got yelled at today- for volunteering

[nurse441]

So i'm a new grad and I've been trying to find ways to find a job in this tough market. I've been very interested in this particular hospital for a long time so I thought why not volunteer there. I've been trying to "get my foot in the door" somehow by volunteering and possibly try to network from there, and eventually see if this organization is for me. do you agree with me?

So today I did my tour around the hospital. I ended at chatting with charge nurses, CNAs, asking them how they like it here. Letting them know I might volunteer on their unit, and if they normally see new grads around here being hired. So I got a lot of good info on which unit was hiring and which isn't, how the employees are being treated, getting a general feel on the unit. I thought it was important to find out and work on a unit that does hire- before I commit myself to hundred+ hours of service.

I was excited to find out that one of the unit is a potential new grad friendly unit and it was the field I was aiming for, so I told the volunteer coordinator I wanted that specific unit. she was so curious as to why I wanted that particular floor. I already let her know that I was there because I'm interested in knowing more about the organization and see if its a great fit for a future career. She asked if I am a licensed and I told her yes. She blew up at me instantly and told me I shouldn't be there to solicit jobs?...?! She said I made her feel super uncomfortable i'm being so aggressive and i'm not being there to volunteer, rather than to find a job. arg!

if any of you new grads out there know how hard it is to find a job, and getting a connection within the hospital or "foot in the door" is probably the best way to go. I've had so many people telling me that the way they got the job is being aggressive and just showing up on the unit with a resume. That would be soliciting, but i'm probably not going to do that. I"m not quite sure if I agreed to her but I ended up "apologizing", and she even said " i would kick you out if I know you're here to look for a job". (my god) and that i'm "crossing the line, because i'm chatting with then nurses already". ***

Shouldn't the volunteer lady be even more willing to find you a placement that is fitting and understand that people come here to also volunteer to see if its a fitting organization for future job potential? I guess she was ****** off that I wasn't doing this for the greatness of my heart and to give back to the community. If i'm here because i'm interested in a possibly career with that organization... Isn't that legit enough?!

I'm trying my best to survive as a new grad (as if thats not hard enough), people like her really discourage me in taking the initiative to network.

[momnars18]

I am also a new grad RN with a BSN having a hard time to find a job, so I decided to just volunteer while waiting for the summer new grad programs. Volunteering was the way for me to land a job. It pays to volunteer indeed, but I didn't blatantly put myself out there asking questions if they were hiring new grads or how was it working there on my orientation or tour day. I helped out the CNAs, RNs and Nurse Techs. Out of curiosity I would usually ask a lot of questions regarding nursing procedures. One time I was able to catch a v.tach on the monitor and I told one of the nurses about it. They were all amazed at how I knew about this and a lot more nursing stuff. So they would usually ask me if I was into nursing and I would tell them that I am actually a new grad RN and just volunteering while awaiting for interview calls. I was there doing volunteer work and it didn't even come to me that I might get a job there. I was doing this to just be in the nursing environment and surround myself with and just observe nursing procedures so at least I don't lose my skills. Because I was asking about such procedures and just being observant, the RNs would ask me if I was into nursing. The only time that I would tell them I am anew grad was when they would ask me. It was only my second week of volunteering when two of the nurses told me that the nurse manager just decided to hire new grads and one of the nurses introduced me to her and this was how i got a job at the ED i was volunteering at. Volunteering is a good way to network but I wasn't out there asking and soliciting if they were hiring or not. It just all fell into place at the right time.

[justavolunteer]

I am 'justavolunteer' on a pt. unit. One hospital I applied at had a policy that anyone who was accepted as a volunteer could not take a job there for one year. What I mean is that they had to volunteer for at least one year. If they wanted to seek a job after that, OK. It might be a good idea to ask about the exact policies of a particular organization at the start of the conversation. Also, explain exactly one's reasons for wanting to volunteer. If that hospital has policies against it, it would save everyone a lot of time.

I don't necessarily agree with a volunteer manager blowing up over someone who wants to volunteer. It would be better to simply explain that true volunteers are wanted, not those who simply want a stepping stone to employment.

