Rehab hosp asked me to shadow for 1 1/2 hrs and meet afterwards

[heartsgal, ADN, RN]

I'm a new grad and went today for what I thought would be an interview with the CNO after meeting her last week on a cold call (front desk lady remembered me from a job fair 2 months ago and let me back to see her). However it was actually the CNO, the HR mgr. and the nursing mgr. who all interviewed me (is this a panel interview?) They said they would get back to me on Monday with a decision and then the HR mgr called me 2 hrs later and asked if I could come next Wed (today is Thurs) and shadow a floor nurse for 1 1/2 hrs. She said afterwards I would sit down and meet with them again and talk. I of course said absolutely, but I'm wondering what are they hoping to find out after an hour and a half of shadowing? I presume they want to know if I think I will be able to handle a 7-10 pt ratio and if I get along well with other staff members, since we discussed those topics in my interview. So what else could they learn from such a short time of shadowing, or is this just a formality? I've searched through the forums and can't find many threads that pertain to my situation.

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

I went to an interview yesterday and was then scheduled for a peer interview immediatly followed by shadowing a nurse on the floor for 4 hours on Monday during the time frame the position I applied for is on. The NM said she wanted me to shadow so that I could get a feel for the floor, the workings of that floor, and if it would be something I'd like to do. Since i'm not a current employee of the hospital or student of the college, I won't be allowed to really do anything but watch because of liability etc.

The way I see it the shadowing can be two fold, they can look to see how you function, how do you interact with patients and other staff etc, do you appear at ease or very tense and nervous and you get to see the inner workings of the unit, the personality of the unit and the other employees, the types of cases and patients etc . An interviewer telling you about the position is nice but actually seeing and being a part (shadowing) of it gives you a bigger picture. I think the NM is hoping if the unit scares me, isn't something I want to do etc that I'll be honest enough to tell her. Instead of being offered the job, taking it and then getting into it and realizing its not at all what i want to be doing and leave them. Putting them right back in the same position of having to look for a replacement. I need a job desperatly but in all honesty, if the unit scares me (its a specality floor), I'll tell her. The last thing I want to do is take a position that scares the beejeebees out of me and leave, I always leave my 'bridges' standing and in great shape if you know what I mean. The NM said if the unit isn't my cup of tea, she would be more than happy and willing to forward my resume and a good word to a unit that may be more suited for me. Which I thought was really nice. She won't 'black' mark me because her unit isn't something for me.

Wishing us BOTH the best of luck next week.

[heartsgal, ADN, RN]

Thanks Pixie. What a perfect description of why they ask us to shadow and it helped me have a clearer picture in my head. The HR Mgr. called right after my interview and we had discussed the 8-9 average patient load for the RNs there during my interview. The CNO said she wanted to be honest with me so I would have a clear understanding of the expectations. They also asked me if there was anything I was afraid or worried about concerning this position towards the end of the interview. My reply was that honestly I am somewhat worried about caring for 8-9 pts adequately since the most I had in clinical was 3, but that the nurses on the floor always told me it would be tough at first like it is for all new grads, but I would adapt quickly. I was mainly curious why they asked me to shadow for only 1 - 1 1/2 hours, when I read on AN that most are asked to shadow for 6-8 hrs or longer. Maybe they just want to see how I click with the staff more than anything. I have a very outgoing and gregarious nature, but I will dial it back a few clicks because I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to hard and Lord knows I tend to ramble more than usual when I'm nervous. Good luck to you too! :)