Oatbran

Thanks everyone for your kind replies. Yes, I am hopeful that networking with recruiters will enable something to come through after a year or a bit longer if need be. I made it to the final round of interviews for Stanford's nurse residency program that started in April so it was beyond frustrating to not be picked for a position. The Stanford recruiters told me to re-contact them after two years' experience. Being away from the Bay has been terrible but I know it's the experience that I need. I agree, I am hopeful to be able to subtly point out that I will be in the area long-term. I saw someone else post about hoping to get a travel position in the East Bay after one year experience. I think it would be extremely hard to nail a travel position after a year (even in the East Bay) but would be a way in. What about volunteering at an HIV clinic? It's not hospital-related per se but it is a great interest of mine. I just want to use my time here to make myself as marketable to Bay Area hospitals as possible. In the meantime, I will get all my certifications and become as proficient a nurse as I can be. I also like the idea of getting involved on committees. Thank you all!

Hi everyone. After a year of searching in vain for a new grad RN position in the Bay Area, I decided to take a cardiac/telemetry position at a community hospital in Alabama for one year of experience (or more if necessary). My question is: What can I do to make myself as competitive as possible for trying to find an acute care job in the Bay Area after one year? My fiance (who lives and works in Palo Alto) and I are getting married next May and I would love to start our life together as soon as we can. I have a California RN license and am ACLS certified. I want to get PCCN certification but I think I need at least a year of experience for that. I know Kaiser is opening their expanded Redwood City facility sometime next year. Any other tips for Bay Area hospitals that would even consider a BSN RN with one year of experience? What can I do now (10 months out) to improve my chances? Is it even worth trying for after just a year? I know there have been similar posts but I really appreciate your input. Thanks everyone!

Thanks copeRN. That's what I'm thinking too. I would rather spend my time here in Alabama getting the experience I need to be competitive in California instead of spending 8+ hours in the Bay Area every day applying for jobs that are extremely competitive. Approaching the year mark of having no RN job in California was really a wake-up call for me. Thanks so much for your input!

Thanks Meriwhen. I'm going to say yes on Monday. I was honest with the nursing director about my lack of certainty of how long I would be able to stay (I said I could guarantee a year and a half but I couldn't guarantee more than that since I wasn't sure my fiance could relocate). I thought they wouldn't offer me the job because of that. In any case, I am very happy to have an offer in hand on a unit where I really wanted to work. Yes, pay is much less compared to Maryland (close to $7-10 an hour base), but living with my parents should balance much of that out. I definitely agree that there seemed to be a lot more competition in the Maryland/DC area. I wasn't getting any callbacks from the couple of applications I had submitted to DC area and Baltimore hospitals. It probably had a lot to do with how long I had been out of school. Thanks for the suggestions!

Thank you Dreaming4acute87 for your feedback. I actually had an interview on a telemetry unit/cardiac step down unit combo on Monday. It's here in Montgomery, AL in a community hospital. On Wednesday they offered me a position. I haven't said "yes" yet but I think I am going to do so on Monday. My plan is to get about a year and a half of experience and hopefully by then I will be able to find something back in California. Hopefully this is the right experience I need. I agree though, interviews will come with LTC experience. I have heard that it's harder for LTC experience to translate into an interview in an acute care setting in the Bay Area. I agree that many of us have had to bite the bullet, so to speak, to find something that will help to propel us to where we want to be. I'm glad you were able to find a position.

Thank you Meriwhen! I appreciate it.

Hi everyone. I am a new grad RN who has been unable to find a position in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I moved in August 2012 after finishing nursing school in July 2012 to be with my fiance. I have a BSN degree from Johns Hopkins and hold a California RN license as well as a newly acquired Maryland license. I have recently also applied for an Alabama RN license. I am ACLS-certified and had a good GPA (3.73). I've basically exhausted every outlet for trying to find a job in the Bay Area and really want to start my nursing career in acute care nursing. I decided to move back East about 10 days ago. I am currently in the Montgomery, AL region. I'd love to hear advice about where you think it's best to find a job as a "new grad RN" who has been out of school almost a year. Being out of school a year in California without landing a job is normal, but people here aren't seeming to understand that very well. I would like to know you all's opinions about the following questions: 1) Would experience in any acute care setting help me to secure an RN position in the Bay Area eventually? Meaning, does it look a lot better to future employers if I work at a Magnet-designated or teaching hospital as opposed to more of community-based hospital? 2) Which area of nursing would give me a higher chance of finding a position in 1-2 years in the Bay Area? (I am most interested in either cardiac step-down/telemetry or HIV/infectious diseases inpatient). I did my senior internship on a progressive cardiac care unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and loved it. I am open to lots of options. 3) Does location of the hospital matter a lot in terms of making myself more marketable for California eventually? I am considering staying in Alabama for the experience since I could live with my parents. It's either Alabama or Maryland at this point. Thanks so much for your input everyone, I would really appreciate it! This is my first post so I apologize if it's too long...thank you for reading.