Applying for an ED job. Need Advice!

[4usen]

Hey all!

I need some help. I am currently working in a telemetry unit of a Boston inner city hospital as a CNA. I love it there. I have been working as a CNA for about 3 years now. I am also in nursing school (18 more months left). I am also doing a minor in Public Health. I have also traveled with nurses and drs to assist them in Guatemala, and have had the opportunity to assist a dr in his clinics in India. I am dying to get into the ED (want to get a dual MPH and NP in trauma nursing) and do a lot of travel nursing to different countries.

Recently a per diem job opened up in the ED of my hospital. I was so excited. I desperately want to apply but it asks for previous Emergency Room experience. I was only down in the ED once when I was floated for one shift. I loved it, but that is all I have for ED experience. I also spoke with a couple of nurses that I work with that know I want to get into the ED and are writing me letters of recommendation. Other nurses have said that it would help to know somebody down there, which I don't. I got my resume from HR so I could update it, and it looks like a mess to me. I don't know what I should put on it for education (this is my first degree and I have all the prereqs and classes for the Public Health minor, and Nursing Research, but am starting the clinical nursing classes in Sept.) Should I put the classes that I have down? Should I also put my travel experiences? (The India trip was with school but wasn't for nursing, just something I got to do apart from the group). Do I put CPR Certifications? Should I go down and try to talk to the nurse manager even though I have never met her? Seeing as how I already work at the hospital, do I still need letters of recommendation? A cover letter? I've never applied to a job internally, in case that wasn't obvious! Should I get letters of recommendation from professors?

HELP!!!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

If you already work for the facility, then I think you would be applying for a transfer and would need to speak with HR to follow policy to transfer generally you need to have been in your position for 6 months to a year before you are allowed to transfer.

Going down and talking to the nursing manager is not going to hurt, so she could put a name with an face and you can tell her how you floated down and loved the expereince.

[Calixan]

I agree with previous poster. But if you do decide to go ahead with the transfer if you are eligible, then I would definately include any and all certifications on your resume. Especially CPR. Anything related to the medical field, write it. The more experience on there, the better. Getting letters of recommendations from professors and co-workers are never a bad thing so if you can, do that too. You dont need to write out every class you have taken as far as education but when I graduated nursing school, I did put a few of my nursing courses on there that I thought were important, like Pharmacology, Med Surg etc. If i were you, I would introduce myself to the Manager and in the mean time if they have any openings down there (since there is a spot open to be field) you should check to see if there are any open shifts that you can possibly pick up and work extra down there to get your "foot in the door" with the ED. If you did that, work hard and you would surely get hired. Good Luck to you. ER is a lot of fun, I have worked in one for a year now.

[One1, BSN, RN]

You might want to find out if techs are supposed to be EMTs or can be CNAs in your Emergency Department. Many departments require an EMT certification. If CNA is sufficient, then I think you should definitely go down and introduce yourself, and take a hardcopy resume with you.