Question to Californians

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 8, 2008

Hey there, I am new to this site. I have a concern and I stated that on another thread. I am currently in nursing school and I have been reading this website for quite sometime now. I am finding that there are a lot of new graduate nurses who are unable to find a job. Why is that? Does it have to do with the economy or something else? This is scary since there are a lot of nursing schools out there who are producing graduates. Getting into nursing school is hard enough already, but to have problems finding work afterwards is scary.

The new grads are flocking to areas that already have a surplus of nurses, such as the San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento, and San Diego. If you choose to remain in an area that already has a glut of nurses, it will take a long time for you to find work. Contrary to popular belief, not all areas are suffering from a nursing shortage.

If you're willing to work in the Central Valley or the greater Los Angeles area, you should easily be able to find work. Good luck to you!

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Oct 8, 2008

The new grads are flocking to areas that already have a surplus of nurses, such as the San Francisco Bay area, Sacramento, and San Diego. If you choose to remain in an area that already has a glut of nurses, it will take a long time for you to find work. Contrary to popular belief, not all areas are suffering from a nursing shortage.
If you're willing to work in the Central Valley or the greater Los Angeles area, you should easily be able to find work. Good luck to you!

I have a friends who live in the Central Valley and are having problems finding a job. There was a recent graduate a few months back that lived in the Los Angeles area that couldn't find a job either.

There are other areas that have a shortage, and those areas are usually the least desirable places to live. IMO, there's enough nursing jobs out there, but it's the new grad positions that are scarece. With the flood of foreign trained nurses trying to find work here as a new grad also decreases your chances of a job. But thanks to retrogression, that part is shoved to the side for the time being.

If you have experience in nursing then really, there should be no problem finding a job. But I have to agree with the previous poster, if you're in the Bay Area, Sacramento or San Diego, you're going to have a hard time finding a job.

prern06 · Oct 14, 2008

Wow, this scares me! l live in San Diego and am planning to enter an accelerated nursing program here. I finished my teaching credential, have been subbing for 2 years and having trouble trying getting into a district with my own classroom, especially with these budget cuts now. Now, I am worried that when I finish nursing, if I get accepted, that I will face the same problem. Hopefully, things will change in a few years. I am trying to avoid leaving San Diego, and figured that nursing is more stable because of its array of options. Other than stability, I am interested in the field, though. I come from a family of nurses. Hmm...

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2008

Try not to be discouraged! I know it's hard especially since we're seeing lots of new grads turned away...If you really want to become a nurse then do it!...I'm not going to let anybody or anything stop me from being a nurse because I know I'm going to make an excellent nurse once I'm finished. Good Luck!