Is there anyone here who works or has worked at the Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton? I graduated last month and received my BS in Nursing and I take the NCLEX in 2 weeks. I know a job will come but I'm wondering if the Naval Hospital is just waiting for me to get my license before they interview or offer me a job. If I were back at home which is where I finished school then I moved here I would have a job offer at least. Its just a little frustrating because most of my friends knew where they would work before we even graduated. I know Im different because I'm a military spouse but I'm frustrated. If any one has any advice please let me know.
I don't know where Camp Pendleton is but if there is a VA hospital nearby, you may wish to look there. Where I live they are aggressively advertising (1/8 page ads every Sunday in the classifieds for many different RN positions) and I have a friend who is a RN there and loves her job. She says they treated her well as a student and when they offered her a job as a new RN, she took it.
Camp Pendleton is in southern California. It straddles the county line between San Diego and Orange counties. The closest VA hospitals to Camp Pendleton are in San Diego and Long Beach, both of which would be a pretty long commute to Camp Pendleton, particularly if her husband will be working on the east side of the base.
When I spoke with human resources they informed me that they do hire military spouses. The only thing about that is, is that you fill the resume and application online and whenever a job comes available you get a notice. I even took her my resume in person and she said this isnt how the hiring process goes so this probably will not do any good. I did check and see where the VA hospitals were and they are kind of far. If anyone has any more info please keep it coming.
I imagine they want to see you actually pass the exam first.
And they may not have a slot for you right now. The Hospital is mainly staffed with Navy personel, very few civilian positions exist, with good reason.
Have you looked into any of the civilian hospitals off base? My friend is an ER nurse (very portable, they're always short ER nurses) and has no issues getting jobs at any civilian hospital no matter where they are or how often she moves.
I figured they are waiting on the exam status it just frustrated me because before I graduated and moved out here I had job offers but I couldnt take them because I was moving. It just feels a little better knowing you'll have a job soon after you pass. Ive applied to near by hospitals but they are short on jobs just like everywhere else. Yes there is a nursing shortage but with new nurses hospitals have to do extra training and pay out extra money to nurses who precept with the new nurse therefore there is a slight hiring freeze for new nurses. Applied to one hospital and they had 700 applicants and maybe only 25 slots that's crazy. Im believing God and Im praying that my frustration and eagerness to have a job will fade away. Im still studying for the exam so Ill focus on that and Ill cross that bridge in to weeks after I pass the exam.
Good luck. Its a tough market for new grads out there. Have you looked at the allnurses website? You might get some tips from there, esp the California nurses message board.
Exactly, I really don't think people understand and as a nursing graduate the first thing someone says is "Oh you dont have to worry about a job", little do they know. A professor told us this happened once in the 90's so I'm keeping my head up. Oh and yes Im a faithful memeber of allnurses OMG I love that site. I've posted on there too but there weren't many replies so when I figured out that I could post on here I figured it would be better because military spouses would know more about the Naval Hospital. Thanks everyone for all your input.
Oh, and good luck with your NCLEX exam! A wife of my dh's coworker is set to take hers pretty soon (she just graduated a few wks ago) and she is facing the same job issues as you are.
Thank you so very much for the NCLEX support. I'm so glad I'm not the only person having the job issue tell her to keep her we have to keep our heads up so we can make a difference.
HAve you given any thought to starting out as a PRN instead of in a full time position? That's how my friend got her first position. She PRN's at the ER (goes through the hospital directly, not a staffing agency), and since ERs are always understaffed she ends up getting calls for shifts all the time (giving her lots of experience). The other nice advantage to PRN (why she still is one) is that she only has a minimum number of shifts to pick up (for her current hospital and contract its 1 every 6 weeks) so, if she decides she doesn't want to work she doesn't have to , which is nice with 3 kids and a husband in flight school. Really nice advantage as a military spouse.
She's also taken her time to get CPR instructor certified, so she gets called to teach classes as well.
I have no problem with being PRN just let me have some experience that's all I ask, lol. I worked prn as a CNA when I first started nursing school so I love the flexibility of having them call you or you call them to work. I'm praying for a spot in the ER I've done every unit except for ER and Critical Care. Thanks for the encouragment and info.
I wish you good luck with the Nclex as well. I graduated in May from Nursing School, but we had to do this hesi exit exam and they required a high score for our school. I just passed this hesi exam and should be able to take my Nclex end of August or early September. I feel lucky that I am active duty and therefore I do not have to worry about a job. My friends went through the same ordeal, but I think all of them ended up finding a job as a nurse so far.
I had the same problem after I finished LPN school and moved from NY to WA, which is where I took my NCLEX. Having out of state education ment no one wanted to so much as read my resume until I had my license. I ended up working as a CNA for 2 months waiting for my exam date and license. Good luck on the NCLEX!
