Texas to California

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Hello all!

I am graduating in a month with an RN degree from a Texas community college. I am planning on moving out to a small town in northern California (about an hour north of Sacramento). Would you advise me to take the NCLEX in California and start off with a California license, or take the NCLEX in Texas and then apply for licensure by endorsement?

I also read in a similar previous thread from 2008 where people were recommending staying Texas for a year before moving in order to gain experience. Do you think this is necessary? Is it going to be difficult to find a job as a new grad in California without graduating from a California nursing school?

I have gotten mixed information from everyone I have talked to, so any additional feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks for your time!

Laura

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I am originally from California, but have been living in Texas since 2005.

The new grad RN unemployment rate in California is approximately 43 percent during the first 18 months of licensure. In essence, almost half of new grad RNs in CA are unemployed. The odds are worse for those who lack a BSN degree and did not complete clinical rotations at local in-state hospitals.

Personally, you will be in a much better position if you became licensed in Texas and accumulated one to three years of acute care hospital work experience in Texas before relocating. Of course, this is just my opinion. Good luck to you!

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Specializes in ED.

I agree with the Commuter, the chances of getting a job with an ADN is minimal in California especially in North and Southern California. If want a job then you might as well move to Bakersfield, not the best place to live in( I live there) and u will definitely get a job in the hospitals here and be started off at $ 30+/hr. The final decision is yours, just giving my input.

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

I agree with these guys. You have a TOUGH road ahead of you if you move here now. You would be WAY better off obtaining experience out of state and then moving here, ideally getting your BSN in the process. ADN nurses have a very difficult time finding work. I had an interview today, and one of the CNMs with whom I interviewed was saying how much she loves nurses with BSNs. I mentioned nursing theory and EBP, and she was like, "Music to my ears!!"

BTW, I have my BSN, and I have put in over 1500 apps since March. I am just now starting to see SOME interest. I graduated from a CSU and I have several years of healthcare experience and VERY good contacts. It is a VERY tough market. I don't live far from where you've mentioned.

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I did a similar thing. I moved to California immediately after finishing my BSN degree and took my exam and got licensed here. I'm in Southern California and it is definitely not easy to get a job out here. I would definitely consider taking a year to gain some experience first. In my experience, there ARE a few jobs here, things like aesthetics and home care but I don't consider them particularly safe for new nurses, because there's usually not a lot of training offered (just my opinion).

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.
I did a similar thing. I moved to California immediately after finishing my BSN degree and took my exam and got licensed here. I'm in Southern California and it is definitely not easy to get a job out here. I would definitely consider taking a year to gain some experience first. In my experience, there ARE a few jobs here, things like aesthetics and home care but I don't consider them particularly safe for new nurses, because there's usually not a lot of training offered (just my opinion).

Plus, most hospitals don't look at that (HH, SNF, etc.) as experience, because they require ACUTE CARE experience, aka hospital.

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