Resume Question

[BridgetJones]

Hi guys,

I've been working at an LTACH since I graduated in May and I just saw a job posting in surgery that I want to apply for. :) I'm updating my resume at the moment, and I was wondering if I should include work experience from before my first nursing job. Are the folks in the OR going to care that I was an aide two summers ago?

[KimT08]

Yes you should include all work experience. Even though it might seem unimportant to you it is valuable information. For example I worked at a day care when I was going through college the first time and then worked as a secretary/patient care assistant while going through nursing school. All those things are important as the day care work helps with taking care of children and working with the public and the secretary/assistant work helps with all the insurance, answering the phone, dealing with patients etc. Sometimes those things make a difference between you and someone else getting the job.

[caliotter3]

Some employment applications give a time frame for work histories: all employment, last four employers, last seven years, last ten years are common. I would try to go back at least five years to keep from looking like I was new to the workforce. When I was starting out in nursing, I listed all of my nursing assistant jobs because they showed I had patient care experience. As I started to have more than one nursing job to list, I started dropping off the CNA jobs as time went on.