How honest should I be???

[MassLPN2009]

I may have landed an interview with a company I would like to be a part of. The problem is that before I became a nurse, I was a patient of this particular company. There are definitely stereotypes and I'm not sure if I should be honest and tell them that even though its been years since I was a patient and my life is so totally different or if I should avoid it or not admit to it. My fear is that the people I am interviewing with may remember but I have to say I was the model patient and never caused a problem or missed an appointment. I believe in this model and want to be apart of it because of my personal experience- this program saved my life and made it possible for me to be what I am today and I want to be involved and a part of doing that for others. What do you think?

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

From the way you phrase it, it sounds like a psych or CD organization. But I do not need nor want to know if I am correct.

IMO, I wouldn't even bring up that you were a patient there, as it's not their business and should in no way influence their decision to hire you or not. If you want to bring up your past experiences you can, but you don't necessarily have to specify where you were a patient. Though keep in mind that just because you have past experience as a patient doesn't guarantee that you will be a successful nurse in that area.

However, do YOU feel that you can work there given your past experiences as a patient? Are you going to be comfortable there? Is it in any way going to jeopardize your recovery (if there is one)? Only you can answer these three questions.

Best of luck whatever you decide!