I heard about that in big cities. I got a cousin in San Fran CA who had a similar situation. I am a Texas nurse, and in the suburbs of Dallas, it's not that hard to land an RN job in a hospital. Some of my newly grad co-workers live in Dallas and they commute as much as 1.5 hours to our hospital just to get some experience. If applicable to you and and your locale, this is an alternative route to take. About introducing yourself to the nurse manager, it would be a good idea to call first before showing up to her/his office. My 2 cents.