New grad vs Veteran

[mm7614]

Hi everyone! New grad RN here applying for jobs! I currently work for a tenet hospital as a PCA and had an interview for a full time cardiac step down RN position. It went well, she said she had to check with HR to make sure there weren't any applicants from her unit that had applied but to email her on Monday and she would let me know if it was mine or not. Well, I recently found out that an older nurse that works with my husband in a different hospital with years and years of experience has applied for the same position. She actually used to work on this unit previously. Apparently she is very hard to get along with however. She hasn't been called for an interview but maybe this manager hasn't seen her application yet. My question is this - what are the chances of her getting the position applying from outside of the hospital versus me as an internal applicant? She clearly has much more experience and is better qualified. I'm crushed! Pray for me! 🤞🏼🤞🏼

[Cullen1989]

Sounds rough! From what I've experienced , internal candidates take preference but it all depends on what the hiring manager is looking for. You don't know what her track record looks like, and regardless of her experience she may not be the right fit! So there is hope! I too am in a similar situation, I'm applying on a medical surgical floor with only psychiatric experience, so I'm really hoping I have a shot! Good luck!

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

It might be a blessing in disguise. Step-down units are very, very fast-paced, in my experience. I worked one for five years, and really never sat down. Constant admits/discharges, everybody on a cardiac drip, unstable rhythms. This was harder than ICU because the patients weren't sedated on ventilators, they were awake and needy.

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

Who can really guess? I can see it going both ways. However, you mentioning her 'hard to get along with' via your husband makes me shake my head.

[Marisette, BSN, RN]

Employers will seek whoever meets their needs. Sometimes, they will choose a new graduate as oppossed to an older veteran. They take into account salaries, ability to train a new graduate as they choose. There is a perception that an older employee may not be as adaptable to change, so a veteran is not always the preferred employee.

If this employer needs demands that someone come in and is immediately able to handle the on the jobs demands, they may choose to hire the person with experience and in particular someone who has worked in the unit before and requires little to no training.

Personally, I would rather work with any employee, veteran or new graduate with a good attitude. For me, attitude is everything because I have worked with some very difficult coworkers who are toxic to the whole unit. However, I will caution you against believing your competitor has a bad attitude. There are good employers and bad employers. Some take advantage of their nursing staff and often the veteran employee is the one with the courage to speak out against abuse and point out a policy that exist, is not being followed or is not working.