smile123

If you work for a union-based hospital (most of them are), then it is dictated by the union scale. Starting rates are $45 to $52/hr + differentials for weekends, evenings and nights. But this is for N. California only in the metropolitan areas (SF, Oakland, San Jose, Palo Alto). They are looking for experienced nurses, not new grads. However, before you move out here from out of state, get an offer first. This area is saturated with nurses, experienced and new grads. New grads are having a challenging time to find a job because the number of training slots have been reduced. Experienced RNs will have better odds, but again, do not move out here before you have an offer in writing. Also, please realize the cost of living is very high, so that's why the salaries are high as well. Good luck. Smile123

Hi there, Here's a little advice on finding a job as a new grad in California, especially the SF Bay Area. The new grad programs are only offered 2 or 3 times each year. You've got to apply EARLY, meaning, at least 6 months before the new grad class starts. If you haven't passed the NCLEX, do so immediately. They used to take new grad nurses with interim permits (IPs), but with the job market these days, they don't need to train someone and then have them not pass the test (you can not practice on the floor after that until you do pass). Most new grad programs are online (UCSF, UCLA, Stanford, Lucille Packard, Kaiser, Palo Alto VA, Alta Bates, etc.) Fill out the online application and make a note of the date and confirmation number (they will sometimes give you that). Then followup with the HR personnel dept, or go out to the hospital and talk in person to the HR dept. Or if you feel comfortable, talk to the individual floor where you want to work. Finding a job takes persistance. From the posts lately, I've noticed a glut of new grad nurses and not many new grad jobs (the hospital cuts down on their program slots). If you want a particular unit, like the NICU, or maternity, the number of slots for new grads are slim to none. Med/surg has more slots. The important thing is to get a job first, do at least a year so you won't be classified as a "new grad" and then you'll have more flexibility to change jobs. As a new grad, you will probably work the "unpopular shifts" of evenings or nights with every other weekend. You do get more pay that way (they have evening and night differentials), but your body clock needs to adjust. It can be quieter during those shifts, so that's often a good way to assimilate into the rhythm of a hospital. If you are flexible in terms of moving out of the area, there are more jobs outside of the metropolitan California cities. One of my friends wanted the NICU and applied to all the hospitals in the SF Bay Area, LA area and even up with Seattle. He finally got a job in Arizona. He'll work there, get some experience and then transfer back to the SF Bay Area. I hope that helps. We are living in very unusual circumstances with this economy and it will take some time to recover. Good luck! Smile123

Go on line and apply for the new grad programs. They are not under the traditional job boards. They might say "intern" or have a special section for new grads. They only have intake session 2 or 3 times a year. Apply now for the summer intake (usually July). They usually have med/surg positions open. Some of the other more popular areas like the NICU, Maternity or PICU may be filled already. Others like the ED may not take new grads at this time; it requires some experience. Naturally, there are exceptions. For those of you who have a spring break, I would strongly recommend that you contact prospective hospitals, let them know you will be visiting them and arrange for informational interviews. Then they will have a face with the name and remember you. Sometimes, they have job fairs at the same time, so you can leverage your trip! At the interview (informal or not), always ask for a business card and send a thank you notes afterwards. Every time you contact them will be another reminder that you are interested in the job. I know it's tough out there, but persistence will pay off. Good luck! Smile123

Congrats! Hopefully, they will pair you up with a mentor on your shift. They want you to succeed. Don't be afraid to ask questions, especially as a rookie. They want to know you are interested in your job and want to do your best. Also, don't worry about being per diem. The fact you are on the floor will give you higher preference when a permanent job opens up! Your persistence paid off - good for you NYR08! Smile123

Don't do any CE's. The first time around, the CA BON takes into account all the nursing classes you did when you earned your degree. You check a box stating you just graduated and then you turn in your renewal form with your fees. After 9/30/10, then you can earn CEU's for the next 2 year period. Otherwise, any CEU's you earn before 9/30/10 don't really count. This is for California only. I don't know about the other states. Congrats on becoming a RN!

