How to get info about unit before applying?

[AlexSN]

Hi everyone,

I don't know about others, but to me the unit environment affects me a lot on how well I perform my job. How do you find information about the unit before you apply for a position? I want to know about the patient population, acuity, nurse-patient ratio and unit culture. When I see posting or when I Google about the unit, the most I get is something like "general medicine unit" which does not tell me much about what to expect. Where do you get your information? Any tips would be greatly appreciated ?

Stay safe and happy holidays!

 

 

[JadedCPN, BSN, RN]

In general it tends to be hard to get the full scoop prior to at least interviewing, especially not prior to just applying. Sometimes there's more detailed information about each type of unit on the hospital's website. Otherwise these are perfect questions for you to ask during the interview.

[GBC_Student, BSN, RN]

You could try reaching out to nurses on LinkedIn. You may not get many responses but if you send out some messages and say you're not asking for a job or a leg up, but just asking some general questions you might get some responses.

[e19xx, BSN, RN]

I highly recommend trying to get in touch w/ that unit’s manager and/or educator and request a shadow shift. That’s what I did when I was curious about dialysis & wanted to know about their routines, populations, patient ratio, etc. I also believe that by doing this, it really shows initiative & kinda gets your foot in the door should you decide to work in that area. They’re more likely to remember your name because you’ve already been in contact with them before. During my shadow shift I got to see their daily routine, how busy it is, the patient population, how well the staff work together, etc. Reading forums on this site helps as well!