panpan

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Hi, I feel like I've been working on my personal statement forever. If somebody could proofread it for errors I would really appreciate it. Any feedback is appreciated. I need constructive criticism and don't worry I wont get offended. I can still reminisce my first time starting intravenous therapy on a soldier who had suffered from extreme heat exhaustion during a flooding emergency. I was activated by Army National Guard in summer of 2008, and the mission was to assist with construction of 15,000 foot sandbag levee to protect the community of West Quincy. As a preventive medicine specialist and certified combat lifesaver, it was my responsibility to oversee all the guardsmen in my platoon to ensure their health and safety. This is when my passion for nursing developed. The care, and attention I gave to these service men and women came from my heart. I remember feeling an overwhelming amount of satisfaction when the soldier made a quick recovery. This was an amazing experience that changed my life. My unit commander appointed me as the health educator for the _________ Company soon after. I was assigned to teach basic first aid classes. Before a class, I would always spend enormous amount of time researching the material I was prepared to teach. My objective was to keep the class informative, interactive, and most importantly fun. I find this experience very rewarding as I get to share and educate others on what I have learned. The boot camp experience in my earlier years of service in the military has helped me gained a strong foundation in my ability to achieve anything I set my mind to. I learned to work under stressful situation through intense physical and mental training. I am not afraid to immerse myself in diverse environments as my drill sergeant pointed out that I was the only Chinese-American female soldier-in-training. I then became a strong advocate in cultural awareness, and educated my peers on ethnic differences. I witnessed firsthand that medical treatment in a patient's native language not only puts them at ease, but also made them more involved in the plan of care. My ability to speak Mandarin fluently helped reduce the frustration and possible misinformation of emigrated patients. I want to continue to contribute to the healthcare system by serving unique patient population in a way that makes them feel valued. My commitment to provide the best evidence-based care to the vulnerable population is unquestionable. I envision myself volunteering on future missions in poverty stricken countries. To date, I have approximately 3 years of professional nursing experience, with the first two years in Cardiac Stepdown and now my current year in Surgical Intensive Care Unit. I am proud to be a registered nurse, and enjoyed providing hands-on bedside care and education to patients. However, my goal is to further my learning experience and advance into a diagnostic aspect of this profession. Earning a master level degree in Primary Adult Nurse Practitioner will help expand my knowledge to deliver competent, and responsible health cares to the people in my community. Choosing __________is the most natural and logical choice. I recognize that ________offers global health programs and promotes cultural awareness within in nursing. Combined with my military background and ICU experiences, I feel I am adequately prepared for the challenges ahead. I am disciplined and motivated to start this exciting journey, and hope to inspire others along the way. THANK YOU!

I heard parkland has good new grad internship for ER/ICU. Really competitive but you have a strong working background. Definitely apply for parkland! Many ppl would only dream of working there.

That's weird that you are having trouble finding job, my friend is from another state and shes a new grad without hosp working experience. She applied to Methodist in dallas, and right away they called her for a position in ICU about a week ago. she has BSN though.

I am currently working as RN, BSN at a stepdown unit, just started my orientation a week ago. I served in the Army National Guard for 6 years, and just got out last year. I still have 1 year in-active duty left on my contract. So, I got a call from SSG (cant remember his last name) just recently and said that there's a E5 position available for my MOS in the military is 68S (Preventive Medicine Specialist). It's going to be a medical detachment unit. My question is, should I go back to the military for that position? My thought is that if I do go back, I would gain more leadership experience which could help in meeting my future career goal. This is part-time obviously, so I would do nursing while being in the reserve. I would like to pursue some type of Master Program (CRNA or maybe NP) in the near future, so would this be a good path for me to follow? I am thinking after I gain 2 years of RN exp, I could possibly try out the Nurse Corps, but I haven't thoroughly researched my option on that yet.... So I was wondering if I could get any advice on the best possible approach to meet my goal. Should I work as RN first for two years while being in the military or should I do direct commission? PS- I forgot to mention that I have 2 year contract with the hospital.

