About to graduate with my BSN in august. I am looking to relocate to nyc and Chicago and I am interested in NICU, ICU, or OR. Not having luck finding a position yet, should I keep applying before nclex?

Yes. Although I would suggest that even though even a couple of years ago maybe it would've been easier to find a job in the specialties in nursing. But given the staffing crises occurring right now across the country, this may not be the same situation anymore. When you orient new nurses to a hospital you have to have the systems in place to support the orientation and training of these nurses to be safe in these environments. It just may be that their staffing crisis hasn't also impacted their ability to onboard new nurses into highly specialized arenas as you've mentioned. I think you should consider working in a lower level of nursing for the 1st year or two before specializing. It is much easier to go from there to specializing than the other way around. And, you will set yourself up with an excellent foundation for the rest of your career. A lot of nurses nowadays may disagree. However, there are many things you will learn at this level that will help you for the rest of your career. And what if you don't like the specialty and that's all you've been trained in? It is tough to start again elsewhere without a more broad foundation. And let's not forget about the staffing crisis. Nurses are being floated from any unit in the hospital to other units. Even ICU and ED nurses occasionally. If you want to move to those areas, because you like them, but can't find a job in the specialty, consider this as an option. Given the current state of affairs, it will be tough. But, just like they told us at the original Walter Reed Army Medical Center when I started, "If you can work there, you can work anywhere." And it wasn't false!

All of these responses about waiting to go in to a speciality I have to disagree with. I graduated and went straight to PEDS CVICU and absolutely think others are more than able as well. If you find a nursing speciality you think you’d enjoy then go for it. Ask a ton of questions but you got this! I have nursing students all the time that think they have ti start medsurg first which isn’t true.

Keep applying to those positions even if they say they “require “ or prefer. Experience. I’m a new grad with no hospital experience and got hired for ICU

Wait until you get your license. You are looking at highly specific and skilled units. You need to apply to regular nursery or mother/baby unit first. Work for a year or so and then transfer to NICU. OR is better chance after doing nursing residency program. Some hospital hire new grads but you will need to spend a year in training for OR position. There is a LOT TO LEARN. As far as ICU, forget it. Work on medsurge, Tele, PACU first. Get your basic nursing skills. Good luck!

Look for and apply to hospitals that offer critical care or Periop fellowship/residency programs for new grads. You can apply if you are permit eligible prior to obtaining your license. The big hospitals in NYC are interviewing candidates for program starts in the spring I believe. This is a great way to get into speciality areas without experience AND you will get excellent and more comprehensive training.

Apply after u pass nclex

I disagree with all of those that tell you go into anything else other than your desired specialty. That is an even faster way to burnout. Particularly if you don’t handle well the toxic culture around you. In nursing is no different l, favoritism is rampant.

This being said, it is always easier to move from a specialty down than say from Med-Surg to ICU, Peds, OR, NICU, ED. I have had amole experience with employers and recruiters that tell me “yeah but don’t have the expertise in those areas”. For me it was REALLY difficult to transition to another unit at the 6 month mark as promised. Ended being dismissed to another sister facility so they wouldn’t have to honor the offer with conditions of me working MS with transitioning to my desired specialty later on. As for, “if you don’t like the specialty” you rounded in clinicals, we usually know what we like, even have option 1,2,3. One positive of working in Med-Surg more like Rehab in a SNF was polishing on my time- management however, if that’s a skill you have developed already or can acquire quickly go into your desired area-unit. Good luck, I trust you will find your niche. Without all the stress of learning in an area you don’t feel passionate in.

I would keep applying. I interviewed for an ICU position right after graduation. I was offered the position pending passage of NCLEX. It did add a little pressure to passing the NCLEX since I had been offered a position contingent on passage. However, in the end, I passed it and have been in my position for over a year now.

Former NY’er and Illinoisan and I highly suggest looking at Chicago over NY. I enjoyed life so much more there. I started at a large teaching hospital in Chicago and they were eager to train new grads in all units. Cardiac ICU, Transplant ICU, MICU, etc. A friend from school started as a new grad in NICU in the suburbs. There’s a lot of great hospital systems & internal transferring is pretty easy. I started on a pulmonary step-down and it was wonderful for my career. Others who worked with me have transferred with ease and largely have gone into travel nursing with excellent skills and knowledge. Chicagoland has a much better cost of living. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions

I disagree with all of those that tell you go into anything else other than your desired specialty. That is an even faster way to burnout. Particularly if you don’t handle well the toxic culture around you. In nursing is no different l, favoritism is rampant.

This being said, it is always easier to move from a specialty down than say from Med-Surg to ICU, Peds, OR, NICU, ED. I have had ample experience with employers and recruiters that tell me “yeah but don’t have the expertise in those areas”. For me it was REALLY difficult to transition to another unit at the 6 month mark as promised. Ended being dismissed to another sister facility so they wouldn’t have to honor the offer with conditions of me working MS with transitioning to my desired specialty later on. As for, “if you don’t like the specialty” you rounded in clinicals, we usually know what we like, even have option 1,2,3. One positive of working in Med-Surg more like Rehab in a SNF was polishing on my time- management however, if that’s a skill you have developed already or can acquire quickly go into your desired area-unit. Good luck, I trust you will find your niche. Without all the stress of learning in an area you don’t feel passionate in.

You need to
1- Apply to at least 12 positions
2-Follow-up to three directors by phone call for each position and asking if you can shadow a nurse for three hours
3-Email three directors asking to shadow
4-Send three directors your resume directly for each job
5-Be proactive and persistent

Keep applying now and after you pass. It just takes one job to stick. I am a new grad starting in the ED this fall. Be patient, the right job will work out!