Welcome to the world of nursing and the current economy. You are looking for a New Grad Nurse position. Those are usually posted under a different section entirely from the experienced nurse jobs (those ask for 1 to 2 years of experience). New grad nurses have specific programs where they take in new applicants 2 or 3 times a year. Go online and look for "new grad nurse". You can also call up the nurse recruiter and ask (sometimes, they don't list them online but do have those programs). They are usually 10 to 26 weeks in length (depending on the program). You'll be part of a cohort where you meet for 3 or 5 days at the beginning and then once a week for several weeks. It's great you are doing your senior practicum at the Children's Hospital in your area. Talk to the nurses there on your unit. Find out who the nursing manager or unit supervisor is. Ask them about the possibility of taking a new grad nurse on their unit. You have an "in" because they know you from your practicum vs. someone who has never worked there before. It doesn't hurt to ask and it often pays big dividends (a job!), so be confident in yourself and go for it. Usually toward the end of the practicum or other student rotation, some of the experienced nurses would meet with us for "lunch" and tell us about the unit and the hospital. Then the nurse recruiter would give her/his pitch of why it would be great to work there. Essentially, they told us we could have a job there on the unit if we wanted it. I'm not sure where you are located, but you can promote yourself and let people know how much you really want to work at that hospital and in that unit. The other thing is to diversify. Seek out several jobs at different hospitals or different units. Sometimes, there are no openings in a particular dept at the time you want to apply. But they have an opening in a different dept, which may be your second or third choice. If you are really interested in that hospital, take the 2nd or 3rd choice job. It's far easier to transfer after you are in the hospital system (by that time you'll be experienced) than it is to transfer between hospitals (yes, seniority counts in most hospitals). One of my friends wanted to work in the NICU. But there were no openings in his state. He said he was willing to move and found a position as a new grad nurse in the NICU. It wasn't ideal because he really wanted to be in his home state, but he figured once he had enough experience, he could transfer back. In this case, the NICU area was more important to him than the location. In another case, a woman wanted to stay in the area because her boyfriend was there. She could not find a position in her desired field so she took a position in med/surg (that's usually where the greatest number of positions are). She will need to build up her network in the hospital to transfer to another unit, but she was willing to do that because she wanted to stay in the area. What I'm saying is that in this economy, you are competing with a lot of new grads for a limited number of positions. You've got to be more assertive and expand your network. Ask your instructors (the ones where you have done well in their classes or clinicals) whether they have any contacts at the local hospitals. Would they be willing to put in a good word for you? Make an introduction for you? Since you are graduating in May 2009, I would recommend you make a trip during spring break (March?) and set up some times to visit prospective hospitals (especially if you are moving to another area). Then they can put a face with your online application (yes, apply now to get into the system at several hospitals). You can tell them you are going to be out in the area and would they able to arrange an interview? You would be surprised how responsive they will be if they know you are coming to visit them. Good luck! As Obama would say "You can do it!" Smile123

Focus on your clinical and related learning experience. You could put another section for the tutoring, but don't put it in the same section as the clinical experience you went through school (I would leave the babysitting part out). They know you are a new grad and don't know much. You can bring up tutoring others in the interview if it's appropriate. They have new grad programs and will teach you what you need to know on the nursing floor. They usually pair you up with a mentor nurse and you spend some time shadowing with her/him. Don't be afraid to ask questions and keep a notepad and pen to write notes. When you interview, they want to see you are confident, organized and willing to learn. Time management and nursing judgment are critical skills to make it as a nurse in the hospital. They may ask you behavioral questions: Tell me a time when you had to deal with a difficult person. Give me an example of how you dealt with a crisis. Tell us about an experience you had working on teams (your role, how you worked together, teamwork, etc.) Based from those answers, they can sum up whether you would be a likely candidate to work in harmony with the team. Good luck! Smile123

