RN residency/ extern-ship or just apply for a job

[main]

This has probably been asked already, sorry, I am new around here :) I will be graduating soon and I am weighing all my options. What are my best options? I really need to be paid, but I want to apply to FNP program after a year or two of experience. Some of these residency programs look very impressive, as they are attached to big University Hospitals in big metropolitan areas. I'm sure they look good on a resume and provide valuable experience for a newbie, but many also come with commitments and I am not sure about the pay. Is all this really needed? Some have told it's not necessary and that any place I hire out at will show me the ropes. For those that have done it, why? For those that have not done it, why not? How did it go either way?

[PediLove2147, BSN, RN]

I am a new grad as well and although I would like to do a residency program (I am attracted to the support you receive) a lot of the hospitals in my area have closed such programs due to cost.

[Bobbkat]

I ended up at a hospital that takes part in the UHC/AACN residency program. All new grad BSN hires are automatically entered into the program at my facility, though there wasn't a specific application for it on the site. I applied and interviewed for a position, got the position, and therefore was entered into the program because I was a new grad. I don't have any specific commitments to the program or hospital, and the pay is the same as any other new grad at the hospital (ADN's and BSN's make the same, but only BSN's are in the residency program).

I hadn't thought about whether it will look good on my resume, to tell the truth. I figure that when I redo my resume to reflect my new experience it will say (date-date) XYZ Hospital, ABC Unit RN. I guess I could add another line that would specifically outline my experience in the residency program too, but I wonder if it would look redundant since it is at the same facility and unit?

[ReWritten]

I graduated in May... I started applying for jobs/residencies around February. I wanted to go into a residency program, but they are overwhelmed with applicants, and some programs only take about 10 people, that it almost seemed pointless to apply to them (that's just my opinion).

When June came, I just applied to open positions and was recently hired to one. My coworkers are pretty supportive and knowledgeable, so I feel like I'm getting decent on the job training now.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

There are specific benefits associated with formal new grad programs (residency, externship, etc). The biggest benefit is that you are part of a cohort of people undergoing a similar experience - providing one another with mutual support for a stressful time. Another benefit is the structured learning environment. These programs have an established curriculum that includes both classroom and on-unit time... and there is very little likelihood that this schedule will be derailed because census is up or someone called in and you have to take a full patient load.

But I think that the ultimate benefit is that you 'belong' to the program for a while and are usually not counted in department staffing, so the unexpected events in the department do not have the power to completely derail your orientation (e.g., high census, call-ins, preceptor absence, etc).

[Bobbkat]

The above sounds more like my orientation than my residency program. Our residency program involves a once a month meeting with our cohort. Orientation for me was unit specific and involved classroom/unit time.