Is it a good idea, when interviewing...

There is nothing wrong with asking about the availablity of tuition assistance and the stipulations that go with it. Most NNP programs are going to require that you have a minimum of 2 years of fulltime experience before you will be able to apply. That would give your future manager 2 years of you working plus another 2-3 years as you pursue your masters. For her (or him) that would be considered a fairly long term commitment. Make sure before the interview ends, you ask about benefits if they have not already been explained to you. Also about how holidays and weekends are scheduled. I've seen many disappointed new nurses who were shocked they would have to work 12 hours on Christmas Day or that they would not get the week of vacation of their choice. It's really hard being low man on the totem pole the first couple of years if you are not prepared.

There is nothing wrong with letting them know what your goals are. More than likely they will ask you a question related to what you see yourself doing in 1 yr or in 5 yrs.

There is a thread around here somewhere that is actually a sticky I believe with interview questions on it. One that I was asked recently that I had never heard before was "If I were to ask your friends or coworkers what the WORST thing about you is, what would they say?"

Good luck on your interview!

There is nothing wrong with letting them know what your goals are. More than likely they will ask you a question related to what you see yourself doing in 1 yr or in 5 yrs.

There is a thread around here somewhere that is actually a sticky I believe with interview questions on it. One that I was asked recently that I had never heard before was "If I were to ask your friends or coworkers what the WORST thing about you is, what would they say?"

Good luck on your interview!

So, what did you say? It would have taken me a few minutes to come up with an answer for that one.

Jenny

There is nothing wrong with asking about the availablity of tuition assistance and the stipulations that go with it. Most NNP programs are going to require that you have a minimum of 2 years of fulltime experience before you will be able to apply. That would give your future manager 2 years of you working plus another 2-3 years as you pursue your masters. For her (or him) that would be considered a fairly long term commitment. Make sure before the interview ends, you ask about benefits if they have not already been explained to you. Also about how holidays and weekends are scheduled. I've seen many disappointed new nurses who were shocked they would have to work 12 hours on Christmas Day or that they would not get the week of vacation of their choice. It's really hard being low man on the totem pole the first couple of years if you are not prepared.

Right, I guess I thought about the 12 hour shift part and decided I would actually prefer them. However, I really did not give much thought to the idea of not seeing my children on Christmas. That would truly be a bummer and I can totally understand having to work those days due to being new. We have dealt with my husbands crazy schedule due to him being in the Air Force, but mine has never been an issue. Thanks for your reply Sparky!

Many times when you interview for a nursing job, first you meet with the nursing recruiter from human resources - THIS is the time to ask about tuition benifits. You mentioned going part time - definitely need to ask about that when you're in HR as well, because many hospitals only offer tuition benefits to FULL time staff. Stupid, I know, but it's why many nurses end up working full time (usually they'll let you do 3 12's and still get the benefit) and taking only 2 classes each quarter/semester. (ETA - DUH! Just reread and saw you were planning on doing that anyways!) Towards the end, you might have to go part time or use a ton of your accumulated vacation time in order to finish your NNP clinicals. But at least you'll have a couple of years to prepare for this. So, again, I'd make it a point to ask these questions to the HR nurse recruiter - she'll know the hospital's benefit plan MUCH better than the NICU nurse manager.

You could mention the NNP thing in the interview, but I wouldn't offer it unless I was asked specifically about it. I just say this becuase if they have a choice between hiring someone who expresses interest in staying there at the bedside for a long time versus someone who is planning on leaving to be an NNP within a few years...they might go for the bedside nurse. It costs a lot of time and money to orient a new grad, and in this nursing shortage, they might err on the side of caution and go for the long-term. I know some nurse managers tend to be very wary of any new grad who comes in planning on being an NNP before they've even worked a day as a NICU RN. I'm not saying anything is wrong with wanting to go for the NNP, but it's just that we see so many new grads who come in with big plans who then realize that the NICU is nothing like they expected. Again, I'm not saying this is you, but I'm just saying while it's good to express your excitement for this area, it's good to be a little humble as well. Does that make sense?

Good luck, and welcome to the NICU. It's the best!

Many times when you interview for a nursing job, first you meet with the nursing recruiter from human resources - THIS is the time to ask about tuition benifits. You mentioned going part time - definitely need to ask about that when you're in HR as well, because many hospitals only offer tuition benefits to FULL time staff. Stupid, I know, but it's why many nurses end up working full time (usually they'll let you do 3 12's and still get the benefit) and taking only 2 classes each quarter/semester. (ETA - DUH! Just reread and saw you were planning on doing that anyways!) Towards the end, you might have to go part time or use a ton of your accumulated vacation time in order to finish your NNP clinicals. But at least you'll have a couple of years to prepare for this. So, again, I'd make it a point to ask these questions to the HR nurse recruiter - she'll know the hospital's benefit plan MUCH better than the NICU nurse manager.

