Promising Job Prospect

cardsFNP · Feb 12, 2020

I cannot help you with the negotiation aspect as I am just a student but it has always been my impression that for interviews like this, suits would be the way to go. Have you asked your friend in the other cardiology group what he thinks? At worst, you could wear the suit and tie, and if you feel overdressed, you can just take it off when you get there. Also, what did you wear to the other cardiology interviews? Either way, good luck!

ToFNPandBeyond · Feb 14, 2020

Wear a suit. You're applying for a professional position.

ArmaniX, MSN, APRN · Feb 14, 2020

Young individual here. I have NEVER wore a suit for any job interview. Pre-nursing, nursing, or for my nurse practitioner jobs.

I am not a dress savvy male. But I’ve always approached interviews in dress slacks with a proper button up. Neutral/complimenting colors. Simple tie.

Sure there is some theory that, and I partly can see, that a tie without a suit jacket looks “dumb”. ??‍♂️

I’m a simple person. Have not needed to purchase a suit and financially see no benefit in buying a suit for a few hour interview once every few years.

You will never go wrong wearing a suit. Being UNDERDRESSED is far worse than over dressing. But, ultimately, dress in what makes you confident. They will hire you for your skill/personality, not on a suit (but do put in some effort).

Edited to add that the only job I’ve applied/interviewed for and did not get an offer was as a new grad RN when I made the comment that I hate the focus of healthcare is more on timely administration of ice water/apple juice than actual medical care... as the words were spilling out of my mouth I remember thinking “ah crap, this is over”.

Mr. Southern NP, MSN, APRN, NP · Feb 19, 2020

I went with the suit. After a lot of thought, it seemed most appropriate to dress (as @ToFNPandBeyond said) for a professional position. I think it went over well. It looks highly likely that I could be accepted for the position. Something I plan to negotiate are the terms of orientation salary. They have stated that during the 3 month orientation period, salary is generally around 80k and moves well into the 100-110's after the orientation period. Discussing this amount with other area NPs in the same field (cardiology) and others, even orientation salaries generally start closer to 95k. I plan to at least negotiate to that amount for the orientation period. Bonuses for the practice are based on revenue (understandably so, considering it provides an incentive), but the details of how that is measured and achieved were not discussed. The physician was unable to be present for the interview due to being tied up with an emergency procedure at the hospital. I interviewed with the practice manager and one of the three NPs of the practice. The MD has already contacted me by email to apologize for not being able to be present for the interview and wants me to call him directly to set up a time to meet. I feel pretty comfortable with the description of the position and what the expectations are. They were very up front and transparent with even the potential difficulties of the position. Very unlike my interview with another area cardiology practice. I know this post is a little all over the place, but I just wanted to share my experience.

cardsFNP · Feb 19, 2020

@Mr. Southern NP Thank you for the update and that's great to hear! Do you mind sharing some of the difficulties then mentioned? I wish you luck in the negotiations if they offer you the position.

Dougefresh · Feb 21, 2020

Wear a suit. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. As an RN I worked in a cath lab with a lot of cardiologist in clinic, the overwhelming majority of those guys would dress nice. Most of them at least wore a tie, and several wore suits in clinic. If they say anything, you can always take the tie and jacket off once you arrive, but you can't put it on, if you don't have it.

Last several jobs that I have interviewed and received, I wore a suit.

Mr. Southern NP, MSN, APRN, NP · Mar 5, 2020

Sorry for the long absence, my wife just had our third baby. @proofG the difficulties were I regards to the interaction with the physician and potential travel necessary. They were quite up front and didn’t beat around the bush or sugar coat it. I’m planning to meet with the physician next week.

cardsFNP · Mar 5, 2020

@Mr. Southern NP Congratulations on the newborn! Thank you for the update. It is good to hear how upfront they are about everything. Sounds like a worthwhile practice. Best of luck to you and your family.

LittleMissCardiacRN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Mar 16, 2020

Hi! Do you mind sharing the types of questions you got at the interview? I have a cardiology NP job interview coming up and I’m really nervous. My background is the cardiac ICU as an RN!

Thanks ?

Mr. Southern NP, MSN, APRN, NP · Mar 17, 2020

@LittleMissCardiacRN don’t sweat it too bad. Your work in cardiac ICU has prepared you well for this type of opportunity. The main questions that deviated from the average were along the lines of “how well do you get along with difficult people?”. This question was alluding to the difficulties of working for the particular physician who was hiring.

On another note, I have decided to decline this cardiology job opportunity due to the physician standing me up twice while having me wait for hours in his office. It is apparent he needs the help if he is too busy to set aside a few minutes to speak to a potential candidate for NP with his practice. Also, from discussing the position at length with one of the current NPs, the physician is more loose on the idea of boundaries than I would care to deal with (phone calls, texts, and emails late into the night or at 2-3am with the expectation of response). This particular NP is not married nor has any children and stated it doesn’t bother her too much. If I were single without any children, that would likely be my mindset as well. One of the purposes for my choosing to become a NP was to achieve better life-work balance, not worse. I have been working 16 hour days at my current job and need the normalcy of shorter hours, even if it is 5 days a week.

Sorry for going on a bit of a rant about my situation, hopefully I didn’t increase your anxiety about the interview. Like I said before, your position has prepared you for this. They would be highly unlikely to drill you on specific procedures or medications. It’s just an interview. Remember you are interviewing them as well to determine if you feel the position will be a good fit and you will feel comfortable with the described job requirements. Good luck to you.

LittleMissCardiacRN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Mar 17, 2020

Thanks for sharing! I just ask because this is my second NP interview and the first one was for an FNP role.

Did you end up taking another cardiology position instead? It seems like you dodged a bullet with this position!