NrsKate

I'm a new grad working in Virginia, and base pay is $24/hr. However, I work 3-11 shift so I make $28/hr and $29/hr on weekends. Plus excellent benefits!

I got my BSN in nursing and applied to every single hospital in 3 states and could not get a job as a new grad. I also applied to many many LTC facilities with the same results. Finally after a year and a half of no nursing job, I was offered a position in a rehab hospital. I'm still new, but so far this job is WONDERFUL! I should have applied to rehab much much earlier. I say to focus your attention on rehab, LTC, or doctor offices. You will get to a hospital eventually and you will have some valuable experience behind you!

I am a new graduate RN who is starting my first job at a rehabilitation hospital. I am extremely excited!! However, I am also very nervous because along with the normal new graduate fears, I will only get 2 weeks of orientation with a preceptor before being on my own (yikes!). Any advice for me would be wonderful! What are the biggest challenges I will face as a new grad on a rehab unit? Thanks so much!

Hi Meg, I am from Raleigh, NC but went to nursing school in VA. When I went back to NC and started job searching, I could not get a single interview. I literally applied to every hospital in the state. I don't know where you went to nursing school, but I feel like the NC hospitals are taking care of their own graduates first (new grads who went to UNC, Duke, ECU ... ). I finally focused my attention on job hunting in VA, and within a week, I had 2 interviews! As a new grad, it might be wise to consider applying to hospitals in the state you went to school in. Good luck!!

I am a new graduate RN who has had the hardest time finding a job with the way the economy is and the lack of jobs for new grads. However, I FINALLY landed an interview with Sentara Heart Hospital! I have 2 interviews on Tuesday - one with the cardiac medical unit, and one with the cardiac surgery stepdown unit. This is my dream job with an amazing hospital and I want to be as prepared as possible. I am thrilled to have these interviews, but don't know what my chances are at getting the job, being a new grad. Any advice of what kinds of questions I should expect for a cardiac interview would be greatly appreciated! During the phone interview, all the questions were behavior-based ("What would you do if..." and "Tell me about a time when...") Should I expect more of those questions? Also, might I get more cardiac-specific questions? Thanks for the help!