Carle Foundation Hospital - Urbana,IL

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Nov 27, 2015

I graduated in Aug 2014 and applied to their residency program. The recruiter called me and asked me to send either transcripts or letters of recommendation (can't remember which it was) that day. She then went into explaining the program and asked questions abut me. I didn't like the idea of going through the program and them placing me in a department of their choosing. I told them that I wanted NICU, but they couldn't guarantee placement (if it was even an option). I checked my application online a few hours later at it was closed. I am not a fan of hospitals that treat new grads as a body to fill a spot regardless of the interest of the new grad. That is why they have a 18 month commitment. In contrast, the recruiter for the hospital group I work for, treated me as a person and truly cared about finding me a job in a specialty that I had an interest in. I ended up getting my first choice. It costs the hospital less money to train you in a job that you want to be in than train you for a job that you don't like, transfer in a year to a department you want to be in and spend more money to train you for that department.

ElizabethAngelo · Dec 2, 2015

Hi annabash! I get to work with Carle's residency program every day (most fun job ever) and would be happy to answer any questions you have. We do not see new nurses as warm bodies to fill open positions. Instead . . . we feel like we have a huge responsibility to help you find a position where you will thrive. I have worked with new graduate nurses for nine years. I found that many times new grads would tell us their interests based on their experiences in clinical - but once they were placed in that area, they realized it didn't "feel" the way they thought it would.

Several years back, we decided to try something new. We hired a group of nurses to a program instead of a specific area. It was so successful that it's become one of our primary methods of bringing new graduate nurses into the organization. Last year our first year retention rate was 96%. We received a Magnet Exemplar award this spring for our residency program because of the innovative way we help people find the right fit.

What are the benefits for YOU? Well, to start, you're making an informed decision. When you decide on a placement at the end of orientation, you will have worked with that population, that leadership team, and those colleagues - so you know EXACTLY what you're signing up for! We ask for an 18 month commitment to your first placement so that you have a chance to become really proficient with that patient population. After that - we have tons of other opportunities for nurses which you are welcome to explore.

Let me know if you have other questions, I'm happy to talk anytime!

enurse5 · Feb 18, 2017

I realize that this post was from a long time ago but as someone who has gone through this program I would like to put in my two cents. I very much agree with the initial comment on this post. If you would like to be a med/surg nurse this program is for you. If you would like to be anywhere else, good luck! I even saw a recruitment memo in recently where they talk about where they recruit new nurses from, they refer to the CNRP program as one of the main recruitment methods for med/surg nurses.

Then once you take the med/surg job that you did not apply to, because you still feel like you will get some sort of a choice in your placement, you discover that half of the "options" do not actually hire new grads. So its med/surg or med/surg, the only people that get hired into the higher acuity areas already worked at Carle. The same is true for most of the coveted specialty positions in the other track.

As for making an "informed decision," what decision is that? Having a job or not having a job? Because they only let you see another med/surg floor for a couple shifts, which is not enough time to get to know that floor or for the management to get to know you and want to hire you. So that 96% retention rate is after you have made so many compromises that you no longer no which way is up; you took the job that you didn't apply for on a floor that you didn't choose because you now believe that this is your only option.

So, if you want one of the specialty areas and you are not one of the chosen ones who get that job offer don't take that med/surg CNRP job unless you really want to or have to. Keep looking, Carle is not the holy grail even if it seems like it as a new grad, and I have been told that you are not likely to get rehired if you leave. Go get that experience you want somewhere else and then, if you want to, you can take that experience to Carle to get hired into the actual position you want. There is a higher sign on bonus to nurses with a few years experience anyway.

Obviously this is just one person's opinion, but this is advice that I wish I had received before I fell into this trap.