CALLING---Those who have Jobs- WE need you!

gracedRN, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2009

1. Cardiovascular ICU.

2. Oklahoma (moved here after working in Northern Virginia)

3. Fresh from nursing school in 2002, I was not offered my first choice of a job, as the head trauma unit "was not taking new grads at that time". So I interviewed at MANY hospitals in the Wash. D.C., VA, MD area. Found a hospital offering a critical care fellowship, for new grads and experienced nurses. After that, when I moved to Oklahoma in 2004, was easy to find an ICU.

So, k.morris, ICU wasn't my original choice but it is now my love! Do you live near a teaching hospital that may be offering a fellowship? Maybe start in a ped. or post-natal until you can transfer to NICU, with some experience? Or find a whole new love.

Keep your chin up, take as many classes as you can,-PALS, etc, you already know this . Hang in there.

NurseRiz · Jul 8, 2009

I graduated at the end of February of this year and recently passed my boards and I am now working for a pediatric home health service I found on careerbuilder.com. The post said that new grads were welcome so I called them and they hired me immediately. I tried finding a GN position in the many hospitals around the Jacksonville area, but the facilities are mostly hiring within (if at all) or on a freeze. I took this job just to get my foot in the door somewhere and I am still trying other hospital positions.

Warpster · Jul 8, 2009

NEW MEXICO STILL NEEDS NURSES! There are openings here in Albuquerque as well as in smaller hospitals and clinics statewide.

This information is from a hospital administrator within the last 2 days, so it's still fresh.

I can't promise anyone who comes here stellar salaries, great working conditions, or water sports, but some hospitals have been organized by SEIU 1199 and CANA is moving in so things will undoubtedly improve. Well, there will still not be water sports.

The state is high and dry as a bone, remarkably bug-free, and drop dead beautiful in a stark, unvegetated way. In addition, nobody can put up condos high enough to block the view of 10,000+ foot mountains.

It's well worth sending resumes out here if you're willing to relocate. You won't need an entry visa or perfectly fluent Spanish. Honest.

orangeroom · Jul 8, 2009

1.what kind of floor are you working on? i work in labor and delivery.

2.where are you from? ny (but not the city)

3.how did you get that job? :redpinkhe i'd like to think through shear persistence. although i used to work on a different floor in the hospital as a tech for 9 years. i left in good terms; to be with my three children until they were all in school full time and go to nursing school afterwards. i contacted the nurse recruiter numerous times at the hospital that i wanted to work in. she called me to tell me that my info had been forwarded to a nurse manager in l&d. this nm was either on vacation or didn't call me back. i kept calling though. eventually the hospital had an open house. i went and had a resume with me that stated my objective was to be a l&d rn. i ended up getting an interview with a different nm for the l&d unit on the spot. a few weeks later i received a call from the hospital stating that i got the job! persistence pays off! i've been there for 7 1/2 months! i absolutely love it! :redpinkhe

JenRNCT · Jul 9, 2009

1.What kind of floor are you working on? MED-SURG

2.Where are you from? MA-went to RN school in CT

3.HOW DID YOU GET THAT JOB?--Did you have connections?, Work there previously, application process, follow-up process, interview tips, anything at all would be helpful.

I think it was my persistence & professionalism that paid off. I had NO connections. I started my Job Search EARLY (2 months prior to graduation) and interviewed with my current manager before I graduated. I was not a "sore loser" when I got my first rejection letter from her--I kept checking the website, and applied consistently and in a timely manner for each opening. I was flexible about scheduling (I told them I would take 1st, 2nd or 3rd shift, and agreed to work part-time). I also wrote a long letter thanking them for the interviews (I went on 2 subsequent ones after my 1st rejection. ) LASTLY, I built a rapport with the HR woman. I began calling her about 1-2 times a month to check on the status of my application. As more job postings came up, I began calling more often, just to check in. I left her brief but professional voice mails, and did not waste her time when she called me back. I would ask what my status was, where was I in the hiring process, and confirm that she knew how to reach me. She would ALWAYS return my calls in a timely manner, and was very helpful to me in targeting the floor & shift that I wanted. I feel that being polite, professional, and respectful of people's time paid off for me. I was able to get hired by my 1st choice--but it did take me 6+ months (HINT: START EARLY!) SOME ADVICE: I wish I had worked there as a CNA, student nurse intern, or something, b/c it is very hard to be a new grad and have no idea where to find a bedpan!!

MilayRN · Jul 9, 2009

1.what kind of floor are you working on- icu

2.where are you from- original i am from the philippines who migrated here in the us and now reside in nj.

3.how did you get that job?- i found out from there website that they have a program called rn residency which is intended for newly grad rn.they trained me for 3 months for 1 week rotation in all floors, including er, pacu,spu,icu, wound care center, then you will pick 3 floors where i was trained for 3 wks after that you can choose what floor would you want to work.i wanted med/surg at 1st but then when i was in icu they were impress on me and they wanted me to work on the unit even if i don't have experience.

keep on looking for job online, don't get frustrated.good luck

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Jul 9, 2009

i was wondering from those of you lucky new rn's that have jobs:yeah:
1.what kind of floor are you working on?
2.where are you from?
3.how did you get that job?--did you have connections?, work there previously, application process, follow-up process, interview tips, anything at all would be helpful
i am looking for anything and hopefully we can help everyone that reads this too...,
and of course: congratulations, i am happy for all of you but super jealous right now;)

1. labor, delivery, postpartum, nursery

2. northern california

3. did not work there previously. i do not have your regular run of the mill resume. i graduated cume laude, am a member of sigma theta tau international nursing honor society, i have done 300 extra curricular clinical hours through a separate nursing program in a local ob department, became a certified doula while in nursing school, took a beginning midwifery class, have extra certifications like acls and nrp, i am writing a grant for underprivileged women to have a doula at their birth at no cost to the laboring woman, have done a lot of volunteer work in the medical field, and have past experience as a certified medical assistant.

