S.O.S.......How did you find your first NP job?

Gator FNP · May 27, 2009

You are doing fine. Check the hospital websites daily for job additions, check the local newspaper in Birmingham daily. Does your local NP organ. have a website for jobs?

FYI-if you leave a CV, you do not need to leave a resume as well. The CV is used for those of us with higher levels of education.

I recently changed positions and I wanted to work in a hospital system this time, this is what I did.

Good luck!

TPfan24 · May 27, 2009

I recommend registering with the free online site indeed.com for daily updates. This site searches many sites for you. Good luck!!

allnurses Guide · May 27, 2009

I found my first job (starting 7/3!) on my state's Dept. of Unemployment website. Suprisingly, they had a whole bunch of NP jobs listed. I also recommend indeed.com and Craig's List.

Best of luck to you!

nurselele05 · Jun 3, 2009

If you are interested in a specialty practice look in the local yellow pages and call to ask if they are hiring. It an odd tactic but it worked for me.

Sheri FNP-C · Jun 3, 2009

I mailed resumes to almost every ad in the paper unless I was 100% certain I would not be interested. I was surprised to find a couple positions that I thought would be dreadful actually sounded okay once I found out more about them at the interview. Also, even if they position requests a certain experience you don't have, still apply. If a cardiologist can't find the right candidate with experience, they may consider the new grad with extensive interest in cardiology expressed through a well written cover letter.

If you work at a hospital or other institution with many physicians around, make sure you tell everyone you know that you passed the NP certification exam (and even better if it is in earshot of others that you don't know well enough to announce your accomplishment to!)

My dilemma was that I got more than one offer at once by extensively circulating my resume. Trying to sort them out and decide if I should wait for the one position I really, really wanted but hadn't gotten an offer for was very stressful.

Ultimately, I narrowed it down to 1 position that I applied to in the paper which advertised experienced only need apply (I just explained in my cover letter that I had extensive nursing experience even though I was a new grad) and a position that a doctor at the hospital approached me about when they heard I was a new grad. So, both of my methods worked equally well. I plan to accept one of them today!!!!

Good luck!

middlekane · Jun 4, 2009

I heard about a position which asked for two years of experience. I wrote the contact person and explained that while I was a new grad, I aspired to work in community health and gave a brief synopsis of my experiences and goals. Got an interview and offer within weeks. It was actually pretty easy. What helped was having concrete experiences to indicate that my interest was genuine and that, assuming I felt comfortable there, was hoping to find a long term fit. They didn't think they'd put in extensive effort in training me only to have me leave. I also had very little RN work experience, but it was in a similar setting. Good luck!

JDCitizen · Jun 6, 2009

After I passed boards I still was working in the hospital as a floor nurse. I had a bad night and a doctor I liked was making rounds so I asked if his practice was hiring NPs and three weeks later had my first NP job....

I have to say it was not my last NP job but I took the dive and that helped...

- Try contacting the doctors who know you (they may know other doctors).

- You may want to contact the local hospitals HR department they may have some insight...

Going out to the practices as you did should have at a minimum showed your fortitude as well as you professionalism... I believe the personal approach is a much better and more professional approach than phone calls, emails and snail-mail.

All in all it looks like you are doing all you can do.