Virtually guaranteed job for new grads

[msnurse1234]

I offer a virtually guaranteed job, even for a new grad, in Kingman, Az. Kingman Regional Medical Center, like many other hospitals, has positions in basically every department: https://www.azkrmc.com/component/zoo/advanced-search/714?Itemid=867&lang=en.

They are offering a salary of $25.92/hr for a bsn, and $24.69 for an associates. Your chances of overtime, at least part of the year, are very good. OT is never required. At the moment, they are offering double overtime, but this is slated to end very soon and go back to time and a half. There is a new grad tuition reimbursement scholarship program, although you do have to compete for it.

I won't lie, they are also offering a recruitment bonus, which is why I am here. To encourage you to consider KRMC, my wife and I will also offer you use of a fully furnished room in our house (15 minutes walk to the hospital) for up to a month while you are interviewing or looking for a home. We are both nurses (I have been for almost 3 years, my wife 6 months), so you will also have somebody to ask questions of. If you choose to work for them because of this, PLEASE CONTACT ME FIRST, so that I can get the credit. I did put a lot of work into getting this information together and posting it, after all.

The really good news: there will be a new position opening soon in Acute Rehab, and potentially another in six months or so. In a bit of pure luck, Acute Rehab is in its own building and for legal reasons there must be 2 nurses there at all times, regardless of census. Our census has ranged from 2-13 in the last two years, averaging 6-8. That's 3-4 patients per nurse on average. Those patients often stay 2-4 weeks, and are less acute than med/surg. This means: *much* easier learning curve for terrified new grads, time to research things or ask questions, much less discharge/admit Stupid Documenting, and the time to actually get to know your patients. Patients here are known by their names, not their room numbers. This job is heaven to me. And it would be to you too.

The bad:

--this is a small, working class town--about 65,000 or so with the surrounding communities, and this is why KRMC has a hard time recruiting. It's simply somewhere the young rarely want to live. There aren't gangs or riots, but there also aren't as many things to do as in, say, Vegas or Phoenix.

--Most new grad positions (other than ARU) are *hard*. It is a lot to learn, a lot to do, and not much time to do it in. Still, they are not as hard as some (most?). The med/surg ratio here is 6:1, the PCU is usually 4:1 (sometimes 5:1, if you're the experienced nurse). ICU is 2:1. You will work here, for sure. But, if you are a new grad, that is a chance to get a lot of experience, quickly. It is a not-for-profit hospital though, and that means patient care isn't sacrificed to the extent that it is in many for-profit hospitals. Ratios in Vegas, for examples, are 7-8 in med/surg. (And you can tell from the condition of some of the patients we get from there).

--New grads go thru a residency, from 8-16 weeks (8 for med/surg, 16 for ICU and ER). That's good, but if you break the 3 year contract that goes with it, you have to pay them back for the training. Experienced nurses, of course, don't need to do this.

The good:

--It is only 90 minutes from Vegas, 3 hours from Phoenix, and 5 hours from LA or the incredibly beautiful Utah parks like Zion and Bryce. And when you are only working 3 days a week, you have time to travel! Kingman also does have small town entertainment--a reviving downtown area, hiking trails, a community gardens. The local parks have softball games going almost every night of the week.

--Cost of living is *very* cheap here. We bought a 2 bedroom, 2 bath home, 10 years old, in good shape, within walking distance to the hospital and everything else you need, for $63,000 last year. A similar home in California or so would go for, I'm guessing, $300,000 or more. A friend just both a 1700 square foot home, 2 years old, for $140,000. It is in a brand new neighborhood, 5 minutes' walk from my work.

When I was just working, I supported myself and my wife, had a nice home, traveled frequently, and still saved half my salary. With both of us working, we are now saving $60,000 a year. Pay off those student loans and get your feet planted! New grad pay is $25.92/hour for a BSN, $24.69 for an associate's. That is FT; there is no per diem. You can get 2% raises on top of that for certain certifications--wound care, etc. (ACLS and PALS won't count, sorry). There is also a $5/hour night shift and $2/hour weekend (Friday and Saturday) differential. And they'll pay up to $2000 a year for education, once you've been here a year. There is also a New Grad debt repayment scholarship, although I am not sure of the details. It is competitive, and not everybody will get it.

--Transferring from one unit to another is fairly easy here; you can try something for six months and then move.

--Weather is warm and sunny. We get a day of snow once every 3 or 4 years. Kingman is in the mountains, so is cooler than Vegas or Phoenix, but still warm. It is, however, a bit windy.

Feel free to email me! I am happy to take any questions that you can't easily Google.