Wife is an RN, Can't find job in Las Vegas

U.S.A. Nevada

Published

My wife passed her NCLEX in February and has submitted countless applications to every hospital/medical center/urgent care facility/whatever else is in Las Vegas with absolutely no luck at all. It kills me to have seen her work so hard to earn her degree and pass her NCLEX, only to get "denied" emails, if she's lucky enough to even get a response. I've read plenty of threads on here of RNs looking for jobs in Las Vegas and it almost seems hopeless. I feel guilty because I'm active duty air force and she moved to what seems to be the hardest place in the country to get an RN job because of me. Does anyone have any advice or recommendations? Is there any way she can do some sort of internship to at least get some experience? Right now, I honestly think she'd work for free. She needs experience so she can build a stronger resume. Does hand delivering a resume to the HR department do any good? Any information will be helpful. For all the other nurses in Las Vegas that are in the same situation, I truly feel for you and wish you the best of luck. It's so sad to know you've all worked so hard to earn that degree, which I know from reading some of my wife's study material is no easy task. I couldn't even study with her because I couldn't read half of the words! I promise if I find anything out I will post it under this thread, even after my wife lands a job. Thank you all for what you do/will do. Underpaid and underappreciated sometimes but you're all lifesavers and have one of the most important jobs in the world. God bless and good luck to you all!

Specializes in ED.

If she hasn't found a job north vista has job fairs and she will get a job there if she attends.

Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele.

Best advice possible is to be patient. The Las Vegas RN job market is funny, it goes in spurts of hiring a lot of new grads to not hiring any. When I graduated December of 2012 I couldn't buy a job in a LV hospital. Another suggestion is to look outside of the hospitals - sub acute hospitals like Health South - 6 months or a year of experience there will land you a job in a Vegas hospital. Also there is home health care.

I believe most units are only allowed to hire a certain number of new grads per 3 month-ISH blocks - due to budget/costs for new grad orientation/training. Plus this doesn't flood the units with new grads with no experience.

I am also a new RN in nevada. I've been applying online but it's not helping. I actually live in CA but I think I need to go over there personally to hand in my resume.

Specializes in LTC, FP office, Med/Surg, ICU, Dialysis.

Yeah, I have heard about that kind of program. You pay the hospital for training and experience; essentially, you're working for free.

I heard it was somewhat difficult to find jobs in Nevada unless you have RN experience.

In fact, one of my co-workers is moving to Vegas in a couple of weeks after being hired OVER THE PHONE! Yet, her sister who is a brand new RN and currently lives in Vegas has yet to find a job!

Did you hear if the new RN ever found a job? I may have to relocate to the Las Vegas area for personal reasons, and I am a new grad. Reading about the RN job market in Las Vegas area makes me really nervous. Especially since I am from Minnesota, which is very new grad friendly.

Specializes in LTC, Psych, M/S.

Do yourself a favor and get a year of experience in MN before trying to relocate to LV. It could be very difficult for you to get into a hospital job as a new grad especially since you don't have the "local" advantage of having done clinicals there, ect.

Anyone know if the job settings have changed for Las Vegas? I will be applying soon from out of state. I have one year ICU exp. Is it still difficult to find a job in the area, or have things improved?

Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

Las Vegas is an odd job market for nursing. I came here 18 years ago, and getting the first job was the hardest. I had five years of experience when I arrived, and it was denial after denial, even though hospitals were running full page ads in the Sunday paper looking for help. At the time, and it may still be the case, if you didn't have the exact experience they were looking for, they were not interested. Once I finally got in somewhere (my first job here was long term care, which I hated), it allowed me to make the connections I needed to land subsequent jobs. Also remember that this is a transient town, and some employers have become wary of applicants who are not currently working in the local market. In the past, they have gotten a lot of applications from people who believe that it would be cool to live and work here, then they change their minds. Since you are already living here, that should be less of a factor in your situation.

Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
Anyone know if the job settings have changed for Las Vegas? I will be applying soon from out of state. I have one year ICU exp. Is it still difficult to find a job in the area, or have things improved?

Several of the hospitals here are in expansion mode - either adding on or building satellite facilities in neighborhoods away from the main hospital. That implies that there is hiring ahead. If you have experience in critical care, you will have a leg up on many others, because that specialty is in demand.

Hello!

Does anyone, again, have suggestions on getting a new grad position in Las vegas? I have gotten my RN license in Nevada, but have applied to probably around 30 positions without getting a phone call. I have a BSN and a Bachelor's in Health education. Im moving to Las Vegas from MA in a few days and I was really hoping to be further along in the process before arriving. Any suggestions or connections would be greatly appreciated!

How is the market now?

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