they told me i interview really well. i had them crying in my interview when they asked, "tell me a time you had to think quick" and i told them how my brother in law was in a tragic accident and that i was the one that got everyone to focus and took over, telling my husband to tie a tourniquet around his brother's leg and that i called 911 and the hospital to tell them what was going and and to give them updates as we drive to the e.r. (we could not wait for the ambulance), that even though my brother in law did not make it the people at the hospital to me if i had not done what i did then he would not have even make it to the hospital for his family to see him one last time before he died. this all happened years before i even started nursing school when i was working as a certified medical assistant. i had several other deep questions that they told me were "good answers"...like when they asked me to tell them about a time i felt compromised and told them about when a girl in my spanish class tried to get me to cheat with her on a test and i refused, telling them in the interview that i rather fail on my own terms then to succeed by false pretenses.

Patchouli · Jul 9, 2009

1. progressive care unit / telemetry (stepdown).

2. mo

3. none of the hospitals i did rotations at are hiring new grads, so i put in applications at skilled nursing facilities, a hospital nearby that had a med/surg available, but not quite full time and was five days a week, and then i applied at a place an hour and twenty from me that paid well, had three twelves, and offered full time. got the pcu job after an hour and a half long interview! she was a interviewer! excited and nervous. not happy about the distance, but the experience should be very beneficial, and once i have two years in, the hospital of my choice will really want me then.

meggiepie24, BSN · Jul 9, 2009

1.What kind of floor are you working on? ortho/trauma

2.Where are you from? illinois, but moving to virginia

3.HOW DID YOU GET THAT JOB?--Did you have connections?, Work there previously, application process, follow-up process, interview tips, anything at all would be helpful. I had absolutely no connections to this hospital, but it was my dream to make it happen! I applied on New Year's Eve, received a call from them the next business day and was interviewed by HR. She passed along my information and I did a phone interview in February. I was then put on a waitlist, so I started interviewing at other hospitals. I got a call the monday after graduation with a job offer. I think the one thing that really helped me were to do my research on this hospital. They are known for asking a strange question during the interview process, which I only learned through allnurses.com. I took the question to my practice interview session with the head of career counseling, and he helped me with a response. I still believe that's what made them keep me in the running because it's used as a weed out question. I also had a list of question to ask everyone who interviewed me. Anytime I spoke to anyone at the hospital, I made it clear that it was the only hospital that I wanted to work at. I also made sure that I made contact with my HR person at least every other week. Good luck!

8jimi8ICURN · Jul 9, 2009

i was wondering from those of you lucky new rn's that have jobs:yeah:
1.what kind of floor are you working on?
2.where are you from?
3.how did you get that job?--did you have connections?, work there previously, application process, follow-up process, interview tips, anything at all would be helpful.

1. medical icu

2. austin, texas, but working in san antonio

3.one of my classmates applied at this hospital and was hired. she told me that they still had positions open and i applied a few days later. 45 minutes later, was scheduled for an interview. i feel that it was a combination of my hospital's desperation to hire permanent staff (and stop using travelers), my resume and a good recommendation from my classmate. i have a background in crisis intervention, more than a thousands of hours of recent volunteer work and i went the extra mile to accumulate extra certifications during nursing school: acls, pals, emt-basic... i also audited classes on basic and advanced ecg. i was aggressive with my application: meaning that i contacted human resources immediately after submitting my application online. immediately took my personality test, and then called hr again after passing the test to inquire about interviews. when i went to the interview, i wore a long-sleeved button up shirt and tie with dress slacks. i shaved and i went in with a complete attitude of utter humility and repeated many times that "i am a sponge for information and a quick learner." i think i impressed them with my interview because i got two more friends a job. both of them had the same experience in their interviews that went something like, "s/he's a friend of jimi's..." and then the nurses in the peer interview were all, "oh, we lovvvve jimi," then they didn't even ask them any hard questions after that! (not fair cause they grilled my a** in the peer interview! my favorite question was, "ok, this is your patient [pointing to the charge nurse manager] how do you start your day?"... so i replied, "knock, knock... hi, i'm jimi i'm going to be your nur..." and then she interrupted me shouting, " i don't want a male nurse!!!" ... so classic)

pcurn2008 · Jul 9, 2009

1.what kind of floor are you working on? progressive care/cardiac unit aka step down

2.where are you from? corvallis, or

3.how did you get that job? i was fortunate enough to get into a critical care internship after i graduated. they have trained me to be a critical care nurse! i am icu cross-trained. i am learned so much in such a short time! i graduated from the adn program in feb 2008 and started working at the end of july 2008. it has been almost a year now that i have been working. new grads applying for the same internship are fighting for a position. there are currently 40+ applicants for only 10 positions.

i hope that everyone that is without a job finds one soon! good luck!

pcurn2008 · Jul 9, 2009

1. progressive care unit / telemetry (stepdown).
2. mo
3. none of the hospitals i did rotations at are hiring new grads, so i put in applications at skilled nursing facilities, a hospital nearby that had a med/surg available, but not quite full time and was five days a week, and then i applied at a place an hour and twenty from me that paid well, had three twelves, and offered full time. got the pcu job after an hour and a half long interview! she was a interviewer! excited and nervous. not happy about the distance, but the experience should be very beneficial, and once i have two years in, the hospital of my choice will really want me then.

sounds very similiar to my experience! i am half way through my 2 year contract and look forward to the oppurtunies that are waiting :)