PCA jobs for students

[janony]

Hi

I'm just finished with my first semester of a direct-entry MSN program (3 semesters of which is getting your RN) and I want a job for next semester as a PCA or student extern/co-op. There are *tons* of these positions listed on the hospitals' websites, and I've applied for many online, but have never heard a thing back.

No department contact info is listed for any of the jobs, its just the big hospital HR office, so I can't go directly to the floor. So HOW do I go about getting one of these jobs? I have very little patient-care experience outside of clinicals, but my resume is well-written and does highlight my other work/educational experience. Maybe my previous experience (science graduate work) is a turn-off? Or maybe I'm just not even being considered? How on earth do I tell?

Thanks for any and all help. If you are a nursing student who has one of these jobs, how did you get it??

janony

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

Hey, let me tell you, they're out there! I actually got hired for the first position I applied for, working nights as a med tech for the local hospital. What is the main reason that you feel you are not getting any positions? What are you telling anyone up front, or what has been your general response?

If nothing else would you like me to look over your resume for you? I do have some exp doing those....PM me if you want.

[janony]

Hmm, i really do wonder what I am doing wrong - I haven't even been able to get anyone from HR to even return a call, so I can see that they recieved/forwarded my application! Which makes it very difficult to know what is really going on. SOOOOO frustraing. I wonder if it's just the wrong time of year??

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

possible, but especially around christmas nobody's hiring for long-term. I got my job, applied at end of november, and found out that 3 of us got hired for nights because most of the 4th semester students had to go down to temporary status due to amt of time required of school....3 of us got hired for night shift, and apparently there's only 2/3 who usually work at one time.

[spoiled_lil_sister]

I just spent 3 months applying to all of the different hospitals in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, so that's a lot! I never heard back from a single one of them. It lists on the online application job description that the minimum standards are a high school diploma or GED, so I know that I qualify for the position. You should be too, so don't accept that as a reason, unless they require CNA/MA, etc in your area. It just happened that a close family friend had surgery in December. I went to visit her in the hospital and my friend told the nurse that I was waiting for a decision on my application (what she & I had been talking about was my application to the nursing program, not my application to that hospital). The nurse visited with me for a while, asking about where I was going to school, etc, when I told her that I actually had applied daily for several of the patient care positions. She asked what the status was and i told her that I hadn't heard back from anybody and HR hadn't returned my calls (to make sure they received everything ok electronically, etc). She advised me to speak with the UNIT MANAGER. We talked, in person, that day for almost an hour and basically told me the job was mine but I had to go back the next day for an "official interview". That was just the week between Christmas & New Year's. Of course, I had to do the drug screen, physical, TB test, etc that racks up a lot of timem but I am scheduled to attend their orientation on January 15th.

I originally started applying in SEPTEMBER but will not start until JANUARY. From asking around, it seems that it takes hospitals an average of 6 months to hire someone from the time you apply. I got in early & quickly because I went directly to the unit manager. So my advice to you is to go to the unit manager - skip HR until the unit manager tells you to go to them. It won't hurt anything because the most they can do is A) hire you or B) not hire you. But at least if they don't hire you, your application will be acknowledged and they may give you some pointers as to why they passed on hiring you. If there is anymore advice I can offer, please feel free to PM me. Good luck!

[hospitalstaph]

Hi,

I applied at 10 hospitals. I heard from 4, interviewed at 3, and accepted jobs at 2 PRN. If you are looking into a particular area, such as med/surg, call HR and ask to speak to the nurse recruiter for med/surg. This really is not the best time to be looking (around the holidays) but I do think that if you keep in contact with them and keep your name on their radar, you will get something. But try not to feel so desperate that you will accept anything. I almost made the mistake of taking a job outside of ER just because I wanted a job. This would not have helped my long term goals and I think that I would have been very unhappy.

BTW, one of them took 8 weeks to even call me and another one called 2 days after I submitted my resume.

GOOD LUCK:)

TL

[NeosynephRN]

You should call HR...take the initative!! It takes hopsitals a LOOOOONG time to move on tech jobs it seems! And think right now they are being flogged with all the Dec Nursing graduates and starting to see the May graduating class. When I got my Tech jobs I called and made sure that they recieved my app, and the status of the jobs. This seemed to move the process along!