Hi JobSeekerRN!
I lived in both Reno and Vegas. I grew up in Reno, then moved to Vegas for nursing school. Graduated with a BSN there, and began my job search in both cities. I would recommend you focus on Vegas, and here is why. In northern NV, there are only 4 major hospitals with a handful of new grad openings in acute care each year: Renown, St. Mary's, Northern Nevada, and Carson Tahoe. It's a very small, highly competitive net. The northern Nevada region has four large nursing schools, plus online programs and the like. Yikes! The job hunt advantage goes to local new grads that are already familiar with the hospitals, either through clinical rotations or previous employment. If you go down to Vegas, the numbers game is A LOT more forgiving. The ratio of new grads to hospitals is better. If I remember correctly, Sunrise, Summerlin, UMC, St. Rose, Valley, Desert Springs, Mountain View, or Centennial Hills hired new grads. I haven't lived in Vegas for years, so things might have changed. But anyway, in the end, I found my first nursing job in Vegas. Also, one thing to consider before moving from Hawaii is to work in rehab/LTC for a year. You can still stay in Hawaii, and have an infinitely better shot at those new grad positions. You'd definitely stand out with prior CNA and non-acute nursing experience under your belt. It may take longer, but if you love where you currently live, give it a shot. My best friend and I started out in rehab/LTC, then moved on to medsurg. IMO, Rehab/LTC was a valuable and enjoyable learning experience. And, the hunt for acute-care jobs was so much easier after that! Best of luck to you! :)
-HapiCatRN