I recently applied in the NYC hospitals. Each hospital system is different. Some hospitals don't allow new grads to go to specialties. Others do.

Unless others can say otherwise, when you apply in NYC you need your license # to apply.

Pass your NCLEX first - you’re not a nurse until you pass that so they cannot consider you. Then get licensed in New York or Illinois or both. Then get ACLS, PALS, and NRP certified, (BLS not adequate for what you’re interested in) and then apply. Even if you’re a new grad, they prefer candidates who can start immediately (when they are finally ready) without the delays caused by having to take care of these things after the fact. Also be mindful that, with big healthcare organizations especially, despite crisis-level nursing shortages, you can still expect to wait months, not weeks, for first contact and an interview. Check the job descriptions for positions that interest you and make sure that some exact phrases, skills, and terms used in the job descriptions appear verbatim in your resume before uploading it. Computers, not human eyeballs, are used to parse the resumes. If there are no matching terms, you won’t make the first cut. This trick works. I also personally removed all clues / information that could be used to discriminate

If you relocate to Huntsville, Alabama. They have a great OR program at Huntsville Hospital.

Keep looking the positions are out there. Do not listen to people who say start lower acuity first. Those people are out of their minds. there are plenty of new grad ICU jobs out there. I started in the ICU and only have ever worked in the ICU. What also can help though if you still cannot locate your dream job, consider working as a Tech, or CNA on the unit that you would love to work for. As long as you do not mess up while working those positions usually lead to job offers because the unit gets to try you out basically and same to you. you can try the unit out to see if you really like it or not

See if any hospitals near you offer Post Graduation Operating Room training. They take both new grads and experienced Nurses and train them in z OR skills and procedures.

Hello, I would start with med/surg and then transfer to a specialty. It allows you to refine your time management and prioritizing abilities. I also see alot of positions open for this in Chicago lately. I also advise strongly to apply to union hospitals as they are greatly more protected than non-union. I would also wait until you pass your nclex and add acls certificate as well. Career fairs are a great way to get an interview. Good luck!

Check out major medical centers in the areas you're interested in and find out about new grad programs or nurse residency programs before you even apply. You want an ideal situation where you can ease into the job, be mentored and supported or you'll likely run screaming from critical care.

NYC and Chicago are difficult markets if you want to start directly in specialty . I would suggest that if you want to start in specialty you try first in smaller hospitals where there is not as much competition or that you specifically apply to an intern program . For example , I believe Vanderbilt in Nashville has one for NICU but you can look around .
I entered nursing 30 years ago in NYC . When I started there was no way you could enter specialty without a minimum of two years in med surg . I was a 4.0 GPA student . Some of my fellow graduates that were convinced they wanted to be in ICU moved to Mississippi into an ICU internship program . They still work as ICU nurses but now in Florida .
I started on a medical surgical floor in AIDS / HIV which was a specialty nobody really wanted to do . Five years later I started my NP program and have been an NP for 20 years .

Many of the larger teaching hospitals have a transitional program for new grads. Often they have a relationship with nursing schools and students make transitions to employees because of the relationship. So keep that in mind, that you may be completing with other new grads that may have a slight edge. However, don't let that scare you from putting yourself out there! Best of Luck
!

Depends where you apply since you don’t have your license yet. I got an offer in July and passed my nclex in august. They asked for my nclex scheduled date. Started working in September.

I wouldn’t worry about applying for jobs now until you get your license. One you have it, you will like get offers right away.

I went directly into the ER, a Level I Trauma Center. I also worked at that same facility so it was a little different fir me. I suggest you keep trying or solicit the help of an agency to place you.

I’m a new grad nurse in NY and I just landed my first nursing job in an ICU residency program. I can tell you from my experience in the hiring process, it is best to wait to apply until after NCLEX. A lot of the hospitals in NY can not even offer you a nursing job you unless you are currently holding a nursing license

Chicago is a great place to start in intensive care. Many hospitals have new graduate residency programs and welcome new grads with open arms. This is prevalent in teaching institutions and children’s specialty institutions. I suggest you look directly at the hospitals of interest and apply.

Yes I Have Graduate with my BSN in August.I'm looking for the Job in NYC/ Chicago.And I'm Very Interested and I Have Cardiac Nurse Experience Still Working in the Cardiovascular Hospital.So Should I Apply before NCLEX?

Try applying to a residency program in nyc. They're hiring

I work in the Chicago suburbs in the ER. I went straight into my specialty from nursing school 3 years ago. Look for hospitals with a new grad program. I had the choice of ER or ICU straight out of school. I think the whole “med surg first” is old school advice. I’m trained for my specialty and didn’t have to “unlearn” habits from the floor.
My hospital won’t even look at you until you have your RN license in hand, though.

I work at a great academic hospital in Chicago. We are part of a nurses union and there is definitely a need for ICU nurses right now. Also they make it easy to transfer to other jobs throughout the hospital once u are in. We have had quite a few nurses transfer from icu to the or or transfer from the or to other units. There is a 10k sign on for most positions. I can tell u more through email. Feel free to reach out to me [email protected]. I’d be happy to tell u more!

Nicu is hard to get in to especially if you have not gotten your nclex. I suggest applying to mother baby or nursery and then transition to nicu.

These are highly specialized units and almost always require med-surg experience first. I would say first things first, pass your NCLEX, get your reciprocal license for whatever state you choose and THEN apply. In NYC you will be able to find many positions but mostly for new grads med surg. Get one to two years under your belt and then branch out to specialized units. Good Luck to you.

Well, I am a nurse of 30yrs with background in management, ED, surgery and PACU. I have yet to get any responses from the major hospitals there as I am looking to relocate as well. Good luck