nightowl246

Accepted to UIC DNP FNP program for 2017! :)

Always follow hospital policy/protocol even if your preceptors don't! There were times when my preceptor "break rules" like not gowning up or pulling more than 2 patients meds at a time, not labeling, not charting on certain things, etc. I know they're seasoned and all but I try not to follow their habits. Remember...it's your license!

I ended up having three L&D interviews at three different hospitals back when I was applying after getting licensed. I didn't end up getting chosen for the first two due to lack of experience but I did get an offer on the third one as a new grad hiree but I ended up choosing another offer not L&D related. In all three of my interviews I didn't get asked any knowledge-based questions because well...you're a new grad haha. You're not going to know a lot and they should know that. A lot if the questions was behavioral questions such as "tell me a time when this or that happened and how did you handle it" etc. Overall it's very generic and common questions used. Look up common questions if you haven't already and practice from that and it'll make your interview process smoother. My first one felt like a disaster but as I went through more and more interviews I got more practice and felt more confident. The one question I always got for L&D interviews is "why do you want to work on an L&D unit" without a doubt. So really think about the reason why and try to stay away from the cliche answers like "I love babies" or something like that. I talked about my experience during my preceptorship on an L&D unit and highlighted my favorite learning moments and how I enjoyed patient-family centered care and women's health. Hope it all works out for you! Good luck!

I don't want to be too specific due to privacy reasons but it is one of the hospitals in the Illinois Medical District if you're familiar with that area. I did have a connection for the current job I'm at that referred me to the manager and I am so grateful for that. If you had any preceptors or clinical instructors that work at a hospital you want to work at you should definitely reach out to them for a referral or a recommendation letter. But even if I didn't have that connection I eventually got two offers from other hospitals that I have interviewed for that are both good facilities as well. I do believe that it is competitive out there for new grads but I don't think it's impossible to get a job. It can take some time so patience is important. Good luck applying and I'm sure it would work out! Chicago has a ton of hospitals so there is a lot of opportunities.

It was hard for me to get a response from any hospital when I first graduated/got licensed also. I had a few interviews here and there but they always chose the one with more experience. It took about 4-5 months for me to finally get one but now other places that I have applied to back in January/February is JUST getting in contact with me. Don't lose hope! There are a ton of hospitals in Chicago hiring new grad nurses but it just might take some time for them to finally notice your application unless you have connections or worked on that unit as a tech. Good luck to you!

Hmm I'm not sure what you mean but that but during orientation you get paid the new grad starting rate at whatever hospital you work.

No I haven't but I had a friend that did do the residency program and she thought it was good. I believe she said she had 6 months of orientation? That seems like a sufficient amount of time!

Hi AN Illinois, I'm just wondering if anyone out there can tell me what the starting salaries for new grads for hospitals in Chicago and in the surrounding suburbs are. I'm just curious and I feel the older posts about this is outdated from 4-5 years ago so it'll be nice to know especially for current students and/or new grads out of school. Feel free to add home care health agencies or LTC facilities as well! Here are the ones I know so far (without differentials): Rush University Medical Center - $27/hr Presence (St. Mary and Elizabeth) - $26/hr UI Health - $30/hr Thanks for your input!

Oh boy... Looks like I'm the only one!

I always knew the Chicago job market for new grads was tough but wow it's REALLLY tough. I can't help but wonder if I was the only one who had this much trouble. Luckily now I have an offer for a RN position (which I happily accepted!!). I just want to see if there were other new grads in Chicago that had a difficult time. I graduated in December 2014. I passed the NCLEX and got licensed in January. I started applying immediately (even a little before graduating). I sent out more than 150 applications to this day now and even to the suburban hospitals and a little in Indiana. I felt like I had an upper hand as a candidate because I had an internship and a student tech position but that clearly didn't make me stand out. That hospital that I worked for had a hiring freeze for new grads unfortunately and right after I interviewed for them too. Aside from that, I had 3 more interviews that all went well based off what the nurse managers said. The first two liked me but decided to go with a more qualified candidate. When I asked if there was anything I could better (in terms of interviewing) they gave positive feedback and said I did well and seem like a good fit but it came down to experience. It sucks to know that you have the potential but just can't get the opportunity due to being a new nurse. This current position that I accepted was actually through my brother's friend's aunt who works on this unit that had an opening. It wasn't originally intended for a new grad either. Without her referral I definitely wouldn't have gotten this position and still struggling to find a job. I don't keep up with any of my classmates (I don't have social media) so I don't know how they're doing but it felt like I was alone in this. With the summer rolling in there is more residency position openings but it would've been equally as competitive because I would have had to compete with a fresh batch of new grads. Thanks for listening and if you can please share your experience as a new grad applying in the city of Chicago. Also to all the newbies graduating soon...GOOD LUCK!