Thats it! I'm moving...where can i get a job?!

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i live in extremely saturated area in the north east. i have experience in emergency medicine as an emt, have worked in a doctors office for 6 years as an ma going through nursing school, and worked as a nursing aid in a big hospital on many floors (icu, maternity, med surg, pedi) for a year before graduating with my bsn. i cant find a freakin job!!!! the hospital i was at would not hire a new grad, period. so, i took a job as a nurse working at a doctor’s office. i've been out of school for almost a year now and still have not had so much as a call back. i kid you not but i must have applied for over 500+ jobs. not just hospitals but i’ve applied to rehab centers, ambulatory care clinics, hospice positions and visiting nurses. i'm working with staffing agencies and have called travel nursing companies. i am petrified that as this year anniversary comes up i’m going to become the "old grad" with no experience that will be stuck working in a doctor’s office forever. i have a young family and my husband had an amazing job but we've decided to bite the bullet and move wherever we need to move so i can get that 1 year med/surg experience that every position is looking for.

point me in the right direction ladies and gents. i know that with a little bit of training i could really hit the ground running. i will do anything, work any shift on any floor. help!

Don't move to Colorado-- at least not the front range. No one is hiring.

i live in extremely saturated area in the north east. i have experience in emergency medicine as an emt, have worked in a doctors office for 6 years as an ma going through nursing school, and worked as a nursing aid in a big hospital on many floors (icu, maternity, med surg, pedi) for a year before graduating with my bsn. i cant find a freakin job!!!! the hospital i was at would not hire a new grad, period. so, i took a job as a nurse working at a doctor's office. i've been out of school for almost a year now and still have not had so much as a call back. i kid you not but i must have applied for over 500+ jobs. not just hospitals but i've applied to rehab centers, ambulatory care clinics, hospice positions and visiting nurses. i'm working with staffing agencies and have called travel nursing companies. i am petrified that as this year anniversary comes up i'm going to become the "old grad" with no experience that will be stuck working in a doctor's office forever. i have a young family and my husband had an amazing job but we've decided to bite the bullet and move wherever we need to move so i can get that 1 year med/surg experience that every position is looking for.

point me in the right direction ladies and gents. i know that with a little bit of training i could really hit the ground running. i will do anything, work any shift on any floor. help!

ok, a bit of advice. do not have your husband quit his "amazing job" just so you can get experience. there is no guarantee that the job offer you do get won't be a nightmare scenario, and then where will you be? parlay the doctor's office job into something more. you are not "stuck there", you may not have looked at it as the opportunity it presents. what about going back to school for an bsn/np position? the doc you are working for is in a prime position to teach/mentor you. that could open a lot of areas you may not have considered.

if you have applied to over 500 positions and have not had 1 callback, i would seriously have a second look at your resume and interviewing skills. the problem may be stemming from something there that you are not even aware of.

best of luck.

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
i will do anything, work any shift on any floor. help!
you say that you would do anything. does this include taking a possibly steep pay cut to amass that golden one year of hospital experience? i'm only asking because some hospitals in small and midsized cities in the south and midwest pay their new rns as low as $18 hourly. money is not everything, but some people are simply not willing to make that type of sacrifice.
Specializes in Pre-Op/PACU, Infusion Therapy, Endoscopy.

My first thought is to encourage you to re-evaluate your resume and interview skills...applying for hundreds of jobs and not getting a call back is a bit extreme. This a is a red flag to me. Maybe consulting with a career counselor who can offer you contructive feedback might offer you an opportunity to improve the overall presentation of yourself professionally, which might bring you more success.

I would also heed the advice of all these postings...there are many with suggestions for new areas and facilities that are hiring...relocating into other regions not so saturated will make you more of an asset in a less competitive area. But it would take looking at the whole 'picture' and dynamics of your life and family situation to know what's the most meaningful and smart for you...I'd hate for your husband to quit his job without a solid back up plan.

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.
This place is about 2.5 hours from san antonio. They keep calling me with HUGE offers to work there and HUGE sign on bonuses. They are always hiring and have new grad jobs posted ALWAYS. https://www.fortduncanmedicalcenter.com/Employment/New-RN-Grads .

Hey Y'all, this facility is in Eagle Pass - smack-dab on the Texas Border. Srsly, the hospital is right next door to the Rio Grande. If you are not fluent in Spanish, you will have a hard time working there. This is an economically depressed region - with a very unattractive landscape. They have consistently paid huge recruitment bonuses for the last 25 years (that I know of) and still can't maintain a nursing staff... what does this tell you?

My first thought is to encourage you to re-evaluate your resume and interview skills...applying for hundreds of jobs and not getting a call back is a bit extreme.

