Johns Hopkins new grad 2011

ellevator · May 25, 2011

The hospital (ED, ICU, Peds) will be moving into a new clinical building, spring of 2012; I assume many departments are trying to figure out their staffing numbers to prepare for this move, as well as to cover the many nurses who leave, since getting their higher degrees or for personal reasons.

If you can get an interview as a new grad that is great; most hospitals are still freezing out hiring of new grads...I know a few new grads in my department that worked as techs for a few months, before being hired on as RNs, even though they had passed their Boards.

The interview process, at least in the ED, was very similar to what was already described.

If they call you in for an interview, you'll most likely get the position, as long as you know your nursing skills and are confident about communicating that to your interviewer.

Pokytrokyt · Jun 10, 2011

It took me a while to figure out that JHH posts a lot of Nurse Clinician I positions for just one day. A day later, the posting is gone. On Wednesday, I saw a posting for a new grad opening in the PCU, and submitted an online application. Lo and behold, unlike the 8 previous positions I applied for, I got an email yesterday inviting me to come in for an interview in about 3 weeks!

So my question to anyone monitoring this thread is: what sorts of questions should I anticipate during my interview? PCU is a cardiac ICU/IMC unit, but I'm not sure if the interview questions will be exclusively cardiac-related. Can someone give me a heads up on what to expect? Insight from anyone already working at JHH would be especially nice. :-)

Meanwhile just to stay busy, I'm taking the NCLEX about a week before my interview. :smokin:

Bellissimo · Jun 10, 2011

Good for you .

I gave up applying there because I kept receiving an email saying that the position was put on hold.

I applied to most of the hospitals and no luck. I applied to one hospital here and I got a job offer. If I was not married and had a spouse in Maryland who cannot relocate I would have stayed here. I do not know what else I can do to get a job as a new grad in MA/VA/DC

sweetie85 · Jun 17, 2011

Thank you!! I passed the boards so the job is mine!! :)

Wow, thanks so much for the info! I won't worry about not hearing back from them just yet. I was prepared to start hounding HR! CONGRATS on the job and GOOD LUCK on your boards!!!

sweetie85 · Jun 17, 2011

Sorry I'm a little late. Took my boards this week, passed and now its official, I start at JHH Children's Center on August 1st.

So about the interview, be prepared for priority who would you see first kind of questions. You'll be an expert on them since you're studying for your NCLEX. Also, why Hopkins, what attracted you, why that floor, how with you deal with certain situations(problems, issues, tough patients/families). Also, have questions for them, smart ones that show that you really thought about it. I wasn't asked any peds clinical questions even during share time. I made a portfolio because I am a nerd and my professors said we should because it looks really professional. Share time was very relaxed, I followed 2 nurses around for 2 hours each, they just explained to me how the floor functions and asked me if I had any questions for them.

check out this topic for more help: https://allnurses.com/graduate-nurse-forum/interview-help-322964.html

Good luck on your interview!! I gotta start the moving process from south florida to baltimore. Are you from the area? Know any good suburbs around the city for a single girl to live in that is safe and not too boring?

It took me a while to figure out that JHH posts a lot of Nurse Clinician I positions for just one day. A day later, the posting is gone. On Wednesday, I saw a posting for a new grad opening in the PCU, and submitted an online application. Lo and behold, unlike the 8 previous positions I applied for, I got an email yesterday inviting me to come in for an interview in about 3 weeks!
So my question to anyone monitoring this thread is: what sorts of questions should I anticipate during my interview? PCU is a cardiac ICU/IMC unit, but I'm not sure if the interview questions will be exclusively cardiac-related. Can someone give me a heads up on what to expect? Insight from anyone already working at JHH would be especially nice. :-)
Meanwhile just to stay busy, I'm taking the NCLEX about a week before my interview.

Pokytrokyt · Jun 18, 2011

Sorry I'm a little late. Took my boards this week, passed and now its official, I start at JHH Children's Center on August 1st.
I made a portfolio because I am a nerd and my professors said we should because it looks really professional.
Are you from the area? Know any good suburbs around the city for a single girl to live in that is safe and not too boring?

Congrats on passing the NCLEX, and getting the job at JHH!

Follow up question: what's a portfolio?

I'm from northern VA (DC suburbs), so initially I would be commuting about 60-90 minutes each way by car daily.

I'm not real knowledgeable about the Baltimore burbs. You might want to start a new thread, or ask the nurse recruiter if there's a way for you to communicate with other new grads relocating to the area. A couple of my nursing school friends commuted to nursing school in DC from Columbia MD. It's a nice suburb between Baltimore and DC, giving you flexibility to socialize on your days off in either place.

gunrock · Jun 19, 2011

Congrats on the job and NCLEX!

Why not live in the city? Baltimore is a great city with a lot of diversity and there are plenty of nice areas within the city limits.

If you're thinking about living in Baltimore, look at Fells Point, Canton, Mt Vernon and Charles Village. Keep in mind that although these neighborhoods are popular with students / employees of the hospital there can be areas of the neighborhood that aren't that great.

Best thing you can do is spend a day in the city and walk around the various neighborhoods and see which one (if any) would work for you.

