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I graduate from nursing school in about a month and a half, and will take my boards as soon as I get the happy little letter telling me I can. I'm currently in MO, but my license will transfer, because we're all part of the Compact agreement. I had lived in NM before, but it was up in Santa Fe.
How do you think my prospects would be for getting hired at a hospital in ABQ, both considering I would be applying from out of state and because I would be a new graduate? Also, is there a particular hospital you would or would not recommend working at/applying to? I know people may have had good or bad experiences at various facilities, so I'm trying to get a good idea of the different hospitals in the area.
I could, of course, apply up in Santa Fe at their hospital, but I fear that a nurse's salary might not be enough to cut it up there with their cost of living.
I do not have direct experience. Though my niece is graduating from nursing school in 2 semesters. According to her the jobs are plentiful and pay is pretty decent. Of course she currently works for Abq Health Partners right now as an assistant. So she knows a lot of people in the industry.
IMHO, of the Hospitals...My best experiences have been at Presbyterian. I really don't have anything bad to say about Lovelace but Presbyterian has just been top notch so much so that Lovelace doesn't stand out but are adequate. UNM is a State hospital so you get what comes with that.
I'm not in the field, but dating a nursing student, and know a few nurses, what I've been told is this:
Lovelace and Presbyterian almost never hire recent graduates with no healthcare experience. People who were EMTs or LPNs before becoming RNs sometimes have a chance, but in 99% of cases, those hospitals demand prior nursing experience. UNM hospitals are much more likely to hire fresh-faced recent graduates.
LL and PYB will take you after a couple of years somewhere else... nurses seem to always be in demand in ABQ in long-term care, rehabilitative, hospice, etc... Maybe not where new nurses want to work, but sometimes you gotta do your time in any industry to get to where you want to be.
Again, not me... I'm a computer guy. Just what I've been told.
Zandyman, is your GF getting her associate's or bachelor's degree? I am an RN with a BSN and many years experience. Here in FL, it is getting more and more difficult to get a hospital position w/o a Bachelor's. Many hospitals are trying to get "magnet" status, and this requires a larger percentage of the staff to get a Bachelor's or higher. The hospital where I work has 85% Bachelor's or Master's on staff. The hospital will no longer higher nurses with an Associate's Degree (LPN's were "phased" out 4 years ago!) From what I hear, NM is not as strict, but in this ecomomy, that will eventually change...employers can be more picky now-a-days. Hopefully, your GF is getting her BSN as we speak.
A travel nurse I met from ABQ highly recommended Presbyterian over Loveless when comparing pay, work environment, nurse-patient ratios, nurse satisfaction, etc. But again, new grads may have it rough...also due to this economy.
To the OP: I agree w Zandyman, try a rehab type facility if the hospitals are not interested in a new grad. I am sure there are places like HealthSouth rehab hospital in ABQ. Unlike nursing homes and hospices, you would be dealing w people w more acure medical needs; there may even be long-term vented and trached patients there. Better experience than most nursing homes. I worked in one (nursing home) for a year full-time and a few years per diem...cush job, but not a whole lot of learning for a new grad...
I looked at that Rust Medical Center....wow, that is a nice facility!!!!!!
I'll only have my ASN when I graduate, but I am going to continue on and get my BSN while I'm working. I don't know if that will make a difference to employers or not. And I have a previous degree, although it wasn't in anything healthcare related (it's in Wildlife). While it would be nice to have the whole sign on bonus thing, it really would just be nice to get a job offer. I'm dying to get back out to NM.
I guess a phone call to various HR departments will be in order, especially since I need to find out if they will even consider people before they take their boards. Some hospitals do, and some want to wait until you've passed.
Feel free to keep suggestions coming though, since I know nothing about the different hospitals in Albuquerque other than what I can find through Google.
I looked at that Rust Medical Center....wow, that is a nice facility!!!!!!
I hope they treat me nice when I go there on my podiatrist appointment
Quote:
Originally Posted by pams73
I guess a phone call to various HR departments will be in order, especially since I need to find out if they will even consider people before they take their boards. Some hospitals do, and some want to wait until you've passed.
Feel free to keep suggestions coming though, since I know nothing about the different hospitals in Albuquerque other than what I can find through Google.
There is load of info on the nursing situation in the ABQ area. I have no clue of the actual situation. We know two nurses who retired here a few years ago.
Don't know if these will help, they are fairly recent:
We do have a HealthSouth here as carob suggested. I worked there in the past and liked it very much. Lovelace also has a rehab hospital, and Carrie Tingley (through UNM) is a pediatric rehab hospital. If you want to work in a long term acute setting as carob described, Kindred Hospital is a good option. There is also the VA, which not only has routine acute care, but also has specialized units for spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury. There are also a handful of psych hospitals and adolescent rtcs if you're interested in that. Good luck!
I hope they treat me nice when I go there on my podiatrist appointment
There is load of info on the nursing situation in the ABQ area. I have no clue of the actual situation. We know two nurses who retired here a few years ago.
Don't know if these will help, they are fairly recent:
Thanks, Rich! I kind of skipped the one about the LPN's, since I will be an RN when I graduate But that Center for Nursing Excellence looks like it has some good info on it.
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I'm currently in MO, but my license will transfer, because we're all part of the Compact agreement. I had lived in NM before, but it was up in Santa Fe.
But that Center for Nursing Excellence looks like it has some good info on it.
