jpalise

I'm looking for insight from what it's like after you're a new grad. Is anybody still struggling to find a job, despite having that coveted 1yr acute care experience? Does it matter where you get that experience? Or do people get pigeon-holed based on that first job? I graduated in May '13 with a BSN in the Los Angeles area. I feel extremely fortunate to have options at this point, but I'm afraid to make the "wrong" choice... especially after reading so many horror stories of new grads at their first job. These are my options right now: 1) 6-month formal new grad position in Surgical ICU at a hospital with an outstanding reputation. Nurses and management on the floor appear to be VERY supportive. But it's across the country in NC. Family, friends, and boyfriend are all in CA. 2) 6-week "orientation" on DOU floor at a local hospital that I hear is mediocre. The nurse manager thinks I should be okay because I have LVN experience... per-diem in home health and telephone triage. A far cry from critical care! The nurses on the floor seem pretty nice, but the nurse manager seems to have a "you'll take what I give you" attitude because she knows new grads are desperate. Is a measly 6-weeks setting me up for failure? Or suck it up and do it for a year? Or will hiring managers assume I'm a mediocre nurse because I only have 1yr at a mediocre hospital?? 3) 12-week unpaid nurse transition course at a respectable local hospital, mother-baby unit. This unfortunately is risky because it's not a guaranteed job afterward, but many students do receive offers upon completion. It pays much better. I don't want to focus on money, but it's hard to ignore a $13/h difference. If not offered employment, does anyone know if this does anything for the resume since it's basically a new grad program, but it's less than a year?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! ICU too overwhelming for a rookie? Should I place more emphasis on management style or nursing floor? I've been mulling this over for too long and need to make a decision! Thanks in advance for any input!!

I agree with showing up in person! Anyone can call to follow up, but I think it shows effort to drive there. I brought up the fact that the new grad job market is discouraging and asked if the HR rep would glance at my resume/CL and offer any suggestions. It gave them a reason to look over my resume in front of me and get some constructive criticism. On more than one occasion, they said they'd hand deliver my resume to the hiring manager. Worth a try!

Good luck! There's already a thread (search Duke SNIP) that has a lot of good info. From reading that and my own experience having an interview in Nov, it's a great place to work. I got a call about a week after I applied, but for some it took longer. Depends on if HR is running full staff or not. The interview is behavioral because they want to see if you fit in with their culture... which is awesome. Very supportive and relaxed. Interview questions were "name your strength and weakness," "tell me about a time you worked with a difficult coworker and how you handled the situaton," "give an instance of how you gave exceptional care." Stuff like that. I didn't get any clinical scenarios, but you're applying for a different floor. And then it took about a week afterward to hear back.