New nurse needing advise!

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Hello! This week I am suppose to be hearing back from two hospitals I applied to. I would like to know if when you got hired out of school if your workplace offered compensation for things like taking the NCLEX or getting your license? Also did they tell you things like starting pay, how many weekends you have to work, overtime policy...ect and if not whats the best way to get that information before offically accepting? If I get offers to both jobs I'd like to compare things like that before accepting which one I would like. Is that something I should just ask about when they call me letting me know that they want to hire me? Should I just ask what benefits they offer or ask in some way if they could send me a list of benefits/specifications to look over? Also since I applied to two hospitals I hate to say yes to one then the other one call me and offer a position as well but also I'd hate to not accept the first job then never get an offer from the second and end up with no job so how do I handle that? Would the best thing to do would be verbally accept both before the official offer letter comes in decline my second choice?

Sorry for the large amount of questions; I appreciate any input!!

Call the employer who you haven't heard from and advise them of your interest and inquire when they will make their decision. You might also advise that you have another offer(s) on the table.

Specializes in LTC, Rehab.
Also I'd like to point out how stupid I feel because I just realized I posted "advise" instead of "advice" oh gezzz :facepalm:

Well, since you noticed that, please don't be offended if I point out that it's 'etc.', not 'ect', and in the case you used it, it was 'supposed to' (hear back) instead of 'suppose to'. Both common mistakes from what I see.

Hospitals don't typically pay for license or nclex. Travel companies will pay for your license when working in a state they are hiring your for. As far as all your other questions, you can ask Human Resources once an offer is tendered, call the number they have listed on your offer letter. Or for very specific questions you may just need to ask the hiring manager as HR might not be aware of all the specifics about OT, weekends, scheduling, etc.

Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

Ive never gotten an official offer letter on paper or had to sign anything to accept the offer (except for travel contracts). Have you all had to?

Specializes in IMCU.

There are three hospitals within an hour of my location that clearly state graduate nurses that are hired (i.e. pre-licensure) will get specific benefits. One of these mentioned is, for example, NCLEX prep courses. They appear to be the same facilities that have nurse residency programs. So I encourage you to ask respectfully about the benefits.

I do agree with others it seems unlikely that you would get your license paid for by the facility.

Good luck!

Ive never heard of institutions reimbursing for NCLEX and license. I'd almost say its essential to ask all of those questions. You need to know what the next few years of your life will look like. Be sure you comb through your contract thoroughly before accepting your offer. Usually the the first page or first couple of points on the contract includes base hourly rate, how many weekends, and what types of shifts you'll be working (ie. day/night 12s, straight evening 8s, etc). Also look for things like overtime basis, mandated cut/call, shift differential so you can know if you're not being compensated correctly. A lot of times when you ask HR or unit managers things can be lost in translation, so its nice to have a copy of everything in your contract.

Although there's no guarantee, If you do get job offers from both facilities accept them from both then sit down with your most trusted nursing prof, fellow classmates, family, really anyone who is important to you. Weight all your pros and cons, then make a decision. The best advice I got was to take a job in a location and facility that I could see myself working at. I always wanted to work ICU from the start nursing school. I was offered an ICU job in a rural area, and an telemetry job in a large metro area. I took the telemetry job because the benefits were better and the metro area fit my lifestyle better. Also remember too look out for yourself and that health care is a business. You're a valuable asset so you should act as such. If you accept an offer and then turn it down for the other one, life will go on for you and the hospital wont skip a beat. Do what is best for you! Good luck

Specializes in IMCU.

mdubb gave darned good advice.

Thank you so much; I'm very excited :) When you called and requested it from HR was that after you accepted your job? I'm also worried about the on call policy. I am planning on commuting from my home town (which is a hour drive) until I can save enough money to move closer (the cost of living is much higher because it's in a big city) so I am unsure on how that would work? If there was mandatory overtime shifts I'd be happy to trade someone their overtime shift for my on call shift but I'm not sure if hospitals will let you do that?

I didn't find out till I'd started so one day during hospital orientation, I walked over to HR and spoke to someone (nursing recruiter, I think, but don't really remember) about it. I think they grumbled a bit but a couple weeks later the check was in my mailbox.

Regarding the rest--it just depends. My facility assigned you one or two shifts to be on call per six-week schedule (usually a night shift, regardless of your regular shift). You just needed your phone on and nearby and to get there as quickly as you could if called in, and we did have a couple nurses who lived 45+ min away. They tried not to call people in due to the extra cost (time and a half pay). Regarding trading shifts--that was always at the discretion of the manager, but mostly she didn't care as long as the shift was appropriately covered. Mandatory overtime was common on nights, but if you were scheduled for four 12's in a week, you would also be first to be put on call/reduced if census dropped (you would be notified usually in the afternoon).

Ive never gotten an official offer letter on paper or had to sign anything to accept the offer (except for travel contracts). Have you all had to?

I don't remember at my first hospital (though I do remember signing SOMEthing to accept the offer) but at my last job, I did sign an official offer letter. It was in the HR office though, not something that came in the mail.

Specializes in retired LTC.

Sometimes a spellchecker will automatically forcibly switch 'etc' and 'ect' and you won't catch it unless you're looking for it.

Also happens with CNA and can.

Specializes in ICU.

Whether or not a company offers reimbursement for NCLEX/license, etc., is probably in direct correlation to how badly they need nurses. I have found that the more money/compensation/sign-on bonuses offered, the crappier the job. But that's just my opinion~ not true for every job. Sometimes an organization will "take over" a failing hospital and "lease" them for something like 30 years or so. They technically "own" the hospital or facility, but allow it to remain mostly as it was prior to the take-over. This might be one reason for different salaries, benefits, etc., but are still under the umbrella of the same organization.

I believe our hospital offers reimbursement for NCLEX (if requested) and they just started offering new graduate nurses who get hired a $10,000 sign on bonus. I would ask your hospital if they offer relocation assistance. Ours does as some others that I've heard of. Best wishes! Hope you hear something soon.

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