hollarz

definitely true. my former supervisor graduated with his bsn, good gpa, internship, etc. but what was key is that he spent 10+ years in the military and wanted to work at a Veterans Affairs hospital so that he could serve the military community. for those who don't know, being a veteran gives you additional points scored toward you application. he didn't get the job, even with the veteran's preference. when he asked "did you at least hire another veteran?" the manager said no, they hired somebody's granddaughter. i mean really?!?! who is better equipped to build patient rapport/patient compassion/make them feel comfortable than someone who has served just as they did. i am also in the military and have worked with veterans and their families. when you are military, it's an instant connection; people open up and trust you because you are relatable. it's like the military population is one big family. instead of selecting someone who would be good for the patients, they selected someone who was good for another employee. it's completely unjust. that's my two cents lol! (i'm really not an angry person but this situation upsets me)

DON'T GIVE UP! i'm from ca (so cal) and have yet to score my first rn job. i graduated 4 YEARS AGO...yes, you read that right--FOUR. i'm not ashamed because i've been doing other productive things. anyway, i applied to a major world-class facility that is super hard to get into in another another state. i openly put "graduated 2008" on my resume and discussed it in my cover letter. there's no way they missed that nugget. never thought i'd even be in the running but they called me for a phone screen! :w00t: now a phone screen isn't an interview and i have to wait like a week or two to see if i made it to the next round. but even if i didn't, the fact that they called at all is awesome. yes, you might have graduated a long time ago, but i urge you to consider other places because you never know unless you apply. good luck to all of us!!! :yelclap:

it was really short. mine was 18 min. but that's because i asked questions and did a bit of chit chatting at the end. i think she reviews your info and asks some people different questions. like for me, she asked about my other job/ if availability would be an issue. also goals and general resume discussion (pretty much what the screening scheduler lady said). for others, she discussed different things (not going into detail with this because it's not my info to share). hope this helps.

or you can pm me on this site. thanks again.

have you guys thought about research? i know in my area there are like 1 billion new grads viaing for ANY traditional position (hospital, private practice, snf, etc.). then i found some research positions on indeed (no, i'm not from that company trying to sell you on it haha) that listed the requirements as needing a science degree. they were accepting basically any type of bachelor's; i.e. chemistry, biology, and NURSING PREFERED!! there was no experience needed. hey, it might be a bit non-traditional but if you are open-minded, i would say at least to check it out.

transplantlife, i was wondering if you could give me some tips as well. i read in another post of yours that you are/were military, like myself. did they seem interested in hearing about that? what did they want to know; i.e. background, behavioral questions, clinical questions. how long did it take? any help would be really appreciated. if you feel more comfortable, you can email me at my personal email: [email protected]. thanks so much!!

well if you already have an rn job. then getting the degree is a good move weather it's online or not. but if it's your first nursing school attempt and you don't have hospital experience and you're thinking about jobs after graduation, then traditional college might be a better option. most hr's are FLOODED with new grad applicants and since online nursing school isn't viewed as well as traditional school, you might encounter difficulties. the educational culture is shifting and becoming more accepting of online degrees, but it's just not quite there yet for every manager. think about it--managers have to pick the "top" people and if you are a 50+ year old who barely knows how to use email (but is a great nurse and manager), then you might not see online education as a valuable substitute.

any kind of in-hospital pt care experience (licensed or not) is really good if you are planning on going to nursing school at some point in the future. it will help you feel more comfortable with the patients and help you find a job after you graduate.

congrats!!!! when is yours? mine is tomorrow???? i was surprised that they scheduled it that soon. do you have a fl license yet? i have to change mine from ca and i know it takes awhile but that's why i applied so long ago. she also told me about the skype interview (if i make it that far). i think she said they scored all the applicants and are now calling something like the top 1/3. i was/am concerned about the fact that i graduated like 4 years ago and haven't worked as an rn but since i made it to the top 1/3, they must see something in me which is uplifting. their job announcement said they prefer bsn and hospital work experience and i have both, so that must have helped :-). definitely doing a full out lift and cardio session before the screening, so i am nice and relaxed :-).

just got a call from hr this morning!!! i woke up and saw the missed call and voice mail icon on my screen. i'm going for a jog right now, so i can calm down a bit before calling them back--don't want to sound wayyyyyy too excited! just happy to still be in the running!

hello, i recently applied for the mayo clinic's rn residency in jacksonville. i know it's VERY competitive and was wondering if anyone has gone through the process before. specifically, what is the "phone screen"--what type of questions do they ask? and how long did it take to hear from them? also, what do they look for? my gpa is ok-ish (barely above 3.5), i am a bsn, and had have paid hospital work experience. my biggie negative is that i graduated back in '08 and haven't worked as an rn yet (i elected to join the military, which is what i explained in my cover letter). will four years and no rn job be a no-go? thoughts and insights are appreciated--thanks!!

Also, has anyone interviewed at Travis??

Thanks everyone for the valued advice! I'm wondering if it will be a group interview. The recruiter will probably schedule my chief nurse interview sometime in August and by then there will probably be a whole crop of people who just graduated in May...

luvbug: i was wondering what the chief nurse interview was like? what type of questions did they ask? any clinical situations? thanks. i want to go career officer but am nervous about the interview process.

Midinphx & Carolinapooh: Thanks for your words of encouragement, I really appreciate them! I already have the sense that the AF is like a big family and your support has strengthened that concpet.