Letter of Recommendation Advice

[letitbe_lindsay]

Hi all,

I'm applying for grad school for the Fall of 2011. Right now I'm trying to gather up letters of recommendations--the problem is, I only have one work experience in a hospital. I was a PCT for a year during nursing school. I worked about 20 hours/week and I was in the resource pool. It was certainly one of my most valuable experiences, however, I'm not sure who to ask for a letter of recommendation. I worked nights; my supervisor worked days. We never had much face time. Unit managers never took the time to get to know me unless I worked more than one consecutive shift on their floor (which didn't happen often). Despite my efforts to be friendly, and genuine, and to make my name and face known, I still get the distinct feeling that no one really remembers who I am.

I have hopes that my old supervisor can write me a letter, albeit, probably not a very personal one. Do I still ask for one?

[chloecatrn]

Do you need a supervisor's letter? Are you practicing as an RN somewhere now, or are you one of the new grads who haven't been able to find anything? If you're a new grad, maybe a preceptor from your senior year? Clinical instructor?

[letitbe_lindsay]

I will be a new grad in December of 2010. Quite a few grad schools require letters of recommendation from previous employers, preferably nursing ones. I have lots of other people that will write me letters, I'm just wondering how it will look if I leave out my only real nursing experience.

[chloecatrn]

Can you call the admissions folks and ask for their recommendation? In grad school, they're generally looking for your supervisors from a nursing role. They want to know how you function as a nurse. Since you're going straight from a BSN to an MSN program, they may have advice on who should write your letter.