Looking for Expeirences Working in NC Hospitals

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 11, 2016

Get in wherever you can. They are all fine places. Getting your foot in the door is helpful and getting an idea of what it is actually like (hard!) working in a hospital.

I worked as a home health aide and it did not prepare me for the pace of hospital life. Any experience is good, but hospitals are good if that is where you want to end up. When looking for a job, be mindful of patient ratios-you don't want to be unsafe. I have heard great things about Duke Raleigh, and Rex is wonderful. Big Duke has am aide float pool (others may have as well) that might give you the chance to learn more and see what you might be a good fit with.

Good luck!!

froggy93 · Jul 14, 2016

I started as a new grad in October at UNC and love it

SandyScrubs · Jul 15, 2016

Thank you for your responses!

I do have a little experience under my belt working in a hospital thankfully, but I'm curious as to what other options there are since nothing is ever set in stone. I heard from a friend who graduated last year that she got job offers and was given a week to respond. The idea of making that decision so quickly is a little intimidating, so I'm trying to figure out which hospitals I'd like to be at the top of my list ahead of time. Thanks for the tip about nurse-patient ratios, that will definitely be high up on my list!

Froggy, what made you choose UNC over other hospitals you applied to? And do you like their new graduate program?

froggy93 · Jul 16, 2016

UNC treats their employees much better than the surrounding hospitals like duke and wake med. partially because you're state employees so that is a nice perk to have. Their new grad program is great, it's specialized by whichever service line you're working in but you get to spend some time with new grads from other service lines as well . You get 12 weeks of orientation, possibly even more if you feel like you need it. Let me know what other questions you have!

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 19, 2016

No offense froggy, but have you worked for Duke and WakeMed, too? How would you know that UNC treats their employees better than Duke. I cannot speak about UNC or WakeMed, but I can say that I have been at Duke for over three years and I am very happy there. We have great benefits. I was a state employee when i was a teacher and the state treated me like crap.

I work with people that have been at Duke for 25+ years. I think all of the organizations have their pluses and minuses. It is just what you want. I like working at a teaching hospital as UNC is too. If I had been offered a job at UNC, I might have taken it. I have nothing against UNC, but I have not had experience with them as a nurse (I did take my child there for while for a specialist and wasn't all that impressed but one experience would not stop me from going back if I thought they had the best provider there that I needed)

My orientation was 6 months in a specialized residency and I had monthly classes with other residency nurses so we could share experiences.

Just my two cents.

froggy93 · Jul 19, 2016

I know people who have worked at both and they said that people who work 25+ years at duke like it because they don't know anything else. Because of dukes great reputation they have an attitude like you should be thankful to be able to work for us. OP asked my opinion on why I chose UNC and I gave her my opinion, wasn't asking you

mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN · Jul 27, 2016

Sorry-like I said, I was not trying to offend you, but if someone stays at a job for 25 years, it is certainly more than no knowing any better. I admitted that I did not have first hand experience with working at UNC. I just find it unfair for you to judge a facility without actually working there. I am sorry, I didn't realize you owned the thread. You insulted where I work without having first hand experience. I felt the need to defend it.

they have an attitude like you should be thankful to be able to work for us

Might say the same about UNC. Duke makes me feel that they are thankful to have me-not the other way around. That is why I stay, not because I don't know any better. Old enough to know better...

TeamEevee · Jul 28, 2016

I'll throw in my two centsâ€¦

As a new grad I would apply to all the new grad openings. While many in my cohort, myself included, had multiple job offers others did not.

I had two offers from UNC and two from Duke. I ended up staying at Duke with the unit I completed my capstone clinical on. The actual recruitment process was much smoother and organized at UNC.

The amount of orientation and classes was exactly the same for the jobs at both UNC and Duke. Honestly I probably would have been just fine if I selected UNC but there were a few things specific to my unit at Duke that gave Duke the edge. Plus I did have some concerns about benefits at UNC in the future; in fact the Herald Sun had an article today addressing this very issue.

I happen to be from the area and know many nurses at all hospitals. Far as whether you like working for a specific hospital IMO seems to come down to the unit. I know nurses who left Duke and who ended up coming back. Sometimes the grass isn't always greenerâ€¦ There are floors at both UNC and Duke I would never want to work on.

I've been at Duke a little over a year and I have been happy with my experience. I just recently accepted a transfer to another position at Duke, mainly due to wanting an all days schedule.

Beachykeen14 · Nov 21, 2017

I'm an experienced NICU level 3 nurse looking to relocate to Raleigh. My state is a compact one, we have a place to live and I'm also applying for positions other than NICU, (surgical pre-op), New to OR nurses, at Duke Raleigh, UNC and Wake Med. What can I do to make myself stand out more? I'm very willing to fly there for a face to face interview. I've never relocated as a nurse before so this process is entirely new. I have my BSN & 6+ years experience.