Nursing New Graduates

Nursing Summer Externship Program

In one summer you can change the course of your career.

Senior year BSN/MSN candidates can explore unpaid Summer Externships with UCLA Health and David Geffen School of Medicine. The program allows you to choose two specialty areas to help you choose the path you’d like to pursue after graduation.

We have limited externship positions available at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, and The Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA.

To qualify, you must have completed your junior year in a BSN program, as well as one clinical rotation, prior to the start of the program.

For more information, please contact newgradrn@mednet.ucla.edu or call toll-free: 866-895-6690.

For more information, please contact SMonsein@mednet.ucla.edu or call toll-free: 866-895-6690.

New Grad Residency Program

Build on your nursing education and clinical competencies.
The support and guidance you need for success.

The New Graduate Nurse Residency Program at UCLA Health and David Geffen School of Medicine can put you on the path to achieving your career’s most far-reaching ambitions.

As you build on your undergraduate nursing education and clinical competencies, you will come to see how the quality of each patient’s complete experience reflects our own understanding of why we’re really here.

Participants will be assigned based on several criteria, including the background of the individual Resident, and needs and availability within UCLA Health and David Geffen School of Medicine

The New Graduate Residency Program may be offered twice annually, in winter and summer, for BSN and MSN entry, with each program lasting approximately one year. Opportunities may be available in a variety of specialty areas.

The Winter 2018 RN New Grad Residency Program will be posted and accepting applications on Saturday, September 23, 2017- Sunday, October 1, 2017. To apply please use:

External Job # H91672
Internal Job #H91673

Don’t forget to check out our RN New Grad Residency FAQ.

New Grad Residency Program FAQs

Application posting periods- September/October for Winter and March for Summer. Please check website 2 months prior for application dates.

1) Do you need an RN license to apply?
You don’t need an RN license to apply. You need to have graduated within the last year and/or year and a half OR be graduating before the last week in June for the summer program and the end of December for the Winter program to be eligible. You need to have a California RN license and degree before your start date as a New Graduate at UCLA.

2) I have an associate degree in Nursing, can I apply?
a. No, BSN or MSN are the required degree programs.
b. If you have an ADN (Associates Degree in Nursing) and you are about to graduate with a BSN and have not worked as an RN you will be considered.
c. If you have an ADN and have worked and are graduating with a BSN, please apply to an experienced RN position.

3) I graduated over a year ago, am I eligible to apply?
a. Yes, you need to have graduated within the last year and/or year and a half.

4) I haven’t worked in 4 years or more, can I be considered for the New Graduate Residency Program?
a. This program is for New Graduate RNs only. It is not a refresher program. Please check the California Board of Nursing website at www.rn.ca.gov for Refresher programs

5) Do you accept applicants from out of state, only California or UCLA graduates?
a. We accept applicants nationwide. We like applicants with a diverse educational background.

6) I have 3 months of experience as an RN; do I still qualify for the New Graduate Residency Program?
a. You need to have less than 6 months of experience by the time the program starts (August/September for Winter and March/April for Summer)
b. If you have 6 months or greater of RN experience, you are considered an experienced RN.

7) What are the requirements to apply?
a. Cover letter
b. Resume – including clinical rotation sites and hours
c. 2 Letters of Recommendation
d. You may create your profile ahead of time. Please click on the link to our website to apply: www.uclahealthcareers.org
e. If you are an internal applicant, please create an internal profile and only apply internally.
f. If you are an external applicant, please create an external profile.
g. Upload documents with application

8) Who should we ask for letters of recommendation?
a. Professors
b. Clinical Faculty
c. Clinical Liaisons
d. One from a current clinical manager if working in a healthcare environment

9) Do you have a specific form we need to use for the letters of recommendation?
a. University or Professional Letterhead should be used when submitting letters of recommendation.

10) Who should the cover letter be addressed to? You have the following options:
a. To Whom it May Concern ( This allows you to use the letter for other facilities you are applying to)
b. If you would like to address it specifically for UCLA: Sheri Monsein- Manager, Nurse Recruitment or Stacey Sims- Nurse Recruiter
10920 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 400, LA. CA 90095

11) What should be included in the cover letter?
a. This is your opportunity to let us get to know you better. It should be one page or less. It is best to be more general or focus on an area of special interest. If selected to interview, you may bring a cover letter specifically addressed to the manager you will be interviewing with.

12) I heard that you only review the first 500 applications? Is this true?
a. We review every application multiple times. You do not need be the first one to apply.

13) What if I don’t have all of the required documents by the application submission deadline?
a. Please apply by the deadline and for special circumstances, please contact us for instructions to submit the missing documents.

14) When will I be notified about an interview?
a. The first round of applicants to be interviewed will be notified by email 4-6 weeks after completion of the application via email. Make sure to check your email regularly, including your spam box. We continue to contact applicants until all positions are offered.

15) When will the interviews take place?
a. The interview dates are posted on the job description.

16) How many new graduate positions are there?
a. Each program will fluctuate based on need.

17) Which area is taking the most new graduates? I would like to apply to that unit.
a. It is best to apply to the area you are most qualified for. Select the specialty that you are most passionate about and have received positive feedback from your instructors/professors and have had experience in.

18) How long is the program and will I have a positon once it is completed and will I be paid?
a. The program is one year. You are hired into a new graduate position on the unit you interview with. You are a UCLA employee and therefore paid. The New Graduate Residency Program is supplemental to your working at the bedside as an RN.

19) When will the next program begin?
a. We have 2 New Graduate Programs per year. The programs usually begin in March/April and August/September. Applications usually post in September/October for the Winter Program and March for the Summer Program.

20) Do I have a choice in which units I get to apply for? Or do we rotate to all units throughout the program?
a. On your application, you will get the option to pick your top two choices for units you would like to work in. During the new grad program you will train and work in that unit with that patient population.

21) My program allows me to take the NCLEX before receiving my degree. Can I still apply because I will have my license even if I am outside of the graduation date range for the program and will get my degree after the program starts?
a. No, you will need both your degree and your license before you start the program.

22) Is this new grad program only for Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center? Or is it for other areas as well?
a. The New Grad program offers placements at our Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and our Santa Monica, UCLA Medical Center.

23) Do you take international students?
a. Please contact the Nurse Recruitment. Office at 310-825-8141 for details.

24) Will you be offering the New Grad Program for OR areas?
a. Our Operative Services area will have a separate application that will post March 26th until April 10th 2017. This program takes New Graduate RNs and experienced RNs who are looking to move into and train into OR services, but who have no prior experience working the OR.