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Definitely send a handwritten card the same day or the day after your interview. I sent a nice looking card the same day of my panel interview. When I went in for a follow up interview with the manager I saw the card I sent in her office and I got the job. It's just too easy to delete an email or throw away a letter on plain paper. Send something memorable.

Stanford Hospital has one starting in March 2011. Careers | Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital | California Medical Jobs | Stanford Job Training | Packard Hospital Employment Good luck to you all!

When answering clinical scenario questions remember to say that you would assess ABCs and call for help. For example, they might say "what would you do if you went into your patient's room and their HR was 35?" You really can't go wrong if you say you would assess the patient and call for back up. You'd look for signs of poor perfusion and take a blood pressure. What you find during your assessment will determine the plan of treatment. Managers know that you are a new grad and don't expect you to run a code. However, they do expect you to know basic CPR and that you will ask for help when you're unsure about something. Good luck on your interview and keep us updated!

1. Try to approach everything with a positive attitude. 2. Get as much hands on experience as you can (in clinicals, working as CNA/PCT, and/or volunteering). 3. Always be thinking one step ahead. 4. Act professionally. 5. Quickly figure out what study habits work best for you. 6. Get help (if you need it) sooner rather than later. 7. Buy an NCLEX book early and use it to supplement your textbook readings (especially for med-surg topics). 8. Take time for yourself on a regular basis. Good luck to everyone starting this Fall!

Similar story here! I went through a 3 month long hiring process that included a phone and panel interview. After making it through those stages, I was called for an interview with one of the unit managers. She hired me on the spot without asking a single interview question because I did my senior practicum on her unit and several of the nurses that I had worked with recommended me to her. This was the only position I interviewed for so I don't have a whole lot of other advice. It seems though, from talking to fellow new grads and reading posts on allnurses, that many new nurses have been successful by relocating and/or following up on their applications. A few of my classmates relocated (for family reasons) and were hired within a month of moving. Good luck to those of you who still searching!

Gossiping is a sign of immaturity and your classmates' behavior will eventually come back to bite them if they don't shape up. I agree with many of the other posters who have suggested focusing on your goals and being professional. Getting along with others is important but that doesn't mean you have to be best buddies. Focus on performing well in school, caring for your patients, and making yourself a marketable new grad for when the time comes.

Congratulations linRdsNay!!! Well done!

First off, congratulations on getting an interview!!! That's no easy feat. I would start by checking out some of the threads about interviews here on allnurses.com, as well as on the internet. Below are some tips that I was given before my first interview and I got the job! 1. Look and speak professionally. Make sure you present yourself as a professional in every way. Your clothes should be appropriate and fit well, don't chew gum, don't use slang, etc. Be polite, friendly, humble, enthusiastic about the job, and offer the interviewer(s) a firm handshake. Also, bring copies of your resume, cover letter, letters of reference, etc. 2. You should do your homework on the organization. Show them that you know what they are all about and come prepared with questions to ask. The manager who hired me said she was impressed that I came with my own note pad and had notes prepared for myself. I would suggest writing down their mission statement, key words you will use to describe yourself (ie: respectful, compassionate, proactive, etc.), and key phrases you want to remember to use (ie: patient safety is a big one). 3. Remember to be humble and patient focused. Some interviewees are so anxious about being unemployed and focused on getting a job that they lose sight of why they went into nursing to begin with (to help people). As new grads, we have a lot to learn. Hiring managers understand that we don't have all the answers so they are mostly looking for someone that is enthusiastic about learning but also knows their limitations as a new RN. The manager I talked to said one person she interviewed (during a panel interview) had the best qualifications and resume but came accross as arrogant and entitled. Needless to say, that person didn't get called for a second interview. 4. Look up commonly asked interview questions and figure out how you will answer them. You don't need to reheorifice word for word but you should have an idea of what you will say when the interviewer asks you to tell them about yourself or to identify your strengths. Tailor your responses to whatever unit/facility you are applying to. For example, if you are interviewing with a community hospital you will want to stress your desire to work with a diverse patient population. 5. Check out behavioral interview questions. These are becoming more and more popular. These questions sound something like, "Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a really stressful situation. What was the situation, what did you do about it and what was the result?" I would go through every meaningful clinical experience you've had and write it down (ie: rude MD during such and such rotation). Next to the experience write what type of behavioral question(s) it could correspond to (ie: stressful situation, bad teamwork, etc.). This will make more sense when you look up behavioral interviews. Your answers don't have to be clinically based it's generally best to go with ones that are. If you can't think of one quickly enough, talk about an experience you had when you were volunteering or at a previous job. 6. Make sure you are answering the questions concisely and completely. Don't get nervous and start rambling. It is perfectly acceptable to take 5-10 seconds to think before answering. You can also ask them to repeat the question if needed. A manager I know said she hates when she asks a question and the interviewee never addresses it in the answer. I would suggest practicing answering questions with a friend (especially the behavioral type questions). Have them critique your answers by making sure they have a beginning, middle, and end. 7. Last but not least, find out the next steps in the hiring process and ask for a business card so you can send a thank you card. I would send it the same day if possible so they get it the next day. I would also mail a hand written card rather than a typed letter. When I went for my second interview with the hiring manager (who was on the panel for my 1st interview), I saw the card I sent sitting on her desk. A typed letter on white paper will probably get thrown in the trash. I hope this helps. If I think of more I'll post again. Good luck!!!