However, understand that I don't blame a person for trying all avenues in today's economy. Any path that can lead to employment should understandably be followed. Best wishes, OP. I hope you find a position shortly.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

No, you did not get yelled at for volunteering, but rather you were yelled at for misrepresentation. Some might even label it as fraud. Your primary purpose for your contact was to look for a job, yet you initiated your relationship with the institution under the pretext of volunteering. Let me ask you; how long did you intend to "volunteer?"

What you have failed to see is that in your attempt to better your own personal chances for employment, you used the volunteer offices' time and resources in interviewing and orientation, when you really had no genuine intention to volunteer at all. While you may not seem to think so, the volunteer office in most institutions is staffed by very dedicated and caring individuals, who generously donate their personal time and perform invaluable support services such as patient libraries, flower or gift delivery, and even patient transport. Some of those volunteers can be a harried nurses' best friend.

I'm sorry, but what you did was not something benign. It was a pointedly selfish act dressed up in the guise of selflessness; perhaps that was the most galling part of it.

Some people--most, I'd say, but few would admit it--volunteer because it makes themselves feel good. Some people volunteer to get service hours. Some people volunteer because they were told to by a judge in criminal court. Some people donate to charity to get tax deductions. Some people volunteer to set good examples for their kids.

Yeah, while I think the OP pretty much blew it by being so aggressive in her job-hunting during orientation, her motives for volunteering are really not an issue. What no one has yet mentioned is that nursing students are ENCOURAGED to volunteer in a hospital, especially under the current economic conditions. Why? To get some experience on the resume!

[koi310]

To the OP:

It's ok to state the following the the volunteer coordinator:

1. I'm a new graduate with no work experience,

2. Therefore, I can't find a job.

3. I'd like to volunteer at your facility to get some work experience

4. That might help me get a job, POSSIBLY at (your) facility.

There is nothing wrong with being upfront with the VC, as long as you are humble and not overly aggressive. In fact, I'm surprised if the VC didn't bring it up. Stating "possibly at your facility" is a nice way of communicating your desire to work there but being realistic about your chances (no guarantee) and you perceived by the VC as trying to put her in a difficult position.

Did you blow a potential chance at employment? Hard to say. I'd probably accept a volunteer position there IF they offered it, because you need the experience to be employable. Otherwise, just keep applying for jobs.

[guiltysins]

For me personally, I don't have a problem with networking, but you can't network before you even start volunteering. If she had done this a month, maybe two months in, then sure, but not on the first day before she did anything. Also, she was asking questions about what the best unit was for nurses, not necessarily what was the best unit for volunteers. She wasn't asking what the job of a volunteer was.

Volunteering is not what it use to be. You can't just walk up into the hospital and say "I want to volunteer" at least not in my area. There's an application, they do ask you if you are in school or have graduated, some even ask for recommendations and a time commitment. So yes they are picky with who they do and don't want to volunteer.

I think the volunteer coordinator felt like the OP was using a sneaky way to get on the inside. Meaning that she would spend constantly be asking about job openings ect. There is plenty of networking to be done in hospitals through volunteering, but you actually have to work and show that you're a good, hard, dedicated worker. You simply being there isn't going to get you a job. They have to be able to say "Hey, she's been volunteering here for six months and she's never late, always stays later than she needs to be. I saw an opening and I know she is licensed, maybe I should give her resume a look." I'm pretty sure the nurses on the floor don't want a volunteer who is constantly going to hassle them about if there are new job openings. Maybe the coordinator even felt like the OP would quit volunteering because she wasn't offered a job there.

So yes, she did take advantage, she tried to make connections too soon where there were none to be made. If she would have said "I want to get some experience on this unit because I'm looking into that as a job prospect" that would have been fine. Or even saying "I can't find a job but I want to be in a hospital setting as I search" I think that's fine, especially if she agreed to a time commitment.

