Just Passed The NCLEX-RN, What Now?

missninaRN · Jun 20, 2008

First of all, Congratulations! I just found out that I passed NCELX too!

Our nursing school curriculum included information on how to find a nursing job. Most of us were hired by area hospitals by the time we graduated.

First off, you need a resume. There are several places online where you can see examples. As a new grad, you can include information about your schooling and clinical experiences, as well as any other health related jobs you have held, honors and memberships related to nursing or nursing school, etc. I googled "Graduate nurse resume" and found a lot. Don't worry about a fancy font or layout. Just make sure that you use quality white paper, correct spelling and punctuation, and keep it brief. One page should be enough for a nurse grad, two pages is kind of overdoing it, I think.

Then, you need to apply for jobs. Most hospitals have online applications available on their websites.

If you don't hear back a week after submitting your application and resume, you might call the nurse recruiter to follow up on it.

Then you need to prepare for your interviews. Dress conservatively and modestly. Plan ahead how you will ask commonly asked interview questions (there are threads on Allnurses for help with those). Practice in front of a mirror if you tend to get nervous. Again, there are many threads on this board that give a lot of information on how to interview.

As for your paper license, I suppose that would vary state by state. You could check your state's BON website to find out.

I am on orientation right now. Since I just got my license, the first few weeks of orientation were spent following my preceptor and doing everything that I could legally do: assess, chart, change dressings, teaching-all under my preceptor's supervision. Now that I am licensed, I will actually take patients and do all of it, including med passes, but still with my preceptor's supervision and guidance. There are many things I have not yet done and so I must be "checked off" on each of them before I can do them completely on my own.

I'm sure others will come along to offer you more specific advice, but I think the most important thing to get the ball rolling is to draft your resume and start applying for jobs!

cpnegrad07 · Jun 20, 2008

CONGRATS!! I passed less than a year ago, and ain't is a wonderful feeling?!

I didn't know it, but here i could have been working as a provisional RN or something while waiting for the NCLEX. But i didn't and lost that time. Oh, well.

So, yes, get going. Do several things simultaneously: look for jobs, fill out appls, write your resume, talk to employees, use the web for all of the above. And stay on your state board to get that license processed.

I think that any employer who wants you will work with you to get this expedited.

Lastly, you need to change your screen name now.