LTC "could" be worse... some only provide you with less than week of orientation. So maybe find out more about those LTC facility first before turning down on the hospital job. Honestly, if I was in your position with less than 2 weeks left to find a job, I would probably take the hospital job first. I just want to mention, if the orientation is inadequate, please be the agent of change. Make suggestions, and talk to higher ups. Maybe you could even be the person that makes a difference. Majority of the time people dont even think of speaking up or making changes b/c it's too much hassle. Think of yourself as an advocate for the patients and for yourself as well as the rest of the new hires. Anyways... just some ideas.

I have to sympathize with the 123wannabenurse, I am also a may graduate from last yr. I was offered a nursing home job on the spot and decided not to take it. I toured the facility and I just didn't get a good vibe from it at all. So I made a choice and decided that it was just not for me. I believed that I deserved better for all the hell went through (Literally) in nursing school (does that make me a bad person?). Yes, you might say I do not have a practical attitude, because jobs are hard to come by... but I have to have some sort of reasonable expectations for my self and my future goals. Also, I want to point out that there is nothing wrong with starting at a nursing home/LTC, everyone has to start somewhere. Anyways, I don't understand why more experienced nurses can't be more understanding of young nurses... Why not just be supportive instead of jumping to conclusions, it's almost insulting. To "TheCommuter", I think you are right on one thing, you may not feel bitter towards anyone on an online forum, but really that just means you have no concerns or sympathy for anyone on this forum either other than real acquaintances. You may also argue that you are being truthful, and reality is harsh. Ok! We understand! I understand! But do you really understand where I am coming from? I can't speak for others but I certainly don't need someone else lecturing me on things yet don't give a damn.

Coming from a military background, I would have to tell you to first talk to a military recruiter.. although recruiters do lie to you but at least they will do what they could to get into the program b/c they get money or have a quota to reach. Im glad you did research on all the benefits and everything sounds soo great! If something sounds soooo good, then you gotta think twice. Basic rule of thumb. And yes, your husband will get deployed. THey invested so much money in him, do you really think they wont use your husband for everything they can? US army has the #1 CRNA program in the nation. They are strict and not everyone can handle the stress and some people who have physical limitation are out of the picture. You gotta have recommendation letters, GRE, and 1 yr of ICU exp, and other requirements. Assuming he hasnt...he's gotta speak with a recruiter BEFORE even remotely thinking about moving. But anyways, i dont know what your husband's qualifications are...

Ok if I was a nurse recruiter/manager looking at 2 resumes. One from University of Pheonix and one from a local/state college, I would choose the applicant with the local/state college graduate degree over online degree any day, any time and without a doubt. Most senior recruiters and managers weren't brought up with the whole online-college-degree concept, and there are many scams out there (not that Pheonix is associated with them).... but still it gives people a subconscious/unconscious doubt in their mind. Anyways... simple psychology. Am I wrong? If you are the director or manager of the hospital... would you really hire a full time online graduate over a traditional graduate? Think about it.

So really... I would skip HR and talk to the nurse managers directly. Call the Hospital you want to work at, and ask for the floor you are interested in, then ask the receptionist for nurse manager's email. Then shot them an email with your resume/coverletter attached. That way you can just bypass HR completely. The nurse manager might re-direct you back to HR, however they will usually forward the email. At least this way... the nurse recruiter will pay more attention to your resume b/c it was forwarded by the nurse manager. More possibility for an interview.

Ok this is what I would do. Wait one week and follow up with them in either a phone call or email if that's easier for you. Which ever.. You need to follow up a week later and remind them that you are still interested in this position and also ask them when you can expect to start. Surely, they probably have to hire more than 1 nurse since this is a new office? Having 1 RN for a position doesn't make sense because what if you are sick, or unable to make a shift, then they would have no one back up... anyways, I would think they should hire at least 2. Just a thought. So perhaps they are waiting to finish to interviewing other candidates... I think you got this job!