[Hekate]

I don't see anything wrong with what you did. Like any other volunteer position, I am sure you filled out an application. In that application, I am sure your educational background was requested. If I was a volunteer coordinator and seen on your application that you were a new grad, it would be clear to me your purpose for volunteering. While yes volunteers undergo background checks and TB tests, the hospital isn't out any additional money if the volunteer is fire full time. So, that isn't even a valid argument. No one volunteers their time at a facility for the rest of his/her life. It's not even practical to think such nonsense. From a cost standpoint, wouldn't it be better to pay to train a volunteer and conduct background checks and a TB test to see if the person likes the organization rather than spending about 8 times that amount on a nurse only to have her/him leave because the organization isn't a good fit?

I wouldn't worry about if the volunteer coordinator got upset at you. I would continue volunteering according to policy and procedure. However, if I was on the floor, I would still continue to network. It's not your fault that the coordinator didn't look at your application and put two and two together.

I would tend to agree with ParkerBeanCurd (what's that by the way?)

At the same time, I do understand the points made in the other posts....So my question to you is: Are you going to spend time volunteering? If yes, then I don't see what the issue is. You are still providing a helpful service for free, and if it benefits you too, there is nothing wrong with that.

It will indeed give you a good feel for the place and if you get hired as a RN, you will already know the inner work of the place, which would definitely be a plus!

Try to work the desk if you can, this way you get a chance to familiarize yourself with the paper work/computer system, protocols, etc....

I think it should be a win-win situation !

But my advice: Try to keep a low profile from now on, and let people warm up to you before you share your goal with them.

I hope it all works out in the end!

Good luck

H~

[Moogie]

I agree with other posters: the problem comes not from what you did but your timing. If you find yourself in a similar position, you might want to tone down your eagerness with the volunteer coordinator and network once you have gotten your assignment and a bit of familiarity with the institution, not when you're first touring the place.

The volunteer coordinator might also be concerned that, as an active job-seeker, you would be more interested in chatting up the nursing staff and checking out the different floors than you would be in doing a good job. I'm not saying you should have lied about being licensed but it sounds like the volunteer coordinator has had previous negative experiences with unemployed nurses volunteering and either spending all their time networking or leaving before their obligations were fulfilled. You don't need to have a self-sacrificing martyr attitude but you do need to show that you are as committed to working as a volunteer as you would be to working as a nurse. You even say that you want to "make sure" that you like the unit before you invest 100+ hours as a volunteer. 100 hours is not very much---you can easily do that in less than one month. Your statement may have struck the volunteer coordinator as a feeling of entitlement---again, not saying that's how you really are, but that's how you were perceived by the volunteer coordinator.

The worst thing here is that the volunteer coordinator could have provided an inroad to you getting a job there had you impressed her with your work ethic and enthusiasm for volunteering. She could have provided a positive reference for you at that institution. I'm sorry, but it sounds to me that she has a very negative impression of you now, right or wrong, and that she has determined that you are more interested in networking than in actually volunteering. Of course you want to network----you want a job! But you need to realize that there are times when you should be aggressive, times that you should be assertive, and times you should hold back and be patient. This was one of those times---you should have been a bit more discreet and waited at least until you were assigned to a unit before starting to network. Besides, things change rapidly. The unit that sounds ideal today may fill up tomorrow and the unit that sounds dreadful or uninteresting today may be a good fit for you when you do apply for a job.

I was a little confused by the post; are you getting the volunteer position or not? You know, depending on how upset the volunteer coordinator is, you might stand a poor chance of assigned to the unit to which you want to work. Not saying that's right but it is reality. I hope it works out for you but, in all honesty, you may need to look elsewhere for a volunteer opportunity or keep applying for nursing jobs at other places.

You might want to review this scenario with your nursing school adviser and/or with your school's placement counselor. I think, in this situation, you confused eagerness with being too pushy and that might be something that hampers you in interviews and other job-seeking opportunities. Good luck and I hope you find something.

[twentytenRN]

wow. this was an interesting thread to sift through. while you've gotten plenty of admonishment already from posters... i think i have to agree with the masses. while your intentions were [somewhat] good, the execution was poor, at best. i believe you may have confused the "orientation" of the volunteer process with a real "interview" process and did in fact, cross the line by badgering the nursing staff with all of your questions. this probably did more than annoy them. nurses have a keen sense of smell for bs and this was a serious code brown.

volunteering is a wonderful way to meet people, network all while gaining experience. not to mention... selflessly give your time to care for and help others!! people that volunteer their time take this very seriously, as i'm sure this vc does and thus, why she reprimanded you for your selfish behavior.

would have been much better for you to have kept your mouth closed and your ears open. "network" later, don't take advantage of situations. i'm afraid you've burned some important bridges here and learned a very important lesson.

tread lightly next time and good luck with your job search.

