RN4LOVE

Hey PortlandOR, I actually ended up getting a second offer at Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas and chose that one instead. So I've been working there for a year now! I loved the whole internship/orientation process. I can't speak for Scott and White, but they really made sure that I felt comfortable before letting me be on my own. I am taking care of sweet babies now, and loving every minute of it!!! I definitely think applying for an internship/orientation program is vital to switching from nursing student to confident, autonomous nurse. Good luck in all that you do!

Hello! I am so sorry that I am just now responding, I hope it isn't too late. So, how fast did I have to make a decision? Seton was my top choice, so I immediately accepted the position. However, I did have another job at another hospital, and they only gave me a week to decide. I imagine Seton would give you the same amount of time. From getting a job at two hospitals, I would just say to accept the one you get first (bc let's face it, it's not easy to get a job these days), and if a better one comes a long, just call them back and say you got another offer that fits better for you. You are allowed to do that. Even though I felt terrible about doing that, I asked a lot of people, and they said that the most important thing to do is look out for yourself and what truly works for you. I don't mind answering questions! Let me know if you have any other ones. Good Luck!

I'm sorry, but I don't have any information on the positions that are left. I'd say wait for one more week, and just give up for this cohort. It's competitive. They told us on day one that they had over 1000 applications, and hired about 100 people, sooo it's tough.

I am in the current versant program that's about to finish up, and on the first day you can wear business casual or navy blue scrubs. It really doesn't matter. You pretty much just sit there. As for shoes, you can wear whatever shoes you feel like wearing. It's not strict at all.

Sorry I haven't responded sooner. I didn't have my interview until May, and I started the residency in June, so it was pretty late. It's good that it says "routed" now though.

I interviewed for NICU internship, and she never asked for my transcript or anything about grades. It could be different for other areas. I'm not sure.

Hello BRP RN! Yes, they will call you. However, I would just say be patient. They called me very late, so don't give up hope yet! Oh, and if it hasn't been "routed" then it means your file isn't complete, I'd call Human Resources about that. Good Luck!

I completely agree. I'm sure one of the most important things is to find someone awesome to work with. I know that the people I work with are awesome, and it's definitely one of the reasons why I like going to work. :)

We had a 22 weeker this past week. It was soo sad, you could tell the baby was suffering...along with the parents. My hospital usually calls the ethics committee and discusses this situation, but I don't know what happened this time. As a general ethics rule, my hospital, normally doesn't resuscitate any baby born less than 23 weeks. Upon a HUS, the baby had extreme head bleeds. The baby passed away later that night. In defense of the parents, they fully don't understand that their baby is suffering or that their baby is not compatible with life or how severely they are undeveloped...we ask if they want us to resuscitate the baby at delivery, but the only thing they're thinking is, "you're not going to save my baby? that's why we're at a hospital!" ...tough situation. no baby should suffer

I have a BSN, but there are people in the program with an Associate's degree. They lean towards people with BSN's, but they will hire Associate degree RN's. I think it really depends on the Manager of the unit you are interviewing for and I think your personal experience has a part in the decision too. If you have an Associate's degree, I would definitely encourage you to apply! Oh, and I didn't previously work for Seton. About 40% of the people in the program worked for Seton before getting into the program. Any other questions?

i'd love to answer anyone's questions, too. i am in the program right now! just send me a private message. :)

I interviewed with Scott and White, but it really depends on the unit you are interviewing for. Each manager is different and will ask different questions, but I'll tell you some of the questions they asked me. 1) Why did you go into nursing? 2) Why do you want (the unit you are interviewing for)? 3) Why Scott and White? Hope this isn't too late!

Tomorrow is my first day, but it's just hospital orientation. But, still!! I guess I'm just a bit anxious. Can't wait to start taking care of those little babies! Good luck to all the interviews!! Don't be nervous, they're already interested in you if they called you for the interview. Remember that! You just have to sell yourself a little bit more! :) Your passion will shine through without you even trying. I promise! Good luck to those taking the NCLEX! Be confident in your knowledge!

Yea! It's a hospital called Scott & White in Temple, TX (North of Austin). They have a program just for New Graduates! No experience is required. They won't hire new grads in the NICU until January 2011 and then again in June 2011. Definitely try when the time comes! I went on an interview there, got the job, but then got another job somewhere else, so I went for that one. It seemed like a great hospital though, it was a hard choice! I have felt your pain. I graduated in December, applied, and heard nothing. I had to try again for the June programs for new grads, and was jobless for about 5 months!

