**so close to NICU position! Need ur advice!**

[JLYNN23]

Hi everyone!

I found this thread to be so helpful and i was hoping for some advice!!

I have been struggling finding a job as a new grad and i have been bbsitting for the neonatologist in the NICU at the city's Childrens Hosp ( conincidentally my dream job has been for the NICU)...I finally got the chance to interview after she hand delieved my resume and my info to the nurse manager (shes amazing to say the least)....after back and forth contact with HR i got an interview and had it yesterday!

it went really well, it was about 2 hours...i interviewed first with the hr recruiter then she took me up to the unit and a staff nurse interviewed me up there and showed me around, then i talked with the nurse manager for 10 minutes...i think it went really well and i really wouldnt change anything that i said or did, i was really enthusiatic and they had great feedback

Today i got an email from the staff nurse -who interviewed me on the unit- and she invited me to come shadow next week!

I excited bc i know this is a good sign, but any thoughts from you if my chances are really good? ( esp. cause my reference is the doctor in the same unit)

plus any advice for shadowing? is it justt to see how i interact with the staff and get an idea of how the day is run?

this is honestly my dream job and i think im so close but i just wanna nail it!

im nervous and excited but any feedback i can get from you guys would be great!!!

[Leecy]

Make sure to have some questions prepared to ask the nurse you shadow in case you blank out a bit. Interact with patients, families and staff a little. When someone shadows with me, I am always asked by my nurse manager later how I felt about the potential hire. If a new grad seems to understand something about the unit, and seems genuinely interested in the patients and interacts well I feel comfortable giving good feedback. I've had shadows who didn't know what kind of unit we were and when asked why they chose oncology, state they didn't, we just had openings. If I don't feel the care about the patient population it usually doesn't work out well. Good luck.

[JLYNN23]

Thanks! Is it typical after an interview to get invited to shadow? Should I take it as a good sign or a bad sign? lol Im just nervous, I want this position more than anything!!

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

On your application, leave Ur to the Chaldeans. :)

Just kidding. Good luck. It feels great to get that dream job. I was in your position just 12 weeks ago. Tomorrow will be my first night off of orientation.

[Leecy]

It's neither good nor bad to get interviewed right after shadowing. It depends on the interviewer's schedule. Don't read too much into it. Practice verbalizing why you want this job so much, what being a NICU nurse means to you, steps you have taken to get there. Remember physician reference only go's so far. This is a nursing world, run by nurses. The Doc got you in the door, now it's up to you. It sound like you'll do great. We always love new nurses enthusiasm and you have plenty of that. Try to relax and enjoy the shadowing experience.