Advice for a nursing student?

calivianya, BSN, RN · Jun 12, 2013

Nursing clubs at school might be fluff, but professional meetings and professional memberships are not. I heard a manager from a critical care unit say once that she would hire someone with membership in a professional organization over someone who didn't, because it shows a real respect for the specialty as a profession and a desire to better yourself. This was at an AACN meeting I went to as a student - I joined immediately after the meeting was over. It's also cheaper to join a professional organization as a student than as a registered nurse, by the way, so it can't hurt to go ahead and join while you're still a student. It will save you some money off your first year's membership.

usfgirl · Jun 13, 2013

As far as your resume goes, I have a tip for you that might increase your resume's chance of even being seen in the first place (thus making it more competitive, I suppose?). Some companies, but certainly not all, use an online system to screen resumes before someone in HR even looks at them. This is done to narrow down the stack so that the ones an actual human will review is smaller. To make your resume make the cut, use key words in your cover letter and resume that you will find in the job posting. For instance, if the job posting states "X Hospital is seeking qualified applicants who show exceptional verbal and written communication skills," you might want to put "exceptional verbal and written communication skills." Here I have given you an extremely simple example, but I think it still gets the point across. This tip seems like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised!

Oh, and another tip is to be specific, especially with numbers, etc. For example, if you worked at a clinic, how many pts. did you see per day? Or, did you work on a floor with x number of beds? I had a professor who taught us to assign numbers wherever possible!

blackvans1234 · Jun 14, 2013

Both posters, thank you!

I will indeed join a professional organization, and will tailor each cover letter to the specific job description.

I also have received two recognition awards (filled out by patients, employees, patient families etc). I had a third one but it disappeared.

MissM.RN, BSN, RN · Jun 16, 2013

hi blackvans! Ah, the age-old questions about getting that crucial first job :) I believe I may able to help! Though I can only speak from my own experiences, and I know very little! haha. I mean that I was very lucky when it came to hiring.

1. I think the biggest downfall (which isn't even real to me! just from an HR perspective) is your ADN. I think ADN grads are great - well prepared for clinical life on the floor. But many hospitals are stupidly turning to BSN-only attitudes. Definitely enroll in your state university's online RN-BSN program the second you have your RN license. Being able to write - current BSN student (NOT at some for-profit college) will be gold.

2. Get clinical letters of reference from instructors and one from your current manager, so the HR reps will see what you can do (though limited of course, since you're a CNA/ RN student).

3. Forget clubs, memberships, ACLS for now. Can you get into the nursing student honor society? if so, that's the only one that I believe will be helpful to an HR rep. Besides, take ACLS once you've been a nurse for a little while. Get paid to attend, understand all of the pharmacology better, and have the hospital pay for the fees.

4. Can you possibly bump up that CNA experience to a level 1 trauma center? if not, totally fine. Your CNA experience will speak volumes. You already know how to handle a multiple patient assignment. :) :)

I would not work in ICU or ED as a new grad. Setting yourself up for extreme anxiety in a setting in which even experienced nurses are blindsided at times.

Hotspots? I wish I knew my dear. I did relocate for a job, but I don't think my hospital is a hotspot right now. There is no new-grad RN posting In general, I would avoid overly saturated markets such as San Diego/LA, NYC, Boston, Florida. There have been many posts from new grads on AN, I would take a look at them for more updated advice. Best of luck to you!

blackvans1234 · Jun 16, 2013

Unfortunately, going to a level 1 trauma center would require an hour + commute each way.

And the catch 22 would be that I would be sacrificing the longevity of my current hospital (staying at one location for 3.5 years looks better than one place for 2.5, and another for 1 year).

Time will tell!