who to contact?

You can contact the HR department of the hospital or apply on-line. http://www.hospitalsoup.com has links to hospitals all over the US.

This may be a stupid question, but do you think it is too early to apply since I graduate in May? In the city I live in now, I already have a job offer, but it's not in the NICU. I would just LOVE the NICU.

I think you should direct that question to the HR department. I don't know how early some of them make job offers to new nurses. I would think you may get a better reception after the holidays, but I can't be sure about that.

thanks for the reply... I think you're right, it would probably be better to contact them after the holidays.

I graduated in Dec of '04. In August of '04, I had contacted the NICUs that I wanted to work in, had some interviews, and had a position offered (and accepted) by the time school started at the end of the month. It was such a relief during my last (rather stressfull!) semester of nursing school knowing that I already had a job waiting for me!

It really isn't too early to call about jobs in the NICU; in fact, after the holidays is the best time to do so if you want the best consideration. This is the way it works at our hospital. Call the HR dept of the hospitals you want to work in and see what's available. Best of luck to you!

Thanks for the replies. This is all I have been thinking about. I really would like to work at that hospital, but I saw on their online job offers that they are still hiring new grads to begin a program in January. So I figured I should wait until after Christmas to contact them about a job in May/June. I am so antsy about it though, I want to secure it NOW lol. I've been reading some other postings on here, making me nervous. My gpa in nursing school is just a 2.9, so I don't really want to show that to them. Also, before nursing school I had tons of achievements, but have dropped out of all extracurriculars while in nursing school. Those portfolios others were mentioning are great ideas, but not in my situation. I just hope I'm given a chance to work there....I'm trying to figure out something to make myself look like a good prospect.

Thanks for the replies. This is all I have been thinking about. I really would like to work at that hospital, but I saw on their online job offers that they are still hiring new grads to begin a program in January. So I figured I should wait until after Christmas to contact them about a job in May/June. I am so antsy about it though, I want to secure it NOW lol. I've been reading some other postings on here, making me nervous. My gpa in nursing school is just a 2.9, so I don't really want to show that to them. Also, before nursing school I had tons of achievements, but have dropped out of all extracurriculars while in nursing school. Those portfolios others were mentioning are great ideas, but not in my situation. I just hope I'm given a chance to work there....I'm trying to figure out something to make myself look like a good prospect.

I say it's never too early to contact them. You want them to know that you're interested, so that later on when your application and resume comes through, they'll remember your name. I'd contactthem after the holidays, for sure.

No one I graduated with was asked for a transcript, so don't worry too much about your GPA. Sometimes human resources wants it, to show that you did go to that college, etc. But grades don't matter as much as a license, degree, and motivation.

Good luck!

Having managed a NICU, and having experience in interviewing and hiring staff, I have a little different perspective on your question.

In my opinion, it is too soon for a Spring grad to make contact regarding employment. I wouldn't be "annoyed" by your inquiry, but in all reality, your information will get lost in the shuffle before hiring time. If you wish to contact a nurse manager now, it would be more valuable to request an "informational" interview and perhaps a shadow day.

When you send out applications and resumes in the Spring, you will probably have to go thru Human Resources. That is how most hospitals are set up. But it is naive to believe that HR dutifully forwards all information to the appropriate managers. If you haven't heard back within 2 weeks or so, make contact with the nurse manager(s) of the unit(s) which interest you. You may be surprised to learn that they are hiring, but have no knowledge of your application. By contacting the manager directly, you can get your resume and application out of the "black hole" that is HR!

Good luck!

Just want to add that GPA isn't going to be a huge issue. I don't ever remember inquiring about a candidate's GPA. Enthusiasm, self-motivation, willingness to learn, attention to details, professionalism, etc. are all far more important.

Having managed a NICU, and having experience in interviewing and hiring staff, I have a little different perspective on your question.

In my opinion, it is too soon for a Spring grad to make contact regarding employment. I wouldn't be "annoyed" by your inquiry, but in all reality, your information will get lost in the shuffle before hiring time. If you wish to contact a nurse manager now, it would be more valuable to request an "informational" interview and perhaps a shadow day.

When you send out applications and resumes in the Spring, you will probably have to go thru Human Resources. That is how most hospitals are set up. But it is naive to believe that HR dutifully forwards all information to the appropriate managers. If you haven't heard back within 2 weeks or so, make contact with the nurse manager(s) of the unit(s) which interest you. You may be surprised to learn that they are hiring, but have no knowledge of your application. By contacting the manager directly, you can get your resume and application out of the "black hole" that is HR!

Good luck!

Thanks! Always good to hear it "from the horse's mouth" so to speak. Thanks for the information. It is greatly appreciated. What you say makes a lot sense, go figure . I think it is a great idea to contact the manager directly, so now I'll look into that...