Good luck, feel free to PM me if you need any more neighborhood advice

sweetie85 · Jun 19, 2011

Thank you!

AggieEMT - Thanks for the advice. I'm going up there next week to look for apartments and for my health physical. Probably will stay in the Mt. Vernon area so i'll have to check it out. :)

Pokytrokyt - 60 to 90 mins seems like a crazy drive. :uhoh3:

Now a nursing portfolio is something my research professor gave us a lecture on. It basically highlights you and your accomplishments in nursing. You might think as a new grad you don't have anything, but believe me you can find stuff to put in it. It just looks very professional and looks like you took time which I hear nursing managers like every much. It also adds to conversation and allows you to put some key things like (goals) in writing. I'll try to type up how mime looks and try to take pics or something because I got good reviews from my professors. Don't even think about it until your boards are over because it takes a couple of days of dedication and some creativity.

Good luck with boards. I'll try to upload something this week. :)

Congrats on passing the NCLEX, and getting the job at JHH!
Follow up question: what's a portfolio?
I'm from northern VA (DC suburbs), so initially I would be commuting about 60-90 minutes each way by car daily.
I'm not real knowledgeable about the Baltimore burbs. You might want to start a new thread, or ask the nurse recruiter if there's a way for you to communicate with other new grads relocating to the area. A couple of my nursing school friends commuted to nursing school in DC from Columbia MD. It's a nice suburb between Baltimore and DC, giving you flexibility to socialize on your days off in either place.

Pokytrokyt · Jul 12, 2011

I guess I forgot in all the excitement to get back here and let everyone know how my interview turned out. I was interviewed by HR and the nurse manager on June 29th. I was asked about my nursing school clinicals in critical care, and social questions about why I want to be a nurse, my previous non-nursing work experience, etc. The interviews plus the time spent shadowing a nurse on the unit was about 4 hours. A couple hours after I got home, the nurse manager called and offered me a job. :yeah:

Once I jump through a few more hurdles with health screenings and background checks, I'll be starting in critical care at Hopkins on July 25th. Many thanks to all who offered insight on what kinds of questions to expect during my interview... It made me much more relaxed and prepared for the interview.

Malmehl · Jul 13, 2011

Where in Florida are you from? I am originally from Daytona Beach and moving to the Baltimore area!

Malmehl · Jul 13, 2011

I am from Florida and moving to the Baltimore area in mid August to work at University of Maryland Medical Center. I hear the nice places to live are Federal Hill, Fells Point and Inner Harbor. I will be brand new to the area, so if you have any advice for me once you get adjusted, share! =)

ean29 · Jul 13, 2011

Hi guys,

I mentioned before in other posts that I too am starting July 25th in Crit Care (Congrats Pokytrokyt on the job!) and I've been doing a ton of research about places to live in Baltimore and I've been down there twice to check out the city. This is the info I've collected and hopefully you guys will benefit from it.

- High rise apartment/condo complexes in the city

Hopkins has a list of housing corporations on their HR website and many give discounts to Hopkins employees. However, some of them are not in the best area (i.e. the block they are on is fine, but one block to the N/S/E/W is bad), so definitely visit!

-Neighborhoods

Livebaltimore.com has a breakdown of all the neighborhoods. You can also do a "Match me to a Neighborhood" interactive tool. There is also a link to Crime Stats of that area (you want to see how many murders in the past 10 days have happened near your future doorstep....)

Specifically:

Mt. Vernon: I believe this is like the "cultural hub" of the city

Hampden: if you like safe funky, live here. It's unique, funky, and spots are very artsy

Charles Village: Again, parts of it fall into artsy/unique, but I think other spots are iffy...

GoogleMaps can be a great help, because it delineates which parts of Baltimore encompass these neighborhoods. City-data.com (click on forums and then find the one for Baltimore) is GREAT. A ton of threads about people relocating, crime, fun events, etc. A bunch of locals are on there and more than willing to give you a "real world" perspective of things. As always, some people have a more positive/negative view of things, so make sure you have your grain of salt with you.

- Unique/Individual/Renovated Row & Townhomes

Federal Hill/Fells Point/Canton are very popular areas with Hopkins folks and other professionals in the city and boast of these cozy homes. These areas are more expensive neighborhoods though. However, for my boyfriend and I, we're looking to live in one of these areas because we didn't want to live in a white-washed, "sterile" apartment (we're "nature" people anyway, so we knew we couldn't do a 19th story high rise). Instead we've found a bunch of charming multi story homes that have cherry wood, exposed brick, big kitchens, lots of windows, etc.

-Suburbs Outside the City

I haven't explored all of these, but the ones I'd definitely recommend are the Towson area and Cockysville (Loveland Farm Apartments are beautiful!). I've also heard great things about Columbia (a bit pricey though) and Ellicot City

-Craiglist

This website has been my saving grace. If you are looking for anything other than a managed apartment complex, go there. I've found some amazing places, while also finding some ads that I'm sure are scams. You just gotta use common sense. The GREAT thing about Craiglist is that you can see which neighborhood the place is in. Makes searching fast.

If any of you guys have questions, feel free to send them my way! I might not be able to help, but I've come across a ton of resources in the past couple weeks, and I might be able to direct you in the right direction.

~Liz