References in your job experience

[PeachTea7, BSN]

Hello everyone,

I am curious about how other nurses use job references in the job application process. I have been working as an RN on a Medical-Surgical floor and our supervisor is leaving our unit to work in another area of the hospital that she loves. How do you ask someone who is no longer your supervisor but knows you well to be your reference, especially after many months or years have passed?

Do you stay in touch with your personal references and job references so they can give an accurate and updated representation of who you are as a nurse? Nurses in general change jobs very often. . . how do you keep up with your job references? Please HELP!

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

19 minutes ago, NurseChester88 said:

Nurses in general change jobs very often. . . how do you keep up with your job references?

How often are you looking for a new job? If you are looking every few years, then update your references to people that can accurately judge your current level of skills. Using someone that you have not worked with in several years does not hold much weight as someone that you currently work with.

My hierarchy of references is: physicians--> NNPs-->charge nurses-->co-workers. I would rarely use a co-worker because they would be the most bias. My current Reference list contains 3 Neonatologists and a charge nurse.

[PeachTea7, BSN]

On 7/31/2020 at 1:17 PM, NICU Guy said:

How often are you looking for a new job? If you are looking every few years, then update your references to people that can accurately judge your current level of skills. Using someone that you have not worked with in several years does not hold much weight as someone that you currently work with.

My hierarchy of references is: physicians--> NNPs-->charge nurses-->co-workers. I would rarely use a co-worker because they would be the most bias. My current Reference list contains 3 Neonatologists and a charge nurse.

I am a little under my first year of nursing experience and would like to apply for a better job. I thought about asking my current supervisor but she left for another unit. So, now it feels like starting from zero with a new supervisor if I were planning on changing my job in the next several months.

I never considered physicians before for job references. Thank you so much for your input!