You could mention the NNP thing in the interview, but I wouldn't offer it unless I was asked specifically about it. I just say this becuase if they have a choice between hiring someone who expresses interest in staying there at the bedside for a long time versus someone who is planning on leaving to be an NNP within a few years...they might go for the bedside nurse. It costs a lot of time and money to orient a new grad, and in this nursing shortage, they might err on the side of caution and go for the long-term. I know some nurse managers tend to be very wary of any new grad who comes in planning on being an NNP before they've even worked a day as a NICU RN. I'm not saying anything is wrong with wanting to go for the NNP, but it's just that we see so many new grads who come in with big plans who then realize that the NICU is nothing like they expected. Again, I'm not saying this is you, but I'm just saying while it's good to express your excitement for this area, it's good to be a little humble as well. Does that make sense?

Good luck, and welcome to the NICU. It's the best!

Gompers,

Thanks so much for our input. I agree wholeheartedly with your post. I know so much can change in one's life and future plans. While the NNP route is something I have thought about pursuing in the future, who knows, once I have actually been in the unit I may not desire to do anything else. Only time will tell. My children are still in school and I do not want to be so busy with work and school that I miss these important years. (This would be one reason to wait.) School has definatly been tough and I am excited about finally being done for awhile.

Thanks again Gompers, I look forward to talking more in the future.

Thanks again Gompers, I look forward to talking more in the future.

Welcome to Allnurses!!! This NICU forum is especially great. Probably has something to do with the fact that NICU nurses seem to love their jobs in almost an unnatural way, LOL. No matter how we feel about the hospitals we work for...we will still do whatever it takes to stay in the NICU taking care of these babies that we love so much. If the NICU is a good fit for you, trust me, you'll never leave it!

I just interviewed for and landed a GN position in the NICU so I thought I'd share some of the questions.

The typical strength/weaknesses questions. I was also asked to name a time when I went above and beyond the call of duty in my work. I told of a time I supported a woman who lost her husband (my patient - I'm a tech). She wouldn't leave his body and I helped her find a healthy resolution.

I was asked why I wanted to work in NICU.

I don't think I remember the rest of the questions... But, I had a great feeling when I left the interview.

I also agree that I would not divulge your plans regarding NNP. I also think that you should discuss benefits/tuition reimbursement with the HR rep, not the hiring manager. It shows the hiring manager you're interested in the position not the benefits. The HR rep is much more accustomed to addressing these types of questions and it won't affect the hiring manager's opinion of you. IN fact the hiring manager, won't even know you asked.

Good luck!!!

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I'm not saying anything is wrong with wanting to go for the NNP, but it's just that we see so many new grads who come in with big plans who then realize that the NICU is nothing like they expected. Again, I'm not saying this is you, but I'm just saying while it's good to express your excitement for this area, it's good to be a little humble as well. Does that make sense?

Good luck, and welcome to the NICU. It's the best!

Great point.........An ideal answer to the "how do you see yourself in blank years" question, is, especially in nicu ... "I would like to concentrate on obtaining a solid foundation in nicu , learn all I can and perfect the skills needed here". i believe a manager wants to believe that the nurse she is thinking about hiring will always be in the position she is hiring for... I know she doesnt really believe that will always happen,and obviously it doesnt.... but ya know what I mean.......another good goal to tell about would be NICU certification.... shows your motivated, but not neccesarily thinking about leaving a position where you really need alot of time put in to be truly "seasoned", right off the jump.

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I'm not saying anything is wrong with wanting to go for the NNP, but it's just that we see so many new grads who come in with big plans who then realize that the NICU is nothing like they expected. Again, I'm not saying this is you, but I'm just saying while it's good to express your excitement for this area, it's good to be a little humble as well. Does that make sense?

Good luck, and welcome to the NICU. It's the best!

Great point.........An ideal answer to the "how do you see yourself in blank years" question, is, especially in nicu ... "I would like to concentrate on obtaining a solid foundation in nicu , learn all I can and perfect the skills needed here". i believe a manager wants to believe that the nurse she is thinking about hiring will always be in the position she is hiring for... I know she doesnt really believe that will always happen,and obviously it doesnt.... but ya know what I mean.......another good goal to tell about would be NICU certification.... shows your motivated, but not neccesarily thinking about leaving a position where you really need alot of time put in to be truly "seasoned", right off the jump.

Makes perfect sense to me! I think your answer to that question is a great one. I will make a note of it.

Also, would you mind explaining about NICU cert? How does this work and exactly what is involved. I will come into the NICU with my critical care cert., however, I know and expect they will put me through addition training more pertinant to the area of NICU. Thanks so much!

Also, would you mind explaining about NICU cert? How does this work and exactly what is involved. I will come into the NICU with my critical care cert., however, I know and expect they will put me through addition training more pertinant to the area of NICU. Thanks so much!

There is a certain number of hours you have to work in the NICU before you are eligible to take the NICU certification exam - your nurse manager has to sign the application for you to prove this. I forget how many hours exactly, but it basically works out to being there for two years, full time. So quite a bit of hours! But you know, two years is about how long it takes to really feel comfortable in the NICU and really feel like you know your stuff anyways. I know people who've tried to take the test right at the two-year mark and they really struggled, while nurses who'd been on the unit for five years or so didn't even study and passed no problem.