Extracurriculars

[sunny12345]

Hi guys,

I'm currently entering my last year of nursing school and as such have started to worry about getting a job after I graduate. As is, I don't have a ton of extracurricular activities to beef up my resume (apart from summer jobs and one mentorship program for my university that I participate in). How important is it to have extracurriculars on a resume that pertain to nursing? If any of you work with hiring new nurses, what do you look for on a resume? Should I look into the possibility of volunteering at a hospital next year?

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks very much in advance!

[Sour Lemon]

I've never known extracurricular activities to be particularly important for new graduate nurses.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Employers do not care.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

In fact, during your first nursing job be prepared to GIVE UP your extracurriculars...

[FutureNurseInfo]

I concur. Once you graduate you have to be looking for a job. Volunteering for a year after you graduate will not look good on your resume. You should have done that before the school. Right now, just concentrate on learning the material, graduating and passing NCLEX.

[jalilly]

You don't need a ton of extracurriculars to beef up your resume. Important traits in an applicant include solid grades, clinical experiences, interview skills, sending in your application early, and connecting to the interviewer.

You DO have extracurricular activities though. You said you've had summer jobs. Have you been a waitress? Customer service is a huge part of nursing and you can talk about that in your interview. Did you work in retail? When you work in retail you work with a wide variety of people just like you do in nursing. Did you teach swim lessons? Patient education is a huge part of nursing and those skills will carry over. The mentorship program also sounds like something you can put on your resume, even though I don't know much about it, you can explain how you made strong connections to other students and how you helped them.

All experience is good experience in my opinion, and if you want to volunteer at a hospital then go for it. It would especially be a good idea if you want to work at that hospital and haven't had clinical there. If it sounds too stressful to add volunteering to your schedule then don't do it and focus on NCLEX and getting good grades.

Hospitals want nurses who are dedicated to caring for people, who have a strong work ethic, interpersonal skills, and critical thinking. If you've had summer jobs and a mentorship program then you should put those on your resume. Make sure your resume is reviewed by someone who is trained.

Good luck!