Hospital Reputation vs. Geographic Location

suzanne4, RN · Jan 16, 2004

Definitely go for the ones where you can get the best experience. You are usually not going to get patients with very interesting disease processes in the smaller, community hospitals. Those patients usually go to the larger medical centers. I would want to try and take care of as many of those patients as I could while I had my instructor there to answer any questions directly for me. It will make your life easier when you finish. Back when I was in school, I always asked for the hardest patient on the unit, much better to learn with resources around, then having to do it on your own when you finish. Just my opinion.

Good luck with whatever you selelct.

Speculating · Jan 16, 2004

Originally posted by KristinWW
I'm just a lowly student but I'd like to know how recruiters weight the strength of each GN hire - does the reputation of the hospital carry any merit if you had several clinical rotations done at a bigwig hospital?

I will begin clinicals in the summer and we may have a say in the hospital - would you rather do rotations at hospitals close to home or go to a renowned hospital much further away? Thanks!

Do your clinicals in a hospital that you may want to work at when your done with school. That's what I did down to the floor. So when I went to apply everyone all ready knew me and knew that I was coming. It was great knowing the dynamics of the unit before I ever applied.

live4today, RN · Jan 16, 2004

Funny how I AVOIDED like the plague a "certain hospital" when it came to choosing clinical sites as a student (we were given a choice when I went to school). That same hospital is the one I just resigned from so my first impression of it many years ago as a nursing student was 100% accurate. Guess I should have stayed farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr away from there. :chuckle

KristinWW · Jan 16, 2004

Great answers! I did think the line of thought of how beautiful it would be to be a student at a hospital for which I'd want to be employed at after graduating. However, I won't be working at any of these clinical sites as I am hoping to move away after graduation. This is why I wanted to know what it is that recruiters seek. Does it matter to them where your clinicals are done?

Speculating · Jan 16, 2004

Originally posted by KristinWW
Great answers! I did think the line of thought of how beautiful it would be to be a student at a hospital for which I'd want to be employed at after graduating. However, I won't be working at any of these clinical sites as I am hoping to move away after graduation. This is why I wanted to know what it is that recruiters seek. Does it matter to them where your clinicals are done?

Just have the best experience you can have for yourself. Unfortunetly, no one is really going to care where you went to school. As well, no one will care how good of a GPA you had; and lastly, no one will care or ask where you did your clinicals. Learn and have a good time.

Nurse Ratched, RN · Jan 16, 2004

I think as long as you have a license and a pulse, that's what the nurse recruiter is looking for . Go where you can get the best experience for your own benefit since where you will be working afterward will be elsewhere. Work hard, pay attention, establish a good rapport with someone who can vouch for you later when/if you need a reference :). Good luck!