tapis1326

Thanks, Tigo, good advice. Cheers!

Thank you, llg!

Thank you, HouTx!

First, a bit about me. I chose nursing as a second career. With no prior medical experience, I attended a regionally-accredited private nursing college and graduated valedictorian of my class with an Associate's Degree in Nursing in July 2013 and a cumulative GPA of 3.89. I passed the NCLEX-RN first time in September 2013 and have my RN license. Despite my achievements, it is proving difficult to find a job, primarily because I don't have any paid nursing experience but also because I could have made better choices in my approach to nursing. To anyone considering a career in nursing in 2014, here is some advice that I think will be very useful. In no particular order: 1. Choose a Bachelor's degree in Nursing - many employers give preference to Bachelor's-prepared nurses; don't settle for an Associate's as it may no longer be enough if you want to work in a hospital or similar acute care setting. 2. Ascertain your school's accreditation - many employers stipulate that your degree must be from a nationally accredited school (eg: accredited by the National League for Nursing - NLN, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education - CCNE, etc.). Also, don't accept a school's statement that it is a candidate for national accreditation, which can take years. If/when it does achieve national accreditation, this may not be retroactive to when you graduated and therefore will not apply to you. This is very important! 3. Do volunteer work in your community - many employers ask about this, and whether you had a leadership role. 4. Volunteer at a hospital - same reason as 3. above. 5. In addition to your BLS for Healthcare Providers, get certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support - ACLS; this will help boost your credentials and many employers ask for this or require that you have it within so many months after you start work. 6. Consider qualifying and working as a Certified Nursing Assistant in a hospital or similar acute care setting for at least a year before you begin your Bachelor's so that you are comfortable handling and taking care of the basic needs of patients; you will also become adept at taking vital signs and maybe blood glucose testing if your facility permits; one facility I applied to was willing to take on new RN grads if they also had at least 1 year CNA experience (I haven't, unfortunately!) 7. Find out all you can about opportunities for RN residency programs for new graduates in your state (other states require a nursing license for that state and may not accept out-of-state applicants). In this type of program, facilities will take on new graduates with little or no RN experience and transition them with mentoring, classes, and training, from novices to competent nurses. Programs last from 4 to 6 months and are usually paid. (Be warned though, competition is fierce, you will probably need a GPA of at least 2.75, and positions may be limited to candidates already working at the facility.) I hope this will help you as you contemplate your career choices. If I sound negative, that was not my intention; I just want others to be aware of what they may be taking on, and help them to choose wisely! Yours in Nursing.