When to apply for a job

[MCGNurse]

Hey all,

I've tried browsing allnurses before posting this but I cant seem to find answers.

I graduate with my BSN in May and I was curious about when I need to start looking for jobs. I hear February but is January too early?? Any advice (or previous allnurses links to a similar topic) would be greatly appreciated.

(I also live in Georgia so if anyone can shed some light on residencies/new grad - friendly hospitals, I'd be grateful for it!)

Christine

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

A health care clinic would be some experience and might help, but it would not count as acute care experience.

New grad programs generally get posted on the hospital websites when they open up. However, you can call individual hospitals to find out if they even offer such a thing and what their requirements are. Some will only take BSNs. Some require NCLEX to be passed. Etc.

Hospital tech jobs usually are CNA positions. Some hospitals will hire nursing students who have one year under their belts.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

I am going for a second interview next week for an RN Residency program. They opened their new grad posting Jan 3, closed it Feb 17, are in the second round of interviews and are making offers by Mar 31. Other hospitals in the area, but one have posted their New grad positions already. The one I want gives NCLEX help. There are only 2 hospitals that don't do some sort of new grad position.

I am an ADN student graduating in May.

Start looking at hospital websites. ASAP

Good Luck!!!!

[gunrock]

littletwinstar:

1) A lot of bigger hospitals that have new grad programs have information about them on their website. Having a new grad program, especially a formal one is a huge recruiting tool, so most places will usually mention it somewhere, but it wouldn't hurt to call. Also check out this link: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/nursing/nurseresidency.pdf, it'll give info about some new grad residency's by state.

2) I doubt most hospitals would count that as experience, it sounds like it would fall under volunteer experience. Most hospitals will want 1 year of paid RN experience (some will be even more specific about wanting acute care hospital experience vs. doctors office, nursing home, etc). A lot of hospitals who do have new grad programs hire nurses as Clinician 1's and then after the year of experience transition them to Clinician 2's or however they label a non-brand new nurse.