RN Residency Essay

Sour Lemon · May 21, 2018

I will be applying for an RN residency program this coming summer and I wanted to get a head start on my essay so I won't be scrambling to get it done at the last minute. I was just wondering if you guys would mind proof reading and providing any tips on ways to improve the essay. It has to have three things- our top three choices of where I would like to work, why I'd be a good fit, and my goals for the future. Any help wound be appreciated! I feel like my first and last paragraph are iffy, but think my second paragraph is good!
To start off, I want to list my top three choices of specialties I would like to work in should I get accepted into the residency program. My very first and top choice is Labor and Delivery. It has always been my dream and goal to become a labor and delivery nurse, so that is where I'm hoping to be placed. My second choice is adult psych. As for my third choice, it would be surgery.
I have been working as an LPN since August of 2016, and since then I have gained experience in a long-term care facility and experience in home care. It's because of this experience that I believe I will be a good fit for (insert facility name here) because I am able to connect with my patients. I have learned how to not only listen to what they are saying, but to also assess their body language and nonverbal communication. I believe I will be an asset to (facility name) because I have a strong work ethic and a passion for my patients. I bring enthusiasm for this profession, the ability to work well with my colleagues and healthcare team, and a love of learning that will continue in my career as an RN. I come to work with a positive attitude and the desire to uplift those around me, whether it be patients or other staff. Given the chance, I will work hard with your nursing team and deliver my best efforts to provide quality care for the patients. I have only heard positive remarks about your healthcare system during my clinical rotations and from current and former employees. I hope to be a permanent part of your staff after the conclusion of this program.
My future goals revolve around becoming a labor and delivery nurse, as this is where I am most passionate. In the near future, I plan to get my BSN and become an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant. In our area, there are not many resources for women to turn to for breastfeeding. I hope to be able to change that so that more women are given the opportunity and education to have a successful breastfeeding journey. As for my career goals, I am focused on becoming a L&D nurse and excelling in that area.

Well, those are three very different specialties ...and your prior experience is very different from all three specialties, as well. I would work on tying things together and elaborating on why you're drawn to psych and OR as second and third choices.

arinichole29 · May 21, 2018

Thank you for your response! Here's my dilemma- I am truly not interested in anything else other than labor and delivery. We have done clinicals in all areas of the hospital, and in even more places when I was doing LPN clinicals a few years ago. So I've had a little bit of "experience" in just about every area, and the only thing I want to do is L&D. I don't want to say that in my essay (even though I kind of did) because I don't want them to think I will be a bad employee if I don't get L&D. I will work hard wherever they put me, but my dream is of course L&D. So I'm not sure how to spice up my essay without sounding obsessive over L&D, but by also stating my passion for it.

Sour Lemon · May 22, 2018

Thank you for your response! Here's my dilemma- I am truly not interested in anything else other than labor and delivery. We have done clinicals in all areas of the hospital, and in even more places when I was doing LPN clinicals a few years ago. So I've had a little bit of "experience" in just about every area, and the only thing I want to do is L&D. I don't want to say that in my essay (even though I kind of did) because I don't want them to think I will be a bad employee if I don't get L&D. I will work hard wherever they put me, but my dream is of course L&D. So I'm not sure how to spice up my essay without sounding obsessive over L&D, but by also stating my passion for it.

I get that, but if they don't pick you up for L&D, you might be blowing your chances at any other department. They usually have different hiring managers. Are there residencies available in areas that might be a little bit more related to L&D? ...NICU, Mother and Baby, etc.?

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · May 22, 2018

Thank you for your response! Here's my dilemma- I am truly not interested in anything else other than labor and delivery. We have done clinicals in all areas of the hospital, and in even more places when I was doing LPN clinicals a few years ago. So I've had a little bit of "experience" in just about every area, and the only thing I want to do is L&D.

Be careful here. Your goal as a new nurse should be to develop a competent and safe practice. It takes a year to figure out how to practice safely, and competence probably comes with another 6 months to a year.

If you ONLY want L&D, then you should be casting a very wide net, joining the L&D nursing group, considering employment at a busy public hospital where they're not sending nurses home due to low census. Three of my classmates landed in L&D right out of school. One practices in a rural area, the other two did their cornerstones at the public hospital L&D unit.

You need to give specific examples of how your LPN experience will help in all three of the fields.

Finally- a nurse residency program is worth more than a position in your dream job that won't help you learn to practice safely. I wish you the best of luck, and I know that your LPN experience will be a blessing anywhere you go!

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 23, 2018

I get that, but if they don't pick you up for L&D, you might be blowing your chances at any other department. They usually have different hiring managers. Are there residencies available in areas that might be a little bit more related to L&D? ...NICU, Mother and Baby, etc.?