First off, just to work in the NICU, you can either have a Bachelor of Science (BSN) degree or an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). Secondly, you have to have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) before you can go to school to be a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, and even then, some schools require you to have at least 2 years of experience as an RN before you start a practitioner program. So, first and foremost, you have to get accepted into nursing school. Being a cuddler in the NICU is definitely an awesome idea to do during school!

Hello everyone! I'm a new grad starting NEXT MONDAY! aaah! I, too, am so excited to start my dream job :)

I guess in comparison to other places, Texas is a little better. I know it has been written in TIME magazine that Texas is still hanging on to a good economy, not great, but better than other places. Although it is competitive to get jobs (new grad positions) in Texas, there are jobs to get. One hospital was hiring 12-14 people for the NICU. That's a big number, and they did this twice this year! I guess I was just trying to convey that hospitals in Texas continuously hire grads, may not be easy to get a spot, but they are jobs as oppose to some hospitals who go on hiring freezes. So, yes. I do agree with all the posts about Texas not being the Holy Grail of nursing jobs, and it is definitely not a sure thing that moving to Texas would be the answer to getting a job out of college, but there's a little bit of hope here! :)

I think you are definitely on the right track! Doing everything you can NICU related is awesome and a good idea! I did an internship in the NICU during school, and it has helped me tremendously with landing a job in the NICU, so if you get the chance, you should definitely do something like that. GOOD LUCK!

It seems that different hospitals are going to have different rules and requirements. It's VERY unpredictable, as MOMof3wannabeRN said. One hospital loved that you called to show your eagerness, another hospital will say DO NOT CALL. One hospital loved the watermark, while another hospital wants you to copy/past into a small box. While these are all great ideas, bc you do want to stand out somehow, sometimes you have to work with what you're given. I say to new grads with no job: Do as much as you can with what you're given. Be very patient. Just because you can't call, show up personally, make a fancy resume doesn't mean will never get the job. (although, they ARE great ideas!) There's hope people, there's hope! Remember to give thanks for the small things, too :)

The major cities: Austin (sort of hard to get into their New Grad/RN programs), Houston, and Dallas/Fort Worth (friends from nursing school easily got jobs in these areas). Also, smaller cities like Temple (North of Austin) hire New Grads year round. I also have heard about cities in South Texas always hiring New Graduates!

Texas is doing pretty good with continuously recruiting new grads!

I graduated on Dec. 19th, took a break, and on January 1st started my studying. I studied for about 3 weeks straight until taking the NCLEX. I'm talking, from the moment I woke up, to the moment I got tired and went to sleep. I passed on the first time, too! The reason why I studied like this is because I was aware of what it was going to take for me to pass. All of us have different ways we studied, and different lengths of time. Some think studying didn't help them, others (like me) studied until their brain was scrambled eggs. So, you have to look at your OWN knowledge of nursing skills, disease, medications, and other nursing knowledge and see if you need to study hardcore, or just study casually until it's time to take the NCLEX. Don't take our word for the way we studied to be the way you are going to study, adapt the way YOU need to. Good luck to all those take the NCLEX! :)

Oh, don't worry about it! I know I, too, had a lot of questions about the whole process! No, I wasn't able to find a job bc I soon realized, in Texas, if you're a New Grad/RN with no experience...the only way to get a hospital job is through a residency, and they only offer them 3 times a year. I was thinking about volunteering at Seton in the meantime, but even those programs were full! Crazy! After I passed boards, I put BSN, RN at the end of my name, and that's pretty much the only thing that changed on my resume. Seton does request that you send an updated resume if anything has changed. Also, when you pass boards, you also have to fax a copy of your license. So, you have to fax an updated resume, and your RN license before the nurse recruiters can "route" your application. Other than that, your application will be done.

My uncle was a patient there, and he didn't have anything good to say about the VA. I don't remember everything he said about it, but I do remember him saying that "it's very unorganized." I can't tell you what exactly that is referring to, but when does "being unorganized" ever good? juuust my two cents!

My interview was in April, and I got into the NICU residency. Seton was my top pick, too! And, if you don't make it into the program this time, definitely try again! That's exactly what I did. I graduated in December (2009) and applied for the January cohort, but with no luck. However, I tried again, got an interview, and got the job! Second time was a charm for me :)! I will be crossing my fingers for you, however, if you do have to apply for the next cohort date, just call the nurse recruiter and they will forward your application for the next program. Call them early, too, because you'll already have your documents ready to go, and they'll be able to "route" it to the nurse managers really early before all the other applicants start flooding in!