Recent grad advice for future students

Published

Hello all, I just wanted to share a little bit of advice for current and future students out there. I just graduated from a generic ADN program, I had no prior hospital or medical experience but with 3 other nurses in the family I decided to go for nursing. The best advice I can give all is to study everything, take your clinical experiences seriously and try to get into a hospital during school as a tech/CNA/student nurse.

I tried to get into a hospital as a student nurse in the summer before my final semester as the reality of no experience other than nursing school started to set in and many of my classmates were already working in hospitals as CNAs/PCTs which greatly increased their chances of finding a good job post-graduation. I had no luck finding anything but I made sure through the entire program that I was always prepared for lecture and clinicals and remained in the top 3 students with my grades for the entire program.

In my final semester I was always buried in a text book and I made sure to do as much as possible and be as helpful as possible during clinicals. We were on a medical/telemetry floor at a well-respected local hospital and I quickly realized this was the facility where I wanted to work. When the time came for practicum I was the only student to request the night shift because I knew the floor was hiring for that shift, I made sure all of the nurses knew I was interested in working there and jumped at every opportunity available to practice skills and let it be known that I was not afraid to jump in and be part of the team. I worked hard and in the last minutes of my nursing school clinicals (around 730am, end of my last night shift) the director of the floor called me in to her office and told me she had heard great things from my instructor and several of the night staff. I let her know how enthusiastic I felt about the facility and she told me to let her know when I was licensed because they still had 2 spots to fill and she wanted to be selective with who was hired.

Jump forward 2 weeks to graduation/pinning - as I left the school for the last time I received a phone call as I was leaving the parking lot from the director of the floor asking me to interview the next day. I prepared myself for the interview and it went smoothly, 1 day after graduation I had an official job offer and now I am just waiting to take my NCLEX.

If you can get into a hospital then do it ASAP, but if you can't and you don't have any experience then out work everyone else and good things will happen.

Good luck to all the future grads.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you for the advice and congratulations!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

how about other positions in the hospital like catering attendant or patient service attendant? Would these help? Or consider doing some volunteer work? My last clinical placement went fine and I received some great feedbacks from the staff and clinical instructor, some of them did mention I should come back and work alongside them after graduating (But I was so dumb that I did not ask them to be my referee), so I'm thinking about some ways to stay in contact with them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Skilled Nursing/Rehab.

You will learn more about how a hospital unit works by working as a CNA/PCT there during school than you will by working in any other capacity. If no CNA positions are available, other areas would at least give you a chance to interact with nursing staff. When it comes time to get hired, it really helps if people (nurses and nurse managers) at the hospital know you and know about your work ethic.

To the OP - congratulations! How exciting!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Med-surg.

Congratulations on graduating! Thank you for the tips!!!

Could you pass along exactly how you studied for last semester exams and NCLEX? That will help me

greatly since I'm going into my last semester and super nervous about how to approach it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Im another advocate for working as a nursing assistant in a hospital during / before school.

It gives you exposure to the acute care environment, it allows you to learn things they can't teach in school (or in such a short amount of time bedside while a student). You also have a GREAT opportunity to network and hopefully get a job when you graduate.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Do you think volunteering and being proactive during clinicals will help you stand out in some way if a person did not have previous work experience in healthcare?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in None yet..

Congratulations on your academic achievements and good work in clinicals. Thank you for the inspiring story! I don't have the previous experience, just three months as a CNA before nursing school, so your story gave me hope. Do you have any tips about getting a nurse tech job over summer break?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree. It's a great way to get your foot in the door. I worked in a hospital before I even started school and stayed there while in school. I had a job waiting on me when I graduated. Now I just have to get my temp license and the take boards and I'll be ready to go!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Congratulations and thanks for the advice!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion