Nurse on Call Application, help!

[sarimary7]

I've decided to try for a job with Nurse on Call, an agency with a great reputation but I'm having some trouble filling out the application form. One section ask me to fill out the duration of any courses or experience I have had in any nursing areas eg A&E, Medical etc. As a new graduate how do i respond to this??

Do 2 weeks as a second year in CCU count as experience? Do i need to start listing every placement i had while in college?

Otherwise it feel very strange to leave the whole thing blank as thought my time learning accounts for nothing. I have similar trouble with a section asking me to 'rate my competence in all specialist areas'

Could really use all help here, especially anyone who had filled this form out themselves.

Thanks

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I will say that I'm not in the UK or Ireland, so my responses come from the US point of view.

1. 2 weeks clinical on CCU is NOT considered work experience. None of your clinicals are considered work experience. You can list it as clinical experience, but to list it as work experience would be lying.

2. With all due respect, I'm surprised that the agency has you filling out an application. Most agencies want experienced nurses only because they expect you to hit the ground running with just a day or two of orientation. Because of that, most agencies don't work with new grads because they don't have the inclination to teach them Nursing 101. They expect you to already know the basics of nursing and the specialty you're practicing in.

If you do find an agency that is willing to take you on as a new grad, be sure to get all the orientation that you can. Also be prepared to do a lot of education on your own time as they probably won't give you much.

And remember that you are now practicing under your own license. It's on YOU to tell the agency if an assignment is over your head. If something happens, the BON/licensing board won't blame the agency for placing you in an assignment that was over your head, but will blame YOU for not refusing an assignment that you didn't feel competent for.

Good luck.