I agree volunteer, 60-80% of new entry level RNS get their jobs through savvy networking. It can be through your professors, volunteering positions, friends that already have jobs in hospitals... they can talk to their nurse manager and give you a lead or a referral. Trust me, get out there and network, don't wait to get lucky. If you dont know anyone, get yourself out there! Go to recruiting events, have your resume ready... or sometimes go directly to the hospital and look for the unit manager, although some managers are too busy and won't like it. You gotta take your chances, even if it's just 1%. Good luck!

i dont think UMSL's program is very competitive...

Ｉam from st. louis and I want to move to sacramento lol... The job market here is only bad for new grads, but if you have experience in med/surg then it should not be a problem！　Ｉknow cost of living is higher in sacramento and some nurses start at 30-40 dollars an hour. Here the avg is around 20's ... but cost of living is definitely cheaper! St. louis is definitely a good place to start a family.

Thanks Kylee, I find that very helpful! Thank you so much for the advice!

Thanks for the response, ah a behavioral interview .. thank you so much for the heads up. And I just recently got my ACLS certification in April because I figured it could help so why not. I feel like this could be one of my advantage. My interview is this wednesday, so i need to start preparing now. Cardiac drips? I definitely need a refresher on that. Seven causes of PE? Off the bat, I could only think of a few CAD, valve problems, ARDS, lung infection.... So i am assuming they will be asking a lot of cardiac related questions? This is going to drive me crazy because I am going to break out my textbooks.

I agree with you guys. It's just better to go for a reputable program, can't hurt anyways. Thanks all!

Is there anything specific I need to know for a CCU position? I've been searching for a job as a new grad for almost a year, and finally got my break today when I received a phone call. To me, it was a miracle. I feel soo blessed with tears of joy. I've worked hard... i was persistent, so I hope somebody or hiring managers can give me specific pointers on interviews in ICU. I am sure it's a bit different than med/surg interviews.. SO anything is appreciated.. Thank you all so much!

Oh my god, a miracle just happened. I just got called for an interview at a hospital I really wanted to work at!!! I never thought this was going to happen! I feel so blessed! I know that this is just a initial process and the job isn't guaranteed but still!! This gives me hope and I want to do my best on this interview. I need to do research on this hospital and make sure I know it's mission/values/visions inside out. Are there any other good interview tips/advice threads that is a MUST read? Thanks all !

I have a question... does it matter where you obtain your master degree in nursing for NP? For example, top graduate nursing school in the nation is probably John Hopkins and then there are tons of online BSN to MSN programs like Kaplan... I mean do hospitals who hires NP look down upon online nursing programs from a less known university? How significant does this factor come into play when you want to find work? And is there any area/states where they are hurting for NPs?

@tashacorinne - Yeah I've been contemplating on volunteering as well! I need to start finding available volunteering positions though. And oh my goosh I also agree with you about the cover letters... I wrote so many of them, and had them professionally looked at. However, I feel that it still doesn't improve my chances. I just think the recruiters don't really look at them until the interview. And thank you so much fellow new grad. I wish you the best luck on getting the position that you wanted. Let me know! Keep me updated so I can congratulate you!

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@ Patt_RN - I've been narrowing my focus and writing cover letters for every specific organization I applied for. I know my resume and cover letters are good. Or at least I think they are? Anyways, I saw that advice thread a long time ago and everything made a lot of sense. That's actually when I started writing specific cover letters too. I am very thankful for your contribution to that thread. =) It has helped a lot of new grads.

So I graduated last May 2011, and decided to pass my nclex first before finding a job. Then I've decided to help out with my family's medical support company for a year. So now I am still considered as a new grad because I didnt have any prior hospital experience for almost a year. It's harder for me to find a job now... So do I still stand a chance against newer new grads? I am not getting any call backs or responses back from HR/Hosp. and it's really discouraging... the market is sooo competitive! Missouri is definitely not lacking nurses... This is depressing... I just want a hospital job and a chance so I can start my career! Goosh... who else is going through this job search crisis?

I can't believe how hard it was for you to find a job despite good resumes/coverletters. I am finding my self in the same boat, except I am not exactly on top of the class. Are you by chance a minority?