Advice..?

A friend of mine just graduated in December and found out that she passed her boards this past Saturday . She had no problem not only getting a job at a place called Coopers Hospital (I think that's the name), but requested and got a coveted trauma step-down position. The way she did it was to get a nurse tech position in the hospital after first semester and since they knew she was in the NS program, when she graduated they had a position waiting for her.

Since I don't live anywhere near NJ I don't really know what the dynamics of the area are but I thought I would just share her situation in case you could do something similar. By the way, I know that she got alot of really good and usefull experiences as a tech that I think (from talking to her) will really help her in transition.

You would stand out more if you had a job in a hospital (especially the one you want to end up in) first. Get a tech or unit secretary position. Perhaps Lab tech as well. Once you get your foot in the door, they'd rather hire from within than go outside.

I did a few things to stand out to potential employers. I had prior hospital experience in step-down, ED, and ICU as a PCT. I also got my ACLS and PALS certifications after I graduated and before I took the NCLEX. I also put on my resume that I was an EMT.

Even after all of the above, I still had great difficulty finding a job. I applied to nearly every hospital north and east of Robert Wood Johnson, but never heard back from anyone. If I did hear back, it was via email saying, "We're not looking to hire new grads at this time."

My best results were from going to job fairs/open houses for RNs. I went to two in NYC, and both resulted in job offers within 3 weeks of attending. So, job fairs definitely seem like the way to go.

Good luck with your program.

Thanks guys