Passed NCLEX, What Now? What's next?

[harrycat1987]

Thank God I passed---Now what??

1. Make your resume!!!! NOW!!!

(If you wanna chill for a couple of weeks, do it. Enjoy every second of it. If you wanna work right away and start making that money, then go to number 2 hehe)

2. APPLY LIKE THERES NO TOMORROW. AND I MEAN IT.

I would wake up at 9am and jump right away to my computer and apply to all hospitals, all agencies you see, (careerbuilder.com is very good). I want to be an ER nurse, but since i dont have any prior professional hospital experience, and graduated 6 years ago, I got hired in a subacute nursing home/rehabilitation center. I did a bunch of interviews, mainly with agencies and when the nurse directors interviewed me, they all said- get any experience anywhere in the nursing field, and after 6 mos to 1 year, come back to me.

3. Get your BLS and ACLS certification. Also get a pre-employment medical exam with PPD. Most hospitals require this. Theyre a bit pricey, so be ready for that.

4. Know the pros and cons of Direct Hire and being an Agency Nurse. Choose which one works for you.

5. Look professional and speak professional. Be eager to get the job. Practice your interview skills. Whatre your strengths and weaknesses. Have your documents with you when you have interviews, and i mean all documents. (License, Registration, Eligibility to work in US, Recent medical exam with ppd, BLS, ACLS, Social security card, 2 recommendation letters, a void check (for your direcr deposit paycheck) so that when you get the job upon interview, you can give them already these requirements and you can start ASAP.

6. Reach out to your connections, they might be able to help you get in a hospital. Dont get bummed if you dont get in a hospital right away, there are no shortcuts, only perseverance and drive and hard work and sometimes luck.

7. Work hard and learn as much as you can. And think about what you can do to make that resume more sellable. Im going to eventually get Trauma Certified, volunteer to a hospital so when i apply to hospitals in one year, they can see that i have direction towards where i wanna go which is in the ER.

8. EXPERIENCE IS EVERYTHING!!!!!! Volunteer. If youre in school, work as a tech. Usually they absorb you as an RN right after you pass your NCLEX.

My background: I passed NCLEX May 2016, Got a job after 2 weeks. Guys, if you wanna chill for a couple of weeks and you dont have to rush getting a job, do so. Cause once you start applying, its another stressful phase in your life, running from one interview to another. But also keep in mind that every day that passes, your core content/skills deplete little by little so take that into consideration too.

I started applying as soon as i learned i passed and i havent had a break since to even celebrate my victory. But i cant wait to be a nurse already, so there.

If you have more questions, hit me up.