stnurse2016

Good to know about the permit, thank you

Hello! So I am in a unique situation. I graduate with a BSN in December, then move back to Berkeley, CA to be with my husband until he finishes grad school in May, then we will most likely be moving out of the San Francisco Bay area to who knows where. So I need to find a job from January-May because we are in quite a bit of debt with both of us being in school at the same time. I may not even be able to take the NCLEX until March or so, but am planning on getting the interim permit. I am planning on reaching out to the home health agency I was working for as a CNA before nursing school to see if they would re-hire me, but I am just trying to think of options for temporary jobs. I don't think I could apply to any new grad programs at a hospital because I could only work for such a short amount of time. But I also don't want to get "too much" experience during those few months to where I don't qualify for new grad programs when we move somewhere else in May/June. Any suggestions for what kind of nursing job I could do for this short period of time? Or any suggestions on where I can search for these kind of jobs, or for job fairs, I have been googling but haven't come up with much. Just wondering if there is a good resource for nursing jobs. Thanks!

Hello! I am currently in an ABSN program and will graduate next December, my husband is in grad school and his job will probably determine where we live because nursing is everywhere, but his job opportunities won't be as abundant. But, we would like to try to research locations where hopefully we both would like to live and that would also be good as far as nursing salary/cost of living ratio, and then we could possibly target those locations first in our job search after school. So I would like to know of any nurses living in smaller cities or even small towns and what your salaries vs. cost of living is. For instance, I am from Chico, CA, I love Chico, its a small college town, has a cute downtown, nice farmers markets, nature nearby for hiking, nice small community, I think this is my ideal, or places like it. I know salaries are much higher in bigger cities, but I'm just not a huge fan of big cities and the crowdedness. Thank you!

Hello nurse friends, I am currently trying to decide between two similar ABSN programs- Samuel Merritt University in the SF bay area and Concordia University Irvine. One of the most important aspects I am still researching between these two schools is job placement, not only the rate, which I have found to be about 95% within a year for Samuel Merritt, and 85% within 6-9 months of graduating for Concordia, but I want to know more specifics like: 1. how many grads find jobs within the first 3 months? (this would be ideal of course) 2. how many of these jobs found, that are included in the school's job placement rates, are in acute care hospital settings? 3. if you aren't going to look for jobs near the area you went to school, does it really matter what school you went to? Are there any Samuel Merritt or Concordia Irvine grads out there that found jobs right after school either somewhere else in California or out of state? My situation is: I will be finishing either of these programs by December 2017. My husband is in grad school in Berkeley until May 2018. We do not want to live in the bay area after he graduates. So basically, I finish school, then hopefully take the NCLEX and pass by early February. We are hoping that my husband has job prospects in his last spring semester, and if he gets a job offer before he graduates I will immediately start looking for jobs where he got a job. But it's possible he could take longer to find a job, maybe not until August 2018. Either way I need to find a job to try and make ends meet until we know where we are going to be, he wants to be a Catholic high school teacher... so really his job is going to determine our location. I really want to try to get into a new grad rn program at a hospital but they only accept nurses with minimal or no experience. 4. Would it look bad to start a new grad rn program in say March in the bay area and then have to move in August and look for a new job? Should I just get any nursing job in the mean time and look for new grad programs when I know where my husband is getting a job? 5. I currently work as a CNA for a home health company, BrightStar, I have really enjoyed working for them, and they hire RN's, it's possible I could work for them for those 6-8 months before moving somewhere else- would home health nursing be considered too much experience for new grad hospital programs? 6. Am I getting my hopes up too high for getting into a new grad hospital program? Any advice or ideas for my situation would be greatly appreciated. It would also be great to hear from any Samuel Merritt or Concordia Irvine grads out there. Thanks so so much!

Thanks everyone, so the only problem with the advice of being a CNA or PCA (which I am currently but working mostly home health) in a hospital you want to work at is that I do not think I will be able to work while in school. I will be in an accelerated BSN program which I think is very intense and leaves no time for anything besides school. My other dilemma is that I will be applying for jobs in the San Francisco bay area after school because my husband will still be in grad school so we'll still live in Berkeley, but I may go to school in Irvine, CA. Typically I think hospitals hire new grads from the schools in their area, and it would definitely be easier to get a job at a hospital where you've done clinicals. I got into Concordia University Irvine, which I was leaning towards because it is cheaper than the other school, Samuel Merritt University in the bay area. But if I want a job in the bay area, I don't know if it is smarter to go with the school in this area? And since it is an accelerated program, I don't believe there is any sort of "senior preceptorship" which I have heard is a good way to stand out among new grads. So, I am feeling a little stuck, and not sure what to do about the school decision now. I could save about $20k by going to Concordia, but with Samuel Merritt I wouldn't have to live away from my husband (not like I'll be spending time with him but it would still be sad to be away) and I'll graduate a month earlier than at Concordia, and maybe by going to a local school I would have a better chance at getting a job in this area. I don't know though. Hard decisions! I really liked Concordia when I visited, and the commute in the bay area will probably be hellish versus my setup down in Irvine. I just don't know.

Hello, I am just gathering some information about job placement before starting an ABSN program this fall. Since new nurses obviously don't have much experience as a nurse, what qualities or things do employers look for in a new grad nurse? What are some things that could set me apart when I am ready to search for jobs? I just want to be prepared for job searching when I am nearing the end of my program. Additionally, my dream is to be an L&D nurse, or NICU, or peds nurse, are all of these considered "specialties" or are they areas you can work in as a new nurse? How can I get my foot in the door there and/or head in that direction? Thank you!