Hiring new grads over experienced nurses-VENT

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 15, 2006

Perhaps you should have a talk with someone who can give you some honest feedback on why you were not selected for the program. There may be factors involved that you had not considered. For example, they might not have liked the fact that you wanted to switch units so soon after being oriented to the general peds floor. That might appear to be "job hopping" and give the impression that you are a "poor risk" for sticking with the job after they invest in your orientation. They might be very willing to hire you after you have spent a certain amount of time on the general peds floor to "pay them back" for having invested in your orientation. Some hospitals even have formal policies against transferring to another unit before working on your current unit for at least 6 months.

There may be other reasons as well ... but the one I mentioned above is the first one I thought of. You'll never know until you actually talk with someone who knows and give them a chance to explain it to you.

Let us know what they say,

llg

km5v6r, EdD, RN · Nov 16, 2006

I feel your pain. I began to wonder this spring when I was looking for a new job where exactly the nursing shortage was occurring. Everyone hears about "eating our young" but no one talks about "throwing away our experience". One interviewer even admitted that from their perspective the only difference between someone with 5 years of experience someone with 25 years was starting salary. Guess which was more important to them. :banghead:

How short staffed is the unit you currently work on? I have had managers try to obstruct a transfer because I was capable, never called in, and knew the job. Letting me leave ment they had to find and train a replacement. Shouldn't have been my problem but they tried to make it one. The unacknowledged price of doing a good job.:angryfire

I have also heard some managers and education people state a preference for new grads. They viewed new grads as a "blank slates that can be trained correctly". Experienced nurses had to "unlearn bad habits" and came with "preconceived ideas". In other words a brain and the confidence and skills to use it.:angryfire

Good Luck

angel337, MSN, RN · Nov 16, 2006

it doesn't surprise me. i have several friends that are experienced nurses with 10 years or more to account for and they have experienced the same thing. some institutions don't value knowledge and would rather save a buck or two. i see the nursing shortage taking an ugly turn in the next 5 years. most of the new grads that have been hired where i work do not stay. they usually get one year experience and try to move on to the m-f, no weekend, no holiday job. i am not generalizing but just just sharing the trend that i have seen where i work. its sad because i know when i was a new grad i LOVED the experienced nurses. they made me who i am.

SmilingBluEyes · Nov 16, 2006

Perhaps you should have a talk with someone who can give you some honest feedback on why you were not selected for the program. There may be factors involved that you had not considered. For example, they might not have liked the fact that you wanted to switch units so soon after being oriented to the general peds floor. That might appear to be "job hopping" and give the impression that you are a "poor risk" for sticking with the job after they invest in your orientation. They might be very willing to hire you after you have spent a certain amount of time on the general peds floor to "pay them back" for having invested in your orientation. Some hospitals even have formal policies against transferring to another unit before working on your current unit for at least 6 months.
There may be other reasons as well ... but the one I mentioned above is the first one I thought of. You'll never know until you actually talk with someone who knows and give them a chance to explain it to you.
Let us know what they say,
llg

This is really sage and sound advice. Do not jump to conclusions; get the real information from the source before making any assumptions.

nurseMeghan · Nov 16, 2006

Perhaps you should have a talk with someone who can give you some honest feedback on why you were not selected for the program. There may be factors involved that you had not considered. For example, they might not have liked the fact that you wanted to switch units so soon after being oriented to the general peds floor. That might appear to be "job hopping" and give the impression that you are a "poor risk" for sticking with the job after they invest in your orientation. They might be very willing to hire you after you have spent a certain amount of time on the general peds floor to "pay them back" for having invested in your orientation. Some hospitals even have formal policies against transferring to another unit before working on your current unit for at least 6 months.
There may be other reasons as well ... but the one I mentioned above is the first one I thought of. You'll never know until you actually talk with someone who knows and give them a chance to explain it to you.
Let us know what they say,
llg

Actually by the time this new program starts I will have been there for almost 8 months. I left a message with the lady that I interviewed with to see if I could speak with her. I'm not really expecting an answer since I had left several messages with her over the last few weeks trying to find out about the job. She never once got back to me. I finally got an answer from the nurse recuiter yesterday and that is how I found out that I didn't get the job. I was told be them that they would let me know either way by the begining of November and I NEVER heard back from them even after repeated attempts to contact them.

RNSacht · Nov 17, 2006

I am a new grad and I walked into a day position 7a-7p right out of school. I agree with what you are saying because there were other nurses who wanted a day position and were told there were none and here I walk right into the days. I do NOT agree with this new grad thing either and I am a new grad!!!!!!!! I think the positions should go to the experienced. I hope things work out for you. :scrying:

LisaRRT · Nov 17, 2006

Sorry you are having the troubles with getting the position you want. It sounds very fustrating. Perhaps it is the location. In my town I could pretty much get a job in any department at any of the hospitals. We are just that short here.

On the otter side of this coin that others in this thread are mentioning; I would like to say that I know nurses with one/two years experience that are more knowledgable, more skilled, more compassionate, and better clinicans than a few nurses (at least three) I know with 16, 20 and 30 years experience.

Experience does not make the nurse. Some nurses do not need five, ten, twenty years to know how to perform well in this profession. Some people do not need five, ten, twenty years experience to be a good employee. Employers are looking for not only competent nurses but, good employees too.

I also realize what experience does bring, it brings more opportunities to see and help treat various disease states, different patient populations, more times to practice getting difficult sticks, more chances to do eveything, and etc...

Just wanted to throw the other side out there.

HappyNurse2005, RN · Nov 17, 2006

Some hospitals even have formal policies against transferring to another unit before working on your current unit for at least 6 months.

where i am currently requires nurses to have worked on a unit for 1 year before being eligible to transfer within the hospital, unless special permission is granted from the manager. my manager even told me that technically, they don't have to release you to transfer after that year and can try to keep you. she stated that didn't happen much b/c then you have resentful workers.

what is the hospital;s formal policy on transferring?

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 17, 2006

Actually by the time this new program starts I will have been there for almost 8 months. I left a message with the lady that I interviewed with to see if I could speak with her. I'm not really expecting an answer since I had left several messages with her over the last few weeks trying to find out about the job. She never once got back to me. I finally got an answer from the nurse recuiter yesterday and that is how I found out that I didn't get the job. I was told be them that they would let me know either way by the begining of November and I NEVER heard back from them even after repeated attempts to contact them.

Regardless of your experience with that nurse manager, you should still find out the facts before you jump to conclusions. Perhaps your interview did not go as well as you think it did. Perhaps your references did not recommend you as enthusiastically as you think you did. Perhaps that hospital has had poor results from hiring people transfering from the general peds unit. etc. etc. etc. You won't know until you investigate.

Until you have the facts, all you can do is speculate. The Nurse Recruiter might be more comfortable talking about your situation than the NICU manager. Make an appointment with the Nurse Recruiter, present yourself well to her that day, and ask her for some honest feedback and career advice. See what she has to say.

llg