Still unemployed in San Diego :(

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I graduated in January but still havent been able to find a job. I have applied to ALL the hospitals here and recently started applying to SNF. I dont have any medical experience but how do I gain experience if no one is hiring????

Im so frustrated! Please help.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Okay, but there's more than one VA. For instance, I go to the Loma Linda VA and I've been told that they are understaffed. They even have a recruiting page and I have been told by people there that they do have a new grad program. So you may want to put the "total BS" sign away since it's obvious you don't have a clue what you're talking about.

*** Leaving aside that Loma Linda is not in San Diego.....

Your unsupported blanket statement doesn't reflect reality. In 2012 the VA ran close to a 2% vacancy rate for nursing positions. This according to their own publication. If you have information that backs up your claim by all means produce it.

I get tired of people bad mouthing the VA all the time when the fact is they provide very high quality health care.

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Hey Alley, check this out.

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/352175800

The only drawback is that hours aren't guaranteed. But it does say that yearly salary is between 64 and 115 THOUSAND dollars a year. So go for it, and when you put your time in, get transferred back to San Diego when there's an opening.

The other draw backs...

"MINIMUM TWO YEARS OF ADULT CRITICAL CARE RN NURSING EXPERIENCE."

That's the initial and toughest hurdle. There are not enough new grad programs to take in even a fraction of new grads being outputted from CA schools.

Sorry to say but students or new grads are either blind /ignorant /taking huge risks when only applying to specific regions. These individuals seem to be those who end up being old new grads.

Anyways, I can say my unit is short staffed but it doesn't mean a thing when we are limited by BUDGET. We have a new grad program, but take in only 10 to 20 noobs each cohort. Doesn't really seem like you understand the reality of a new grad nurse out of school in the current economy. This is especially true in an area saturated with nurses like San Diego.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.

Sorry to say but students or new grads are either blind /ignorant /taking huge risks when only applying to specific regions.

*** I would say choosing nursing at all is high risk. Really a shame. The more grads the worse it gets for everybody. Breaks my heart.

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Well I think it also helps for all the actual students that you continuously do internship even in school. You can do internship even if it's a couple times a week. It's experience that you can put on your resume after leaving school

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Try home health. Look outside of the box. Nursing jobs that aren't actually in a hospital. Try to pick up flu shots at clinics. Search online. They always hire for flu season. Try the American Red Cross. Try offices that need RNs like surgical offices or primary care or ob gyn. Try clinics planned parenthood. Abortion clinics. Search office nursing. Make sure you always call and speak with nurse recruiter/hr one week after application admission online. Try schools. Just try to think non hospital nursing. Good luck.

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*** I would say choosing nursing at all is high risk. Really a shame. The more grads the worse it gets for everybody. Breaks my heart.

I agree. Before I switched to nursing and started doing prerequisites, the bay area was still offering incentives and bonuses. By the time I started my program a couple years later, it all went to smokes.

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At what point did I bad mouth the VA ? I am a patient at the VA and my primary care physician works at Loma Linda University and the Loma Linda VA. You certainly misread my post.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
At what point did I bad mouth the VA ? I am a patient at the VA and my primary care physician works at Loma Linda University and the Loma Linda VA. You certainly misread my post.

*** OK. My bad. I apologize for misreading your post.

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Thank you to everyone for your responses. I was honestly hoping to get some positive information or maybe even some suggestions to my problem but it seems there everyone is in the same boat as I am :down:

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