[nurse441]

Oh I didn't mean to upset anyone with my story. I just wanted to share the struggles i'm going through as a new grad.

Just to clarify, I did intend to finish the volunteer process regardless of the job prospect worked out or not.This was an organization I've been wanting to volunteer for since years ago. The first volunteer job I've ever had, I stayed with for 10 years in the NICU and that job brought me into the world of nursing. I was hoping this opportunity would be just as enlightening- a different and challenging field that i'm really interested in and hoping that the opportunity will present itself. Unfortunately, 10 years down the line after i got my license- i found out that the nicu i had great connections with does not hire new grad. Both the NICU and my senior preceptorship hospital told me it was a shame they don't hire new grads or they would love to have me there (or the future). twice i felt i hit the wall. I am volunteering 40 hours a week (to 3 places), i am dedicating myself, but i wanted to figure it out first. The biggest disappointment for me was knowing that the place I worked so hard at and put in so much effort to be let go..

I do understand my timing might have been off with the network. i apologize to those i've offended with the situation.

In my application I stated my goals- Learn about the organization, learn about a different field of nursing, gain connections. I have a RN license. Other coordinators at another campus I told my situation with said to me that she felt bad that new grads are having such a hard time getting jobs and she even tried her best to put on a unit that I can potentially grow with- and would even be delighted to see me back as a nurse in the future. This coordinator was at a completely different campus and took it a different way. I let her know how interested I am with the organization and it's a place i'm potentially looking to affiliate with in the future.

I apologize for those who I offended and I really thank those who supported me and know what type of hardships new grads are going though. :)

[metal_m0nk, BSN, RN]

I thought it was important to find out and work on a unit that does hire- before I commit myself to hundred+ hours of service.

Ouch! I hope you didn't say that during your volunteer interview...

Edit: Note to self...Read the whole post before responding :grn:

[Blackheartednurse]

No, you did not get yelled at for volunteering, but rather you were yelled at for misrepresentation. Some might even label it as fraud. Your primary purpose for your contact was to look for a job, yet you initiated your relationship with the institution under the pretext of volunteering. Let me ask you; how long did you intend to "volunteer?"

What you have failed to see is that in your attempt to better your own personal chances for employment, you used the volunteer offices' time and resources in interviewing and orientation, when you really had no genuine intention to volunteer at all. While you may not seem to think so, the volunteer office in most institutions is staffed by very dedicated and caring individuals, who generously donate their personal time and perform invaluable support services such as patient libraries, flower or gift delivery, and even patient transport. Some of those volunteers can be a harried nurses' best friend.

I'm sorry, but what you did was not something benign. It was a pointedly selfish act dressed up in the guise of selflessness; perhaps that was the most galling part of it.

Haha,are you for real???? No wonder that with attitudes like that new grads have it really hard,are you going to call her a criminal next? Seriously post likes this make me question why I went into nursing in the first place

[metal_m0nk, BSN, RN]

It's tricky business. I volunteered at a local hospital briefly last year. Stopped due to a combination of having a cancer scare and starting classes full time. They had a hard time finding things for me to do, as their volunteer base is large and dedicated. When I interviewed with the volunteer coordinator I was candid about my plans to enter nursing school and wanting to see what nurses do on the day to day before making a definitive decision. I was asked to submit employment and education history with my application. During the interview, she mentioned that with my credentials, I should have been seeking a job there, rather than a volunteer position. She made a real effort to ask what my nursing focus might be and wanted to place me in a nursing environment of that focus. When I left, she told me that if I ever needed a reference, she'd be happy to provide one.

All of that is to say that you never know what you're going to get. Some places are totally okay with serving as an occupational stepping stone of sorts in exchange for some free man hours. Some may take offense. Sounds like you found out the hard way that the particular hospital you chose was in the latter camp.