Zippy7

Some may disagree with me, but I don't think an objective section is really necessary. Just highlight as much as you can all the experiences and accomplishments you've had... and of course your education.

It's in Adult Med... Yeah it's a bummer we all couldn't know where we are on the list. My plan was to just keep checking my e-mail 100x/day until January. I'm hoping for all of you to get a spot.

I just got an offer from Vanderbilt! To those wait listed... don't lose hope! You might be as blessed as me!

just to chime in on this discussion--- i think because vandy tries to be fair in their selection process, they do a point system for everything from beginning to end. when you first apply, you'll notice a sheet that asks for things like "clubs and leadership", "externships or work experience", and "volunteer work". i imagine that the more you have to add to those, the best your chances are. if i recall correctly, they ask for those experiences from the last 6 months of nursing school for each candidate. i know that for me, i only had something to put in the volunteer section since i attended a 1-year accelerated bsn program and i didn't have time for a lot of things. i have a previous bs degree, i worked as a scientist by profession, and had a good gpa, but i think because i didn't have a lot of nursing-type activities yet, this could possibly have put me on the wait list.

To those who got in, I was wondering if you can let us know wait listers your deadline for accepting the offer. Thanks for the info!

Same here.. wait list. :no::no:Not even sure what the odds are of getting off that... The letter said they're keeping the wait list open until January but I'm not sure if I want to gamble on waiting if other opportunities open up. At this point, I just wanna take any acute care job I can get. Hoping for the best and congrats to all who got acceptances.

well hopefully more interesting news will appear here in the next few days... good luck on compiling your application for the summer! :)

Anyone else out there obsessively checking e-mails this week? From reading last year's posts, it seems like everyone heard this week. Hopefully we all get good news.

Wow! I know we're not allowed to post names here... can you send me a private message if you can and let me know who your UD is. I kinda wanna see if I should stop hoping to hear back completely. Thanks!

Hi BennyRNCA, I applied to Vandy's Winter 2012 program. When I went to the interview, they told me that starting is $18.25, but the shift differential can bump you up to about $24 or $25-- depends on whether you're nights or weekends. It does sound small compared to what CA hospitals offer, but cost of living in Nashville is way lower according to many I've talked to including the program recruiter. I'm from SF originally but I attended an accelerated BSN program in AZ last year. I was trying to make my way back to CA only to find out that there are literally thousands of new grads back home hurting for jobs. I then started looking out of state and found out that Vanderbilt has one of the best programs in the country. I recently interviewed with UCLA and their new grad interview system feels like a conveyer belt of new grad interviews compared to Vanderbilt's. The Vandy interviewers were very professional and prepared and knew me by name. Anyway, something to think about...

Nothing specific was said, other than they're keeping the job open for all of November. From reading the previous UCLA new grad thread, it kinda seems like they called other candidates even from the "reserve" pool and interviewed them. I think it's a process that they keep going through until they feel like they can hire who they like. As for Santa Monica being less competitive-- is that even true anymore? It kinda seems like everyone's hurting for jobs so I'm sure even the "less prestigious" branch is getting a ton of applicants.

I interview for SM's ICU... Yes, it definitely depends on who you're interviewing with. Sounds like MrNurse2011 had an interviewer that was not as disinterested like I thought mine was. I also had a pretty technical clinical question thrown at me (forgot to add that on my previous post). It felt like the interviewer gave me a mini shift change report of a patient and the panel (of 2 interviewers) wanted me to walk them through the care, diagnosis, etc., of the patient along with my physiology logic as to why I would administer that kind of care.

Hi nurseman78... thanks for posting your stories and for all the valuable feedback. I myself am a Vandy hopeful. I interviewed for Winter 2012 and I'm just waiting now. Hopefully I get good news. So out of curiosity, did Vandy ask you for a 2 year commitment? How did they feel about you leaving after a year?

Hi jenyblond007, There are only 2 questions like MrNurse said, but I am not sure about posting it just for fairness. But don't worry, they're fairly simple--- just try and get there a bit earlier (20 minutes before) to write them. I wish you luck for tomorrow!

You're so lucky to know the status so soon! Quick question--- do you know by any chance how to e-mail the interviewers? I feel like my interviewer was so keen at trying to get me out of there so quickly that I didn't get a chance to ask for her business card. Thanks!

Hi Everyone... Today was the 1st day of interviews as you all know. Just wanted to stop in here to share my experience so far in as few bullet point as possible... * I felt like I was at a crowded factory when I walked in to the HR suite. There were dozens & dozens of candidates there! * They asked each candidate to fill out an essay type questionnaire, which to me was odd. I've been in other interviews and I feel like these are the types of things they should ask you for pre-screening. * They were running late so I didn't get interviewed until 40 minutes after my scheduled time. * I had 2 people interview me. One was nice but the other looked bored and kept cutting me off mid-sentence. * They had no idea who I was--- when I walked in there, they didn't even have a copy of my resume' which goes to show that they didn't read my profile beforehand. * The interview was way short as expected, which makes it hard for a candidate whose resume' didn't get read by the interviewers beforehand to make his/her case to get hired. * I asked when I'd hear back, to which they said "Well we're interviewing a lot of people today, but we're gonna keep the job open all of November so you might hear back some time in December. As to when in December, we're not sure." So in summary, DON'T LOSE HOPE because they still might call you. Also, it was kind of an impersonal experience. I think it's kinda crappy to go to interviews feeling like you're definitely just a number when they know how desperate the situation is in all of California for new grads.

Thanks for posting... I completely agree with your comments. My interview's this Wed., for ~20 minutes & I really see nothing but "basic" questions like the ones you posted to really get to know the applicants in such short time frame. Congrats to everyone getting ready for an interview! I wish all of us much success & a job with UCLA STAT!

Mine was about 2 pages long.

Tomorrow's the last day of interviews! 1-2 more weeks of waiting for the interview results... Aaaahhh! Anxiety!!!

Congrats! I'd kill for a job in NYC (figure of speech of course).

Congrats to all who got interview invites... I must say, I have some fears about this interview. I know that this is an open forum so I'd like to take this time to convey my concerns... I, like the rest of you have been searching for a job like crazy and have been for a long time. I've interviewed out of state and have been in some chaotic ones where I've flown hundreds of miles, get there, and then find out that they're going with an internal candidate. I guess my main concern is, based on some people's information from their friends' UCLA experience, it kinda sounds like their selection is quite chaotic and stressful as well. I'm really hoping this is not the case. Looking for a job has been very disheartening and I really want this particular one. Thanks for reading!

I sent you a private message...

I think we're interviewing for the same unit... What time is your interview?

Ah OK... Thanks for the info. Definitely don't lose hope. I have heard that they are sorting through so many applications/references so it is taking them awhile. I wish you and everyone luck. We all deserve jobs!

When you said you "got an interview", are you referring to the phone interview? Just wondering... From what I learned from talking to two different HR reps, the process has changed. It also appears that they only selected a few people per unit based on each unit's needs/openings.