Ten Tips for New Grad Nurses

Hello and welcome to the site.Thanks for sharing your tips for getting that first nursing job. I moved your article to the Nursing Career Advice forum where I think it will get more views and responses.
Loved this post! Great advice anyone can start to put in motion! Just had a quick thought on #2. Even if the job isn't medical, doesn't mean that it's necessarily a useless job to mention. Other non-medical jobs can teach flexibility, skills-learning, social skills, teamwork and punctuality as well as other valuable traits that may be important to the employer. That was just what was running through my mind when I reading this so I thought I might share! Again, great post!
All good advice, but I don't know a single institution that is going to allow a volunteer anywhere near a ventilator, tubes or other medical intensive interventions. In fact, at my institution there are no volunteers allowed in critical care areas. Volunteering can give exposure to people mostly and doesn't really count toward experience by anyone's measurement. Honestly, I have yet to see a volunteer position turn into a paid position for anyone. Doesn't mean it hasn't happened, but that one seems to be a giant urban myth in reality.Otherwise great article.
I've been told agencies don't work with new grads and want 2 years of experience before working with you. Yay or nay?
1). Volunteers never, ever allowed to do anything "medical" or "nursing", much less something with "ventilators, tubes and medically intensive areas". In fact, they are usually not allowed even close to high-intensity areas and, in general, benefits of volunteering regarding jobs in acute care are a little less than modest.IMHO, new grads should be rather careful with volunteering, especially in hospitals. Young and smart person who occupies her time carrying newspapers and trying to make smart all around looks rather strange among those slow-moving old sweeties from local church volunteering squad. 2). Flipping burgers isn't something to put in nursing resume, but " great customer service skills" which comes with it surely is. As well as things like advanced computer skills or knowledge of more than one language or more than one culture.4). It heavily depends on the local politics. In the place I'd started speaking in person with NM before being called for interview was not considered OK even for those already employed there. Sending cover letter directly to NM can do the trick sometimes. Better yet to find someone already working there and ask the person to contact the NM first, as they may search for candidate with very special credentials.6). Staffing agencies more often than not refuse new grads and they're correct in doing so. "Staffers" should be able to come to totally unknown place and get on with job right up while being assigned to the patient every other nurse refused to care for already. Unless a new grad RN has years of practice as, say, LPN, he/she just won't be able to do it. Or, worse, he/she will put her license in danger. 8). Some caution here. If a person applies for acute rehab, step-down heart, NICU, peds floor and SICU in the very same hospital, he/she makes a strong impression of a person who has no idea what he really wants. Words about "just a step in the door" usually sound quite bad on interview and before, as NMs want new grads to stay in the unit for a while; words about "total dedication to (...)" sound just as bad if NM finds out about aforementioned 20+ applications, all of them for different floors. Shortly, the above action (which is very common among new grads) speaks as lying. Try to avoid it, if at all possible, and don't forget to make nice cover letter and resume for every specialty you are applying. 10). Don't spend your money and time on that. Most of the time employer will want to re-do all relevant medical stuff in their own lab or have your physical in their associated office. Better keep your BLS/ACLS current.
Quote from KatieMI ...Words about "just a step in the door" usually sound quite bad on interview and before, as NMs want new grads to stay in the unit for a while; words about "total dedication to (...)" sound just as bad if NM finds out about aforementioned 20+ applications, all of them for different floors. Shortly, the above action (which is very common among new grads) speaks as lying. Try to avoid it, if at all possible, and don't forget to make nice cover letter and resume for every specialty you are applying...
AWESOME article, thank you so much! These tips are excellent for any job.I would also suggest to students that they approach school with a constant view to getting a job when they get out. Ask instructors for references, get their contact info at the time they say yes, stay in touch with them. On clinicals, ask about job opportunities on graduation. The social part is a great suggestion. I suck at that, though I'm getting a bit better. (I was raised in that "Keep your light under a cover; your reward will be in heaven" kind of ethic. Wrong! Gotta let it shine.) I also felt that networking was always sleazy and selfish. Wrong! Read Keith Ferazzi's "Never Eat Alone" for advice on how to network without being an oily user. It changed my whole view of social connection, what it is and how to do it.Good luck to us all!
