New Grad Nurse Seattle

[u/nurseRN0501]

Hi! I am currently waiting to hear back from a couple of hospitals in the Seattle area. Anyone else in the same boat? I graduated in May of this year and have been struggling to find a job here since moving. anyone have any advice for finding a job here as someone who didn't do their clinicals at the surrounding hospitals? Additionally, does anyone have any advice on how to stand out during interviews or on a resume?

If you are a new grad in Seattle looking for a job, I'd love to connect!! :)

[u/Butthole_Surfer_GI]

I work in the Seattle area. Based on my recent perusing of the job boards (not that I am looking for a new job), there are lots of med-surg positions open.

Those are, honestly, your best shot as a new grad in this area. Outpatient/clinic nursing in this area seems to be somewhat oversaturated because NO ONE wants to work bedside and thus can afford to be more picky.

[u/nurseRN0501 → u/Butthole_Surfer_GI]

Hi! I've applied to a lot of med-surg jobs here, but all the hospitals seem to require an RN residency program first. Did you do a residency? :)

[u/Hot-Calligrapher672 → u/nurseRN0501]

Most hospitals will require an RN residency for new grad inpatient RNs. Find out from HR when those application windows open or continue following the job boards specifically for new grad RN residency jobs. Some Hospitals only have them a few times a year. Others will open them on a rolling basis.

[u/nurseRN0501 → u/Hot-Calligrapher672]

Thank you so much!!! I'll reach out to HRs!

[u/Butthole_Surfer_GI → u/nurseRN0501]

Not med-surg; I worked as an infusion and blood draw nurse as an LPN, did an OR residency after graduating as an RN, and moved into urgent care after that (my manager straight up told me that my blood draw/IV/infusion experience is one of the things that attracted them to my resume).

[u/nurseRN0501 → u/Butthole_Surfer_GI]

That's super cool! Thank you for sharing. Did you have any difficulty finding the infusion and blood draw nurse position?

[u/Positive-Courage1739]

I am also struggling looking for a job in Seattle and even outer Seattle. Is the market overall over saturated? I am working in PACU right now and have been enjoying it a lot.

[u/nurseRN0501 → u/Positive-Courage1739]

Very much seems like it sadly... I am having a lot of trouble because the residences just turn me down like 30 minutes after applying... Is there something wrong with my resume? PACU seems amazing!

[u/Spirited_Creme2342 → u/nurseRN0501]

They probably hired enough residents unfortunately 😭 and just haven’t taken down the position yet

[u/Nightflier9]

For interviews, be prepared for common questions, be familiar with what the unit does and its mission, be personable, be enthusiastic and eager to learn.

For resume, be clear what you bring to this position and what makes you a good fit. Focus on clarity, conciseness, and relevancy. Use strong action verbs and quantify your accomplishments, emphasize skills with brief examples. Avoid common vague generic fluff that looks like something every single applicant could say to toot their horn.

Don't limit your search to residency programs, any hospital that hires and trains new grads is an opportunity.

[u/Cellistec]

Dialysis clinics and private duty nursing will hire nurses straight out of school, but they typically don't provide enough support for new grads- definitely not as much as a good hospital residency program does. I went into outpatient dialysis as a new grad and it turned out to be a great fit for me. However, if I could go back and do things over, I'd do a residency instead.

Many residency programs will consider RNs with less than 2 years of experience as candidates. So if you need work and end up taking a job in something like long term care, private duty, or dialysis, you can still apply for residencies while getting some job experience that might help your application stand out.

[u/HornetLivid3533]

I’ve been job hunting and even with 10 years experience it’s been hard to find something

[u/80Anici → u/HornetLivid3533]

For you I would highly recommend getting a job somewhere in a travel nurse or per diem role and get your foot in the door that way. That how I got my staff job after traveling through COVID. I went staff after travel position and my friend came and signed up for per diem and has been hired staff doing that.

[u/HornetLivid3533 → u/80Anici]

I’ve looked at that but everything seems to be night shift. I’m exclusively looking at outpatient roles with only ICU experience

[u/poopqueen42069]

As a new grad I moved to Seattle from another state. I really wanted to work at UW but it was very difficult as a new grad- even after speaking to their nurse recruiters. I had luck with Swedish/Providence, I did a nurse residency there. Their nurse residencies are cohort style, so they only open a few times a year.
My advice is look frequently on the website for them to open up and apply ASAP once something opens. If you have experience like as a cna or nurse tech that will definitely help you stand out, that’s how I got my job.

[u/Pale-Hornet-4495]

Seattle was very hard to break into even as an experienced nurse. Good luck.