Before my 1st LPN job I wished I knew....................?

fromthedyt · Nov 20, 2009

Work on patience and staying calm. It only makes situations worse when you become flustered. Just remember a crisis isn't going to last forever.

VM85 · Nov 21, 2009

I just landed my first job and i went thru ALOT of interveiws. Dont take the first job offered- you may end up with it but it really did help me out thinkin that way. I learned so many things after so many interveiws, like for instance the "attitude" towards helping a new nurse transition, their expectations of how long that time frame is etc. And I had no clue how to read into what they actually do not just say, until I got a feel for interveiwing and learned to read the enviroment. If someone looks stressed out and noone is helping, if the enviroment is constantly chaotic, like a tornado ripping through the place- see how the staff handles it! Ask what the turn over rate is..

The first interveiw i went on went very well, was at a place I thought i really wanted to work- turns out a friend got the job, she hates it- VERY under paid, no benefits as they turned the position into a "regular"per diem- working a good amount of hours every week with NO benefits as she is per diem. Which leads me to my next advice, itll all work out how its suppose to. I didnt get that position- but i did land an even better job- in a totally different area of nursing(not in a Drs office, which I had thought was my calling as a LPN) and I LOVE IT! I get full benefits, great pay- and I am only part time. Eventually I am going to get another job as I dont use my skills in the position I now have- but thatll come with time. Since I am part tiem I can keep looking once I am done with orientation and maybe land another part time job on top of this one.

And try to keep calm during an interveiw- this also came with lots of interveiws. Eventually I just thought of it as a conversation- so I wasnt so nervous. And I didnt get my hopes up on the job- which I did alot of such as the first interveiw. Just cause they make it sound like you got the job, even if they say it, dont believe it til you get it in writing or basically until they have you come in to sign paper work lol

And if your areas employment outlook is like my area, you will get frustrated, depressed, mislead etc. If you want proof take a look at my previous posts! But it will come eventually.

Sorry so long, one more thing, as for finding a job, think out of the box on how to find one. I posted my resume/job wanted ad on craigslist and thats how I got this position. The position wasnt listed online and there was no ad for the position. Maybe cuz she didnt want to go through the whole getting a 100 of applicants or whatever, so she contacted me for the position. And I got it.

Good luck and dont give up!

agldragonRN · Nov 21, 2009

one advice: don't expect everything to be by "the book". real nursing is different.

good luck!

caliotter3 · Nov 21, 2009

When you are starting out and you start to see that everything is not by the book, don't be so quick to point out the discrepancies to your coworkers. They know that they are cutting corners. You don't want them to alienate you because you are acting like a perfectionist know it all. You can do it the right way without making a production out of the fact. And don't ask questions about every little thing that you can find the answers to yourself. Do some of your own research and save your coworker questions for the most important or can't wait items. Most coworkers are going to keep tabs on how much of a "nuisance" you become, even though we all know that the only stupid question is the one not asked.