Good luck!!! That's so wonderful that 2 units are interested in you!

Has anyone received news from LPCH or Stanford?

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations!!! I love hearing about new grads getting job offers, especially in the Bay Area where there is so much competition.

Well it sounds like it went as well as it could have. I guess it's just time to wait now. Good luck! Do you know how many people are getting panel interviews and how many they will choose to move on? I heard LPCH has about 20 positions so the odds sound a little better than if they had 10 or less like many of the other programs.

Congratulations!!

linRdsNay, Congrats on getting an interview!!! How did it go? The thought of a panel interview makes me nervous. Do you know when you'll hear back or when they will be making offers? Good luck!

PVT worked for me. I also passed with 75 questions. There is a whole thread on the pearsonvue trick in the NCLEX disscussion page here on allnurses.com if you're interested.

According to the ATI Comp Predictor, I had a 99% chance of passing the NCLEX-RN on the first try. I passed the first time with 75 questions. I think the Predictor test is just one indication of whether or not someone will pass the NCLEX. There are so many other things that factor in such as ability to think critically, level of test anxiety, etc.

Congratulations SoldierofLove!!! When do you start?

Congratulations! It sure is competitive in that area right now.

We had to be pinned by a RN so some of my classmates who didn't know a RN that they were close with and didn't like any of their instructors opted not to go.

You're bringing me back to my nursing school days. I can't tell you how many of my classmates would wear patterned underwear (or no underwear) under their thin white uniform pants. So inappropriate!

The big areas I would focus on would be the autonomic nervous system (specifically adrenergic receptors) and renal system. There are a lot of drugs that affect these systems so knowing the basics will help tremendously. For example, many of the patients you will care for will take blood pressure medications (like lasix or beta-blockers) so knowing how these systems work will help you understand the method of action and side effects of these medications. These are just systems I wish I had studied more before starting school. Focus more on learning how the body works rather than trying to memorize every body part. In my opinion, knowing what the liver does and how it functions is more important than knowing what the different lobes are called.

I suggest renting your textbooks from a company like Chegg.com. If you return your books within 30 days you get your money back. I've done that a couple times because some teachers don't even use the books that are REQUIRED. I wish someone had told me to buy an NCLEX book (I studied for the NCLEX with Saunders) at the beginning of my program. Before starting school, take a look at the practice questions to get a sense of how you will be tested in school and on the NCLEX. A lot of my classmates struggled on tests the first couple semesters because they weren't used to the style of questions that require critical thinking rather than just direct recall. I would also go through the chapters and do practice questions that correspond with what you're studying in school. Gook luck!

I used Chegg.com to rent my books for the last year of my nursing program. It was so much cheaper than buying them from the bookstore. You can rent your books and return them at the end of the quarter/semester. I highly recommend it! I had some instructors that didn't end up using the "required" textbooks so I would send them back within 30 days and get my money back. I wish I knew about Chegg.com when I started nursing school.

I agree with Scrubmouse. Knowing your anatomy and physiology will serve you well in school. I wish I did a thorough review of A&P before I started nursing school. Pathophysiology and pharmacology would have been a lot easier if I did.