Relocating to Colorado

mcleanl · Sep 8, 2006

Hey James, Colorado and Utah are two seperate states.

JamesMarshallHendrix · Sep 8, 2006

Thanks for catching that, I posted a similar message in the state forums of my interest using copy-paste.

hope3456, ASN, RN · Sep 9, 2006

It would depend on what part of Colorado you want to move to - a rural area, the mountains, denver? The area hospital websites have recruiter contact information. Staffing agencies usually wont help you unless you have experience. In the northern Front Range area (where I live), it is difficult to get hired into the hospitals as a new graduate.

JamesMarshallHendrix · Sep 11, 2006

I was considering Eagle County, Ft. Collins, Longmont...but if you know of any great mountain/rural hospitals please let me know. I have 100s of hours logged as a student nurse at hospitals and nursing homes, would that count?

mcleanl · Sep 11, 2006

James,

Most hospitals have websites, so I would suggest doing a search for hospitals in the areas you are interested in. You could then contact their HR department or the nurse recruiter. I personally think it is too early to contact anyone now since you haven't graduated yet or taken the boards but that is just my opinion. Take care...

buttercup24 · Sep 12, 2006

James,

Do not come to work in Colorado without experience. I came here as a new grad (with honors) in June from Maryland and I cannot find a job. I am very, very flexible and will work at any hospital, but still, no one will hire me as a new grad after apply to every hospital in the Denver Metro Area. I understand that most hospitals only hire twice per year, Jan. and June, so don't even think of coming until then. Also, Colorado hospital recruiters either do not get back to you or are very slow in returning emails and phone calls. This is only anicdotal but this is my real situation. Best wishes.

nightingale, RN · Sep 12, 2006

Try Denver Health, in the Denver metro, downtown area.

buttercup24 · Sep 13, 2006

Yeah, try Denver Health. Perhaps you'll have better luck than I did. They have a relatively helpful nurse recruiter whose hands are tied by the slow-moving hiring managers. In my last communication with Denver Health the nurse recruiter actually copied in all of the nurse managers, essentially saying, "Hey, I've done all I can. Would someone please hire this unemployed RN!"

Colorado Hospitals operate as though there is a surplus of nurses, when in fact they have one of the highest shortages in the country. Literally thousands of vacant job postings sit dormant on their hospital websites while numerous unemployed RN New Grads are told that they "NEED NOT APPLY - EXPERIENCE REQUIRED." I'm not sure how Colorado intends to overcome the nursing shortage if their hospitals refuse to hire new graduates.

hope3456, ASN, RN · Sep 14, 2006

Buttercup,

Sorry about your situation, but you aren't alone. Here in the northern front range, new grads are also running into the same problem - except there are even fewer employment opportunities than denver. Banner Health will outright tell you that they do not hire new grads - unless you are already an internal employee or have a contract with them (they give out a finite # of scholarships in return for a 2 year committment). But isn't it ironic that they are constantly running recruitment ads in the Denver Post and in Nursing magazines - and have many RN positions posted on their website.

I have met a couple RN's just recently working in nursing homes who relocated here to northern colorado thinking it would be no problem at all to get a position with PVH or Banner - applied for every position they could, and heard nothing. They also found that it is pointless trying to talk to the nursing recruiters unless you can say that you have EXPERIENCE. That is what they are most interested in.

New grads are a 'dime a dozen' - nursing programs here in the state have dramatically increased their admissions in the past 2-3 years, seemingly causing an influx of inexperienced RN's. For people considering nursing school for lucrative employment opportunities, be careful. It is a little bit harder to get into acute care positions than you might realize - at least in colorado.

hope3456, ASN, RN · Sep 14, 2006

I was considering Eagle County, Ft. Collins, Longmont...but if you know of any great mountain/rural hospitals please let me know. I have 100s of hours logged as a student nurse at hospitals and nursing homes, would that count?

I can tell you that as a new graduate RN, you will have a hard time getting hired with hospitals in these areas.

Try Colorado Springs, Grand Junction or Pueblo. My coworker told me that there is more of a 'nursing shortage' in these towns, as opposed to Fort Collins, and the other front range communities. They are somewhat more populated, but not like the city, and relatively close to mountains/rural areas.

However, you cant be to picky. Apply everywhere you can, and as discussed before, just b/c they say they are hiring RN's, doesn't always mean they will hire 'new grads.' I would call the nurse recruiters, and ask them when they hire RN graduates.