wrenRN06

Thank you all! I am still very apprehensive about taking the job but I think if I work hard then I will do well!

well I had some ICU experience in nursing school (120 hour rotation) and I worked as a tech in ICU- I loved it. But Cath Lab usually requires an experienced cardiac nurse- a few years of telemetry or ICU experience and I dont have it. I just don't want to get into something that is more than I can handle as a new grad

Ok I have debated on posting this because I feel like I know what the responses will be like but I am going to ask anyway. Please be kind. I am a new grad..graduated in December '11 and passed boards last month. I live in a pretty big city with several hospitals within 10 minutes of my apartment. Unfortunately there are several nursing schools in the area as well. That being said, I have applied for countless jobs in every hospital- Med/Surg, Tele, L&D, ICU, OR- days, nights...everything. I had 2 interviews with no luck because I dont have a BSN and many hospitals around here are now BSN-preferred. I ended up applying to a very small hospital about 30 minutes from where I live...about a month after applying I got a phone call for a interview in the Cath Lab. I have no experience as a nurse and eventually want to work in an ICU but I have read so many posts saying new grads should not go into Cath Lab. I wish I had the option to NOT take this job and hold off and find something else closer to home but I am 3 months out of graduating and my debt is increasing and I need a job. This job is M-F 6:30 to 3..no weekends and no holidays. I would gladly take a night shift working 12s ANYWHERE if someone would give me a job..It's not that I don't want this job in the cath lab but I am scared that I will get in over my head. I will be willing to study and my mom (who used to work as an RN in cath lab) is telling me that I can do it and it will help get a job in CCU or CTVU later on. She said she could help me prepare (she now works in CVOR) and says I should take the job if I am offered it. It pays well..orientation is 6 months or longer (until you feel able to take on the job without a preceptor).I just don't know much about Cath Lab and don't want to shoot myself in the foot and screw up. Has ANY new grads started in Cath Lab? Were you successful? Do you think it is possible to start in the cath lab and succeed or is there a possibility I could do well? I havent been offered the job but I have a feeling I will..just trying to prepare myself.

must say i am pretty jealous. i graduated dec 17..had my provisional license in early february and took nclex feb 16 and passed with 75 questions. i have updated all my applications with RN and my license number..i am open for any shift, any day. i am 23 and just want to work and i don't understand why i am not being hired because i live within 10 mins of 3-4 large hospitals in the area with plenty of positings and trust me, i have applied to just about all of them! i have had 2 interviews at only one hospital in the area and am anxiously awaiting to see if i get a job that i felt i really interviewed well for and also had a excellent recommendations for. this wait is killing me...i am starting to think i need to go find part-time work somewhere

i get so nervous that i have to take propranolol before interviews to calm my nerves. i am not at all shy in my everyday life but the pressure and being put on the spot makes my nerves flare up. that being said, i usually dont give myself the time to freak out...if i sit and dwell on the questions i might be asked or my answers i am likely to mess up so i just dive right into the interview..no hesitating at the door or sitting in the bathroom twenty minutes before the interview haha :) maybe just be blunt about it...acknowledge to the interviewer that you may appear timid and shy but you are always able to speak up and advocate when the time counts. just think of it like this...if you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone for 15 minutes during an interview to land a job then it is just a short period of time and is worth it. just be yourself x 10 for those 15 mins :)

I have interviewed for 3 positions as a new grad..2 of which I was offered the job on the spot..the third I was not offered but the unit manager loved me but felt I was better suited for bone marrow transplant unit as opposed to the medical oncology floor given my ICU experience as a student and tech. She highly recommended me for a position on the BMT unit and I have an interview there Friday so I assume I made a good impression. Of those interviews I was never asked about meds or procedures so don't even sweat that. I was mainly asked about myself, my experiences as a student or tech, etc. Some questions I got asked were "tell me about yourself"..."why oncology/medsurg/tele, etc?".."why should i hire you over someone else?"..."what are your strengths/weaknesses?"..."tell me how you deal with stress?", etc. I was given a tour, I was given info on patient populations, the floor in general, vacation time, scheduling, etc. I was given the oppurutnity to ask questions so be prepared to ask a few! If you are called for interview they obviously are interested in you already so just go in and be confident and calm as can be. Show your passion, your enthusiasm. Be comfortable selling yourself and being genuine about it and remember to smile and make eye contact. Dress professionally and send the interviewer a quick thank you email afterwards..that really helps you stand out from other people. I too get very nervous but I try not to let myself get intimidated...I know what I have to offer as a professional and in my eyes, if I am not offered the job it is there loss because I would make a damn good nurse and would be an asset to the floor. Just be yourself, they know you will be nervous and new..they expect it..so take some deep breaths and show your personality..the worse they can say is no! good luck..you can do it! let me know how it goes :)

I had a lot of great moments in nursing school...one that stands out is during my externship in a NICU. I was caring for a sweet little baby boy and every time I would feed him and burp him he would let out these HUGE truck driver burps. Made my whole day :) Also, I had a patient in the ICU who I had cared for a few times...on my last day of clinical his wife saw me in the hallway as I was leaving and thanked me and told me I was going to make a great nurse. It's moments like that where you realize you are making a big difference in someone's life.

well believe it or not i was in the same boat...was offered something in a Neuro ICU prior to graduating but my living situation changed quite a bit (boyfriend of 4 years broke up with me..we lived together..i had to move..yada yada yada) so i had to turn the job down. i feel like karma is biting me in the ass now haha! but congrats on your job!

Feeling a little discouraged..over 2 months since graduation, I passed NCLEX on my first attempt with 75 questions..no job yet