If you are a new grad nurse, you need to apply fo the New Grad programs. They are usually only offered 2 or 3 times a year. Go online and apply at the various hospitals. That's the way it's done. Then followup with the HR recruiter. These programs are specifically for new grads; they know you don't have any experience. At this point, I would say go for med/surg because they will have the greatest numbers of openings. Even so, the metropolitan areas of California have a nursing glut (San Francisco Bay Area), so it's best to take what you can get. Once you have a year of experience, you can move around, but you are a newbie, so join the crowd! Good luck! Smile123

you can be a research nurse, work in a clinic (regular m-f days, no nights or weekends), or work for a biopharma company (drug safety). rns can also be cras (clinical research associates) who monitor clinical trials (you won't be stressed taking care of patients on the floor). hope that helps. smile123

I agree with Suzanne4, LVN's are being phased out. Major hospitals just want RNs. Also, the year of clinical experience at school does not count. BTW, I tried to send you a pm, but your mailbox is full.

Have you applied yet? The summer jobs are already taken for new grads in the area. Both Kaiser and El Cemino are good places for new grads. Of course, it depends on the specific unit for the working environment. Good luck.

If you want to work at UCSF or Packard (Stanford), see the following link where I just posted. https://allnurses.com/forums/f137/ucsf-lucile-packard-293533.html Also, here's a link if you just want to work at Stanford: Stanford has an earlier program which starts July 21st, 2008: http://westandforcare.com/Careers/RNTrainingProgram.htm RN Training Programs at Stanford Hospital & Clinics Program Starting July 21st, 2008 We Stand for FINDING ANSWERS! Nursing is more than a career choice. It’s about finding new ways to make a difference, ease pain and change lives for the better. Dedication, drive and curiosity—those are some of your most valuable qualities. And it’s exactly what we’re looking for. Stanford seeks exceptional nurses to add to our world-class team. Our wide array of unique specialties is unmatched in this region and will give you exposure to an extensive range of rare, complex medical challenges. Supported by a devoted staff in a collaborative environment, we offer the freedom, opportunity and respect your extraordinary commitment deserves. Learn More About our Training Programs * ICU Training Program * New Graduate Training Program Good luck!

Hi there, You should definitely apply now and get an offer BEFORE you move out to N. Calif. There is a new grad nursing glut. New grads have found there is intense competition because everyone wants to work here for the higher wages (but also higher cost of living). They usually give the positions to student nurses who interned or had their clinicals there. NICU is particularly difficult to get into because it's so popular and they usually don't take new grads (they have them start in post partum or peds). That's just my .02. Good luck. P.S. You can go to their websites and apply online. That's the way they take applications. They also only have entry for new grads 2 or 3 times a year. Create a profile on line for both. Search "new grad programs". Lucile Packard (part of Stanford hospital): https://jobs.stanfordmed.org/CSS%5FExternal/CSSPage_Welcome.asp Their residency program starts September 15, 2008 - Req # 12456 http://westandforcare.com/Careers/RNResidencyLPCH.htm UCSF: http://www.ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/careers/ The next one is in July, so apply now!!! You may have to start in Peds. Here's a brief synopsis for UCSF: The Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Training Program is an 8-week training program open to both experienced and newly graduated RNs (senior preceptorship in ICN or Pediatrics preferred). Newly graduated RNs will matriculate into a ten-month mentorship program at the completion of the training program. All positions are full time (three 12-hour shifts per week). You will be expected to commit to at least one year of service after program completion. Newly graduated RNs are expected to take the NCLEX exam and obtain their CA RN license by the program start date. The summer program begins July 7, 2008 and the application deadline is May 31, 2008. Don't wait 'til the deadline--apply early for best results! Complete application process requires: submission of resume to this job requisition, completion of online questionnaire (you will be prompted to do this once you submit your resume), and down loading of the required reference forms to be completed by a faculty/clinical instructor/employer to be faxed back to the Human Resources Department.

Thanks so much for the link! :)

How about UC Davis or Kaiser? Also, you will have a slightly better chance after you pass your boards. Timing is everything. There were a lot of graduates in Dec, so all of you are flooding the market. I would suggest you study like crazy to pass your boards and apply online. Also look at community hospitals and clinics. You could do per diem after your new grad training on the floor (anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks long). Good luck!