Variation in nursing job markets

[Ddestiny, BSN, RN]

I guess what I have is less of a question and more of an observation/pseudo-vent.

I'm a nurse in Kansas. I started off as a non-certified home health aide in 2007. Ever since I became a CNA (and later bridged to CMA, LPN, ADN and BSN) I've been able to get every job I've ever applied for -- with the exception of one where the fit was one that neither I nor the employer/interviewer found to be ideal just from the interview. That statement is not to brag, but more to illustrate the market in my state. I've lived in multiple places throughout KS, from the state capital to a town of 13,000 while achieving these jobs. Everywhere needs more nurses.

I've heard of places with much tougher job markets, but assumed a lot of those areas were on the coasts and in more desirable cities. Even in those places I'd assumed that I have paid enough dues that I'd probably have a decent shot of securing the job I wanted, if we were to move.

Well, now we are moving, and it just amazes me how difficult of a time I'm having. I was really excited to be going to a place with 3 level 1 trauma centers in close proximity as I've wanted to transition to a trauma/surgical ICU anyway. I've looked at other cities over the years with less hospitals and that had many different job options, but I'm just unfortunately not finding it. Literally all positions that are not procedural areas or supervisory are all night shift (which I'm not 100% against on principal, but my own history of attempting night shift exacerbated historical mental health issues and insomnia). And finding an ICU or ICU stepdown option has proven daunting over the last 6 weeks or so that I've been scouring the ads each day (plus reaching out to recruiters). Of the 3 level I hospitals I've seen 2 ICU job openings total, of course both nights. One was early on in my search so I didn't jump on it like I should have, the other I did. I've also looked at other trauma centers in the area but am surprised that they do less intense interventions than my current, non-trauma designated hospital.

I might be able to get the jobs I'm applying for, but the specific position I want is apparently not available even with 8 hospitals that service adults in within the city (and multiple others within an hour-long, 1 way commute).

So what super-desirable place am I describing, with such a difficult market to break into? San Diego? New York?

Nope.

Toledo.fricken.Ohio.

?

Maybe it sounds silly, but I never anticipated this. I figured things there would be "on par" with Kansas as far as having more older/sick folks than they can care for, especially with so many hospitals in such a small area. Before we lost a lot of content on AllNurses I read all of the threads pertaining to Toledo and they spoke a lot about the pay but nothing about difficulty in actually securing a position in your desired specialty.

I have had a couple phone interviews (level 3 trauma centers -- 1 in Toledo, 1 in Michigan) and have secured an upcoming in-person interview with a level 1 for a night ICU position.

At a previous time when we almost moved to Knoxville the critical care nurse managers commented how they'd love to have an "experienced ICU nurse" like me work for them...and that was when I had less than a year of critical care experience! I was offered positions in a couple different ICUs while it was still uncertain whether we'd actually move there (and, of course, we didn't). I had a similar reception in St. Louis.

Of course, the location that's best for my husband's career is proving difficult for mine. lol

On a positive note....for those that are having difficulty getting their start, it really can pay to move to a different area. It's easy to assume that all job markets mirror your local area, but they can really vary.

Sooooooo.....anyone got any connections in Toledo? ? ?

[TriciaJ, RN]

I've never even been to Ohio but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Are there a lot of nursing schools in the area cranking out grads? That's all I can think of. Hope you land something sooner rather than later.

[Hoozdo, ADN]

Do you have a CCRN certification? I know in my city that would make you a lot more marketable.

[Ddestiny, BSN, RN]

10 hours ago, TriciaJ said:

I've never even been to Ohio but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Are there a lot of nursing schools in the area cranking out grads? That's all I can think of. Hope you land something sooner rather than later.

Thank you! I appreciate your positive vibes!

And though I haven't looked into it specifically, it does seem like there are a decent number of nursing schools in the area. One of the ICU recruiters I spoke to said that they usually hire via their new nurse residency.....not sure what to think of that, hopefully it means that they have a good base of experienced nurses. But as difficult as it can be to "break into" the market, maybe that means that people are less apt to job hop in comparison to other locations.

[Ddestiny, BSN, RN]

4 hours ago, Hoozdo said:

Do you have a CCRN certification? I know in my city that would make you a lot more marketable.

Not yet, but it is definitely on the "to do" list.

It's been a definite goal for this year but if my upcoming interview doesn't prove fruitful then it's definitely going to need to be expedited!

[TriciaJ, RN]

55 minutes ago, Ddestiny said:

Thank you! I appreciate your positive vibes!

And though I haven't looked into it specifically, it does seem like there are a decent number of nursing schools in the area. One of the ICU recruiters I spoke to said that they usually hire via their new nurse residency.....not sure what to think of that, hopefully it means that they have a good base of experienced nurses. But as difficult as it can be to "break into" the market, maybe that means that people are less apt to job hop in comparison to other locations.

I was thinking that too. Is it possible these are actually decent workplaces with low turnover? You may have to take a crap job until you can get a foot in the door.

[Ddestiny, BSN, RN]

2 hours ago, TriciaJ said:

I was thinking that too. Is it possible these are actually decent workplaces with low turnover? You may have to take a crap job until you can get a foot in the door.

It's definitely something I've considered. It's hard to know the real reputation of a hospital when you've not been within 500 miles of their city. I don't like the idea of job hopping or the added stress of multiple periods of orientation, but it might have to come with the territory. One factor that I have on my side is that I don't have to move for almost 4 months so I can hopefully get at least something decent then continue to look if needed.

The interview I have coming up sounds pretty great if I would be able to come to days in a reasonable time frame. Unfortunately that's one of those "crystal ball" questions that no one can really answer.