now. Good luck!

Starting wage is $21-28/hour. But the job market in this state for new grads is very tight, especially if you have no hospital experience (and/or did not do clinical rotations out here, a.k.a. you have to know somebody). If you do have hospital experience, you may be in luck. But I would strongly urge you to consider doing a med/surg internship. Hospitals out here don't usually hire new grads for specialties like L&D unless they know the person. I think Providence Everett and Tacoma General prefer ADNs to BSNs. It really depends on the background of the hiring manager--just like any other industry, people generally prefer to hire others from a similar educational background. Good luck!

No, GEPN at UW is not worth $20K more than SU. (I say that as a UW alum.) Either way you will be laughed out of HR if you have an advanced nursing degree but you never worked as an RN. And unfortunately there are no jobs for new grad RNs. We are starving out here. Seriously. If I had it to do over, I would not waste my money at the UW or probably in nursing school at all. There are just zero job prospects.

Does anyone have experience with the residency program at UCH? (Admission for the February cohort ended last week.) They seem to have a variety of openings, but I am wondering if they only accept new grads from the Denver area or is it a national candidate pool? What are they looking for?

Evergreen is a great hospital, but yah, their HR department is very firm about not hiring new grads. Not even new grads who did clinical rotations there. Providence is a different story. I think the general consensus is that the Providence recruiters prefer to hire new nurses who have had clinical instructors that they know personally. I got the impression that ADNs were also preferred, even though they tout the ADN to BSN benefit. I could be wrong, but it was a fairly strong impression and one that more than a few of us got. In fact, after one of the monthly speed-dating style recruitment meetings, a number of us met in the parking lot and talked about how demoralizing the whole thing was. Let's just say, they were rude enough that I don't think any of us will consider working there: Ever.

The market is glutted with new grads coming out every quarter. Every person in my graduating class who is now employed got the job through his/her senior immersion. But not all of us lucked into being a senior on a floor that was hiring, so the market is totally saturated with BSNs. Hospitals and clinics and even Public Health wants 2 years experience, period. And forget about residencies--I can count on one hand the number of those I've seen advertised. I'd stay in Hawaii where it's at least warm and sunny.

"many many positions..." I'm calling BS on this post. There are no jobs in LTC or ANYWHERE in Washington for new grads!!! We should all be on the pre-nursing school section of this site right now dissuading the poor innocents from even attempting to get into nursing to begin with.

Is that the one where you have to get hired at an eligible place of employment (usually working with underserved populations) and then apply for student loan repayment? I know a couple of people who have attempted that program and have been rejected--even though the employer was deemed eligible... If you have a career now, think long and hard about going into nursing school. There are very few jobs for new grads. And unless you were providing patient care (CNA, MA, EMT), your previous experience means nothing to nurse recruiters.

I only qualified for loans as a second-degree student in nursing school at UW. There aren't any jobs for new grads in the NW. You may want to read some of the other posts on this site and re-think career direction. I know that many, many, many of us regret putting so blood, sweat, and tears (not to mention $$$) into a field that is simply oversaturated.

"BSN grads are the only new nurses who don't talk about money..." --uh, what is there to say? Pay is based on seniority: Period. And P.S. you get FIRED for talking about salaries in professional corporate America. I'm one of those completely screwed new-grad BSNs who cannot find a job even with this pretty little credential. This is a second career for me. I am not a gossiping kid who has never worked a day in my life. I actually chose to go into nursing because it seemed like a challenging and rewarding field. Turns out it is much more of a mean-spirited sorority: ADN vs. BSN vs. LPN vs. RN vs. Med/Surg Nurses vs. Critical Care... If you are training me as a new nurse, chances are I am way more concerned about making a mistake than what degree you hold or how many years you've worked wherever. What's with all of the hazing of the newbies and backstabbing in this profession?

Shoreline has the best reputation in the area. They have a point system to get in. Central is "first come, first served" admissions for all who are qualified. North is great for prerequisite classes, but I think they just re-started their nursing program so it's an unknown. On the Eastside there's also Bellevue Community College and Lake Washington Technical College. Perhaps the Washington State Nursing Association Web site has NCLEX pass rates. Not sure. It only matters if YOU pass anyway. So apply everywhere, because it's not easy to get in.

Remember to dry your hands thoroughly after hand washing. A number of people I know got dinged on that. But it is not a difficult test if you've studied. Good luck!

"It sounds like perhaps you should spend some time as an RN prior to attempting to switch gears too quickly." Right. Problem is, hospitals aren't hiring new nurses--at least out West. I'm about to jump ship to technology myself.

Any advice for a new grad RN? I just want to cry every time I come to this site and see folks who are still in nursing school and have NO CLUE that there aren't a-n-y jobs waiting for them. I have applied to probably hundreds of jobs in Washington and Oregon since June. And I have written my cover letters specifically for each and every one. Although there was a nursing specialty that I hoped to go into, I will take any hospital floor at this point. Right now I have part-time, temp RN jobs but nothing in a hospital--and nothing particularly satisfying or challenging. Are any hospitals in WA or OR hiring BSN new grads? Will they ever? Or should I just go back to admin work that is more reliable so that I can pay off my loans... and forget about health care?

Even if you have the BSN, you'll still have to take the NCLEX for an RN license. But if you've been working in a hospital and have a BSN--you should have no problem passing! My classmates (May and August grads) and I have found that no hospitals are hiring new grads from Bellingham to Portland. The only exceptions have been new grads who are very connected with a hospital (i.e. worked as a nurse tech during school) or new grads who were lucky enough to do their senior practicum on a floor that is hiring. You have a leg up to have had the ER experience. (And I think you get some kind of preference for being married to a Navy guy...) However, starting wages are from $21-$26/hour. After a year of working as an RN in the ER you can probably write your ticket anywhere. So maybe do the commute for a year?

I wouldn't necessarily recommend UW. But of course I've never been to nursing school anywhere else. In my experience the instructors are mostly tenured faculty who haven't worked as nurses in a long time AND their idea of "nursing school" is outdated (e.g., we had more than one instructor tell us that women go into nursing because they have dysfunctional "caretaker" mentalities--maybe in 1975, but not now!) Also, the learning lab is larger than other schools but the simulation models were broken almost every time I had a lab AND the instructors in the lab are not coordinated with the lecture instructors so it becomes a huge headache for the students caught in the middle. Anyway, I was one of the students who never did a rotation at UWMC or Harborview, and the prospect of those opportunities was one of the reasons I chose UW over the other schools that accepted me. So it was disappointing in that regard. Would I be a better nurse if I'd gone to WSU? Who knows. But I'd probably have fewer student loans.

Are any hospitals in Chicago hiring new grads? I will happily move to Chicago (from Seattle) for a good RN residency. I just got my BSN and it looks like I'm going to take my RN training and work as a barista again...