Quote from not.done.yetAll good advice, but I don't know a single institution that is going to allow a volunteer anywhere near a ventilator, tubes or other medical intensive interventions. In fact, at my institution there are no volunteers allowed in critical care areas. Volunteering can give exposure to people mostly and doesn't really count toward experience by anyone's measurement. Honestly, I have yet to see a volunteer position turn into a paid position for anyone. Doesn't mean it hasn't happened, but that one seems to be a giant urban myth in reality.Otherwise great article.
In LTC volunteers are much more acceptable part of the whole picture than they are in acute care setting. They are allowed to do more things, interact more with clients, make bonds and therefore become useful and eventually accepted. In hospitals, they can be not even allowed to go into patients' rooms. Plus, searching for job as CNA and doing the same as new RN are two quite different animals.
New Grads I got two words "HOME Health" they are definitely more likely to hire a new Nurse. You can start off with something simple like going to a patients house to do dressing change etc. Also look for a the richest hospital or a new unit that is expanding... new renovations means they need more Nurses and are hiring. Become friends with Human Resources, they are the ones who know where the good jobs are at. Go back to school, lets face it everyone eventually wants us to have our Bachelors. Take an unconventional job like psych, home care, prison, long term care. Experience equals opportunity. If you can prove you are capable of handing patient load, giving medications, charting, assessing patients in those areas a hospital will be more willing to train you in something more acute. Besides.. I know from personal experience jumping straight into an acute care situation and job as a new nurse can be scary and very overwhelming.. if you want to prevent burn out.. start off smart and get your feet wet first find a nice cozy New Grad JOB and work your way from there. Ask for HELP and take initiative. Study like crazy. Problem solve. Help fix gaps in your training. Make lists of flaws such as "time management" and go from there looking at ways to improve yourself with every day. If and when you land the interview... be PROUD... be happy.. no "crying, anxiety, tears, silent moments" treat it with Confidence your future Nurse Manager wants to know you can "connect" with them and you can "handle" the job. They want to see you follow instruct, ask questions, be involved, share about yourself and truly show heart, passion, and commitment. They want to know you are up for the task the Challenge and you can hold down the fort during your shift and get things done and coordinated that you will use good judgement and critical thinking skills and excellent customer service. The dirty little secret about nursing is that is a challenge being able to "juggle" assessing patients, giving medications, charting, asking for new orders, discharging patients, admitting new patients, and caring for them, answering questions, teaching family members, coordinating with multidisciplinary teams, problem solving quickly, beingg a leader, working with your CNAs and treating them respectfully, following code of conduct, rules of ethics, working long hours sometimes holidays and weekends. Its grabbing a nasal cannula when a patients 02 saturation is going down, and starting a code blue with no hesitation not needing instruction being able to anticipate my patient is fall risk so im going to lower bed and put bed alarm up, its seeing a change in patients status an alerting MD to come evaluate hearing a patients symptoms and requesting a lab value or diagnostic test to be ordered. It's holding the hand of a dying patient, handing them an emesis basin, wiping up the accidents, being there the day they find out they limbs are being amputated or the diagnosis is fatal. Its so much more than a job.. you have to be everything to everyone and know who your resources are... be a team player. Help others and still make time to help yourself.. its balancing your life.. being able to shut out the thoughts and still enjoy the day when you are home and then bounce right back to it when you show up at work. Its being positive influence not a over stressed complainer. If you can pass nursing school and then go on to pass the NCLEX finding a nursing job... should be simple..... just remain positive... and keep your heart open that nursing is a journey and you are ready to explore.... dont limit yourself to only the cute jobs... and a job will find its way to you.
Quote from KatieMIIn LTC volunteers are much more acceptable part of the whole picture than they are in acute care setting. They are allowed to do more things, interact more with clients, make bonds and therefore become useful and eventually accepted. In hospitals, they can be not even allowed to go into patients' rooms. Plus, searching for job as CNA and doing the same as new RN are two quite different animals.
These are some great tips JayPeacock. Volunteering can speak volumes about one's work ethic, but not sure how that would translate to experience though. One could go back and forth about the non medical job on the resume of a new grad as well. Even if the job has nothing to do with nursing or medicine, a previous job is a way of fleshing out a person's work ethic. I think a new grad who worked a fast food place and say even promoted to shift manager would be someone that I would consider hiring before a smart nurse who had never worked. You see a manager not only needs to make sure the new grad is smart enough, but that the new grad has a good work ethic, and will follow through with agreements.