Starting my last semester, would I be crazy to apply now between break?

[Xlorgguss]

Hi all! I am just about to finish my third semester and will be starting my last semester of nursing school in a few weeks. Naturally I am chomping at the bit and I'm curious to see if it would be reasonable to start sending out my resume and apply for jobs starting in January. I officially graduate in mid May. It does seem a bit early to me, but as they say, the early bird gets the worm. In my geographic area there is 5+ nursing schools and we will all have graduates at the same time. I have the fortune of already working for one of the hospital systems in my area. Unfortunately, I don't really want to stay at my current hospital, but would rather go to the larger one our system or the large academic hospital across town. I have had experience as a PCT for nearly 1.5 years (come February through two different hospitals). Many students have job offers lined up before they graduate. From my understanding the vast majority of our last graduating class had job offers prior to graduation. There is a residency type program that I have looked into applying for and they start taking applications in January. So by preparing for that, I will already have my resume ready. Would it be crazy to apply for new graduate (specifically the job title) positions so early? Would the worst case scenario be that they tell me to reapply in a few months? Is applying too early discouraged?

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

I'm also curious to know (although I'm graduating in a couple weeks). I heard that it depends on the area you live in. Obviously, new grad programs are usually applied ahead of time, but in my area many hospitals won't look at your resume unless you have your license.

[NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN]

Contact the hospital recruiters and ask when you should apply. Our local recruiters actually visited our class about a month into our 4th semester and told us when and how to apply. The recruiters are very helpful. Just be professional at all times. A recruiter once told me that a great number of students don't seem to realize that every contact they have is an interview.

[chtzu, BSN, RN]

Most of the new grad programs opened up in the middle of my last semester so I'm not even sure there would be much for you to apply to. The PCT is definitely going to help you, though. Most of the them in my class were the first to have jobs. I would call the hospitals you're interested in and ask an estimate of when their applications for new grads open.

[mefifome]

Start early in your search! The market will get saturated quickly. Definitely apply to the RN residency program in your area. Some may be competitive, but like you say, you will already have your resume ready to go, in case those don't come through. I would also recommend finding RN hiring events/job fairs to get your resume directly in front of nurse recruiters. Ask for their business card and continue building the relationship/follow-up after the event. Sometimes nursing conferences invite hospital recruiters. Do all the leg work you can NOW and prepare as though you already have an interview (i.e. look at area hospitals/reports cards to determine where YOU want to work). Start formulating responses to potential interview questions using the STAR method of behavioral-based questions. The interview and hiring process can take 2-3 months in the best of circumstances. Best of luck to you!

[Xlorgguss]

Start early in your search! The market will get saturated quickly. Definitely apply to the RN residency program in your area. Some may be competitive, but like you say, you will already have your resume ready to go, in case those don't come through. I would also recommend finding RN hiring events/job fairs to get your resume directly in front of nurse recruiters. Ask for their business card and continue building the relationship/follow-up after the event. Sometimes nursing conferences invite hospital recruiters. Do all the leg work you can NOW and prepare as though you already have an interview (i.e. look at area hospitals/reports cards to determine where YOU want to work). Start formulating responses to potential interview questions using the STAR method of behavioral-based questions. The interview and hiring process can take 2-3 months in the best of circumstances. Best of luck to you!

Thank you! I actually just finished my resume and my CNL is looking it over right now. Both she and the manager of my floor told me I would have a job waiting for me if I wanted it. If I don't get into the ICU or stepdown, I'll definitely stay.

[amb218, BSN, RN]

Hi there!! Definitely start job searching early even if you don't start putting in applications until later. For many residency programs, you must have specific recommendations, write essays, etc. The information with everything you need to submit is usually on the website and you can always call HR for more information. It's a good idea to start looking at the websites early because sometimes these applications are only open for a few days due to the high amount of applications. For example, my residency program application was only open for 4 days in early February! Some of my friends I graduated with applied to programs as early as October/November. You really have nothing to lose by starting early! Best of luck!!

[SEAtransplant]

I am from the St Louis area, there are 3 major systems in this area. They all drop their residency/new grad postings 3-4 months before graduation. I know one residency operates on a first come, first serve basis. On the other hand the magnet hospitals in the area wait to interview all applicants, students who graduated last month did not hear whether or not they received an offer until a week before graduation. I say apply now!

[pmabraham, BSN, RN]

Our December 2016 graduating class was told to start sending out job applications in mid to late October (approximately 2 months prior to graduation). Most of us who followed that suggestion got interviews, and a number of us our first RN job. So if you send out 2 to 3 months prior to graduation, that should be fine. I do recommend including on the application your anticipated NCLEX date (it can be as simple as month and year).