Chose your precepting department VERY carefully!!!

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Nursing Students,

Please pick the department that you precept in very carefully!!!!! Do some research!!! You will be so excited when you get to pick, nursing school is almost over!! Your nursing school will not tell you that the hospital/department you precept in can help you get a JOB after school.!!!

I was given no advice from my school or my nursing program, so I decided to precept in the NICU of a large hospital system in the West Valley. Now whenever I go into an interview I am pegged by managers as a Nurse that only wants to work with Babies. Meanwhile I have seen all my friends from my nursing class that precepted in Tele, or ICU, or Med Surge have been picked up by the Units that they precepted in.

I know their are a lot of Nursing students that would love to precept in WIS, or L&D, NICU, or PICU....!!!! Be careful these departments at this time in the economy are not really hiring NEW GRADS!

I just wanted to take a minute to write this down, I am 6 months into my job search. I thought that graduating would be the hard part. In reality it is not. I really wish my nursing program would have been more helpful!!! I would have precepted in Tele if I would have know it would have helped me get a job in the future..

When you finish school don't get frustrated... Just keep trying and trying, your job will come eventually!!! It will take some time in this economy.

A helpful friend!!

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Thank you! That is really good advice, especially in this job market. Good luck to you!

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Yes, thank you for giving us the heads up! Good luck to you, I hope you find a position!

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

Or it can help you. I did two extra preceptorships with another nursing school in L&D and now I work there. My manager actually asked for me, had I not done the preceptorship than who knows if I would have my job.

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Specializes in Pediatric Cardiology.

I agree with HeartsOpenWide. If you really want to be in a specialty than it could be a benefit to be there during your preceptorship. It really depends on who is hiring because even those of us that were in tele are not getting jobs!

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Specializes in Med/surg, rural CCU.

There are many more things that effect your hiring status than just your preceptorship though. If you know you want to work a specialty- where you preceptor may be your only "in."

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My school doesn't even allow us to precept in other departments. We have to precept on a med/surg floor. This is a little frustrating because I want to work in the ER, but now I won't be able to have those ER preceptor hours on my resume. But, yes, it does make a difference where you precept. They prefer applicants who have precepted in that department.

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