Your post has some great advice about resume and interview skills. I did just want to comment on the terrible job market up here in the Northeast. The OP is not the only one who has sent out hundreds of resumes with no responses. I live and work in a major city up here and most hospitals have been on hiring freezes for at least a couple of years now. There are at least 3 hospitals in the area that are on the verge of closing their doors. There are new grads from 2 years ago who still can't find jobs. Even experienced nurses are having trouble finding employment. It's bad. :(

Specializes in Pre-Op/PACU, Infusion Therapy, Endoscopy.

April, that does sound bad. This economic recession has impacted healthcare facilities all over. In the end....a hospital is a business and they too have fiscal restraints, budgets, and function like any business, just usually on a larger scale. So it's understandable to see where they too can be in situations to 'cut back', implement hiring freezes, and even close their doors.

In general, on the larger scale for the nursing profession, there is a shortage and need for nurses. It also might warrant compromising some preferences in a job..such as being willing to accept a different shift, a lower pay, a longer commute, a different specialty, or PRN/Per Diem work.....I have nurse friends that struggle to find nurse jobs because they want every variable to accommodate their preference and in the long run they are limiting themselves of viable opportunities.

If the region where you are is in that bad of shape, have you considered a relocation to a regioin where there is more opportunities. If I was desperate to generate income for myself, I would be open to relocating where the jobs are and start applying in those regions.

That sounds discouraging. Good luck to you.

Specializes in Med/Surg.

Try looking in AZ, its hot but the facility I worked with just hired about 30 new grads and are hiring more.

April, that does sound bad. This economic recession has impacted healthcare facilities all over. In the end....a hospital is a business and they too have fiscal restraints, budgets, and function like any business, just usually on a larger scale. So it's understandable to see where they too can be in situations to 'cut back', implement hiring freezes, and even close their doors.

In general, on the larger scale for the nursing profession, there is a shortage and need for nurses. It also might warrant compromising some preferences in a job..such as being willing to accept a different shift, a lower pay, a longer commute, a different specialty, or PRN/Per Diem work.....I have nurse friends that struggle to find nurse jobs because they want every variable to accommodate their preference and in the long run they are limiting themselves of viable opportunities.

If the region where you are is in that bad of shape, have you considered a relocation to a regioin where there is more opportunities. If I was desperate to generate income for myself, I would be open to relocating where the jobs are and start applying in those regions.

That sounds discouraging. Good luck to you.

Your response is right on. I thank my lucky stars everyday that I graduated prior to the turndown and was able to secure a job. It's heartbreaking hearing all of these stories about nurses with no jobs.

Nire83, if giving up your husband's amazing job is truly what you want to do, what about North Carolina? I don't know anything about the area but I have a friend who works as a nurse there and said there are lots of jobs.

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

If your husband has a good job you are crazy to give that up and risk the unknown. You could get fired/laid off/disabled or anything and then where would you be? No income. You also may hate the new job.

At least now your husbands income is stable.

Also, rural texas and Az pay MUCH lower wages so even if your husband gets a job and may be very low paying.

I know this because I have moved from the west coat to both AZ and Texas.

I started out as a clinic nurse when I graduated during the down turn and mass nursing lay offs of 1993.

I was still able to move on to a job in radiation oncology and clinical research so office nursing is not a death sentance!

Do what you have to do, but give serious consideration to all the implications.

Also, any place that is giving a sign on bomus at this point in time is a Hades pit!:smokin::eek:

Specializes in Ortho/trauma acute care/med surg.
i live in extremely saturated area in the north east. i have experience in emergency medicine as an emt, have worked in a doctors office for 6 years as an ma going through nursing school, and worked as a nursing aid in a big hospital on many floors (icu, maternity, med surg, pedi) for a year before graduating with my bsn. i cant find a freakin job!!!! the hospital i was at would not hire a new grad, period. so, i took a job as a nurse working at a doctor's office. i've been out of school for almost a year now and still have not had so much as a call back. i kid you not but i must have applied for over 500+ jobs. not just hospitals but i've applied to rehab centers, ambulatory care clinics, hospice positions and visiting nurses. i'm working with staffing agencies and have called travel nursing companies. i am petrified that as this year anniversary comes up i'm going to become the "old grad" with no experience that will be stuck working in a doctor's office forever. i have a young family and my husband had an amazing job but we've decided to bite the bullet and move wherever we need to move so i can get that 1 year med/surg experience that every position is looking for.

point me in the right direction ladies and gents. i know that with a little bit of training i could really hit the ground running. i will do anything, work any shift on any floor. help!

my hubby and i are relocating to johnson city tennessee, i am going to work for mountain states health alliance,i applied, got three interviews within a week and was offered all three departments, low pay but also low cost of living so its all relative. i think its going to be a great opportunity. pm me if you want the nurse recruiters name and number

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