Wareham4956

Hi all, my name is David, I work in the ED at CHLA and was a former Versant Resident. I just wanted to make myself available to answer whatever questions I can for you. Bear in mind for legal reasons, I do not represent CHLA. I just want to try to ease some anxiety and provide some guidance if possible. So first off, as some have mentioned yes the departments do operate at their own speed when it comes to inviting people for interviews, so don't quite fret if you haven't heard anything yet. Many departments are undergoing management changes and new hires but the process is moving I promise. Expect multiple interviews, minimally two, one speed, one much longer with management, and possibly one with a group of staff nurses. This all depends on the unit. Speed interviews you you have about 10-20 minutes, multiple managers and possibly others will ask you about yourself. Bring a few resumes, 3 minimum if possible. Do not simply quote your resume, only refer to the things in your resume as examples of your personality. For example an obvious one would be a volunteer opportunity that changed your perspective about what a family goes through. Also read up on CHLAs mission and values. Find ways to address these during your responses. As mentioned above, we do believe in Family Centered Care, so ensuring you mention the entire family and not just the patient is critical. Mentioning your certifications and job experiences are all good and stuff, but we really focus on if your personality and characteristics fit on the unit. If you haven't already, try to contact management of the unit of interest and see if you can schedule a shift on the unit. Not only will this put you on the radar but you will gain a brief glimpse of the ED which could inspire your interview response. Lastly, don't give up. The evil thought May come to mind of what if I don't get this job. Even more you may get that interview question. Well in that case, say I won't give up. I'll do what I need to do to improve myself, improve my nursing ability, my experiences and then I'll reapply. Ill try to post more as time goes by, but any questions can be directed to my email at [email protected] I work night shift 1900-0700, so expect most response around that time.

David Wareham here from Cohort 15 again, Congrats to those who have heard about getting in. If you applied for the fall, give the nursing department a few extra days to notify you. I know this may sound like terrible advice but don't worry too much about it. Remember, some people drop out before the program even starts and I know 5 people from our great never even accepted their offer, so even if you get wait listed you have a strong chance. Let me me know if you get in that way I can help facilitate any questions you may have. [email protected]

For us (Cohort 15), we received a letter from the school early on about being admitted into the school. This is the provisional admittance. After awhile we then received an email from the nursing department notifying us of our admittance into the program and asking us if we would like to change our preference fall or summer. The nursing department has difficulty emailing non university associated emails, so I suggest getting one ASAP and checking it regularly. Once admitted you'll have a ton of titers, immunizations, check ups, insurance both car and nursing related, drivers license, CPR, etc that you will have to submit to a third party business, so get any recent paperwork you have ready for this as it seemed difficulty for many of our cohort to figure out. The nursing program will cover this, but then your on your own to figure out how to do it. I'm sure either me or Lore will be happy to help if you have any questions. Good of luck to all you and I hope to meet you all at orientation.

I second Lorebeth, I am also in cohort 15. One of the few guys in our cohort. The best advice I can give that Lore hasn't covered is be very flexible. Our cohort had difficulty at first with the constantly changing dates and classes. If you're really looking forward to being a nurse, it's definitely worth it, however if it's just for a job, you'll have some difficulty. If you haven't figured out what kind of studying works for you, figure that out now. Are you a visual, auditory, or tactical learner? Based on that, you may want to consider buying supplemental study guides. I don't recommend the "supplemental books" that the school recommends, however I have found that many of us really depend on "Nursing Made Incredibly Easy" and Mosby guides. Lastly, if you have any questions as well I am more than happy to help. You can email at [email protected]