Hi,

I graduated Nursing school in May and have a date scheduled to take the NCLEX in about 3 weeks. I currently have a 90 day temporary license.

I have been applying everywhere and finally got my first callback for a position in a detox facility. I was given an interview for tomorrow so I am kind of freaking out!

On the phone, the woman asked me if I like Psychiatric nursing and I told her that I do and I prefer it over med-surg..which is true. That's when she asked for the interview.

Just a question...I have a (couple) of family members who have had addiction problems and I have really seen firsthand how it affected their lives. Is this good or bad to mention?

Any other advice for me from anyone about what/what not to say?

Hi, I also just graduated in May and just finished my job search also so I know exactly where you're coming from. I had an interview 2 weeks ago and had a friend of mine who works HR for an insurance company help me practice for it. When asked about why I wanted to be a nurse I was going to talk about my father's struggle with alcoholism and related health issues and they discouraged me from that. They said that a potential employer wants to know why you're good for the position, not your life story. I would say something about how you are not judgmental of the patients and you understand how debilitating addiction can be, but I wouldn't necessarily go on about your family members. I went with what they said and I just found out last week I was hired, so good luck to you!

First, congratulations on landing your first interview! I also work in detox/addiction recovery, after many years in med-surg, and I can tell you the experiences are nothing alike. That's the beauty of nursing: variety and versatility. As for whether you "should" mention your family's addiction history, it won't hurt if you decide to reveal it. I mentioned my own family history during my interview because I was asked to describe the motivating reason for wanting to work there (beyond a paycheck). I'm interested because I want to understand the addiction process, how dual diagnoses play a part in vulnerability to addiction and relapse, and learn some more effective communication skills in regards to dealing with my own family members. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice...makes sense. I guess I will just play it by ear and see how the interview goes.