This x 100. Being so limited in what you want to do will not improve your hiring chances: they're not going to read that as "oh, this is OP's life passion so we MUST give OP a L&D job!!!" If anything, it'll just keep you unemployed longer because since you won't consider anything else, they won't consider you for anything else.

Many nurses do not land in their dream specialty right out of the gate, but work their way over to them. So be willing to apply to other specialties--related or not-so-relaated--so you start getting RN experience. Then in a year or two, if L&D is still your passion, start working your way over towards it.

PiperLambie, MSN, APRN · May 23, 2018

While I am not an LPN, nor did I have any experience prior to nursing school, I am five months into a nurse residency program (NRP), and thought I'd chime in, though I am afraid that I may be a bit long-winded. I did not start nursing school until I was 32, and I entered an accelerated BSN program that had me done pretty much a year and change later. That said, I have a ton of life experience from my prior career of 13+ years. Also, the residency programs in my area (Nashville) are highly competitive. Since healthcare is the Nashville region's primary industry, it's tough to spit without hitting a nurse, nursing student, or aspiring nursing student. The big three companies vying for nurse residents in my area are TriStar (HCA-largest private hospital corporation in the world, headquartered in Nashville), Vanderbilt, and St. Thomas (Ascension-largest Catholic hospital corporation in the United States). I only mention all of this so that you can know where I am coming from with my experience in the process, which ultimately led to me being successful in securing a position in my preferred specialty area.

It is important to determine a couple of things:

First, what is your absolute, number one choice? Mine was ED. It seems that you are set on L&D, and that's awesome! I know that L&D is one of the most sought after specialty areas in the big three nurse residency programs in my area; further, this is probably true in most programs across the nation. I hope you get it, and it makes you as happy as my choice made me.

Second, and much more important than your first choice, since many NRPs require your top three, what other two areas would you be okay with working in for at least two years (the minimum time contract commitment to an NRP) to gain experience before working toward your preferred area? In my case, the other two areas I really liked from nursing school were psych and perioperative. HOWEVER, the two areas that I put down were perioperative and ICU.

You might be asking why I didn't put down psych as one of my two, and if you aren't then you should be now, because this is an important strategy. There is a large need for psych RNs all over. If I would have put down psych as one of my top three, when the application reviewers got together I would have immediately been sorted to that specialty just because there are so few applicants. I know this because one of the HR recruiters thought they heard me say I liked psych, and they were still calling me after I had accepted a job in the ED at my current facility. Yes, this happens- the directors sit and divvy up people before and after interviews, and they do it by their need, not by your heart-set desire. Choose two areas that would be acceptable to you; two areas that you could live with waking up and working the 36 hours a week required of you for as long as two years before you could transfer. If you don't want Med/Surg and you put it down, guess what there is a good chance you're going to get? Exactly. If you can research the needs of the facilities in your area to which you are applying, you can play this part of the game.

Now we can get to the next part of things, which I believe is your original question, the cover letter/essay. I used to be a manager that did a lot of hiring and firing in my previous life, and I've read my fair share of cover letters from prospective employees. All of those things they taught you about structure, grammar, and word choice are all true, and the cover letter can influence the hiring team's opinion of your commitment to the application process without ever meeting you. Introduce yourself, and absolutely talk yourself up- but don't misrepresent your experience and credentials. Everyone knows there is a little stretching going on, so make sure you toe the line there. Talk about your experience, both in healthcare and outside, and why that helps you to be ready as a new RN in their specific NRP.

More importantly than why you'd be a good RN, since nursing school and the NCLEX are fairly standardized across nursing education, make sure the reasons why you would be a good member of their team are clear. The NRPs and department directors want good team members that are going to collaborate, get along, and work together. The letter should be customized to each individual NRP/facility, and discuss why you think that their specific program would be a good fit for you. In other words, do your homework and don't just pump out a generic cover letter.

The interview process is typically pretty structured across programs, and should include a peer interview as well as a management interview. My particular peer interview at the facility I received an offer in-specialty to was not with ED nurses, however my manager interview was with the ED manager (the other was a med/surg manager)- that is how I knew they were serious about my application, because the ED will only take residents if one of the managers from the department interviews. This is why it's important to know what your other two areas are, and be okay with getting a spot in one of them.

The bottom line is that this is a tough decision, but you have to measure your desire of specialty area over your desire to start gaining some experience in the NRP regardless of specialty area. I went into things knowing that it was more important to me to work at the facility I am at than in the area, and it was just icing- yes, tons of tasty sweet icing- when I also got offered the specialty, but nothing was certain. The cover letter was absolutely one of my strong points- I know because my manager told me. Don't underestimate the importance, and utilize the myriad resources and examples out there to help you craft the letter that works for YOU.

Whew, I told you it would be long-winded, but hopefully there is something helpful to you in here based on my personal experiences. If not, I had a fun time reliving the process through this journaling. If you have any questions, aside from "couldn't you have made that shorter" (No), feel free to reach out, and best of luck to you!