Stretching the truth...

[FaithGurl93]

When I apply for nursing positions that ask for nurses who have experience I use my years of clinicals and volunteering. Does that count? or does the experience have to be actually working a job?

[loriangel14, RN]

If you know you are "stretching the truth" you know it's wrong.Why would you think clinicals could be construed as "nursing experience"?

[FaithGurl93]

I thought it was since clinicals is preparing you do the skills that you'll be using once you start working. To me it is experience but it may not be the experience that employers are looking for

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Preparing you for nursing is education, and hopefully/theoretically ALL schools do that for professional education.It is not the same as performing those skills independantly, using one's own judgement, day in and day out.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Sorry, but clinicals are not experience. Neither is caring for a family member, though you can certainly bring both up in the interview.

Volunteer work is work experience, but you need to be very clear that it is volunteer/unpaid work. A lot of facilities only consider paid experience (read: from a paying nursing job) for the purposes of fulfilling the "X years of nursing experience" requirement. So don't think that volunteer work could substitute for a year of paid RN/LVN experience. But volunteer work could help strengthen an otherwise skimpy new grad resume.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

If clinicals counted as "experience" then every new grad would have experience too. And the ground would be just as level as it is now.

[njmomstudent]

I did put my clinical experience on my resume, but labeled it as such, with the name of the hospital, the area, and how long. I list my true work experience totally separate. Alot of BSN programs have their students in one area, but at our school we rotated everywhere through our 4 semesters which I am extremely thankful for. I wouldn't dare try to put it as work experience. In my cover letter I write a tiny bit about our actual duties for clinical and how many patients we were responsible for. Luckily my instructor gave us 5 patients each the last semester and I feel comfortable transitioning from student to nurse, and I definitely mention that in my cover letter.

[NP Sam]

Nurses should NEVER "stretch the truth" in any situation! That threatens your license and makes the rest of us look bad. I know we are only talking about clinicals during school, but don't do this in the future. That is not experience although I did mention it in my resume when I listed it in the description of my BSN program.

[FaithGurl93]

wow RN Sam. I never thought of if like that...thanks :)

[Merlyn]

If clinicals counted as "experience" then every new grad would have experience too. And the ground would be just as level as it is now.

And if pigs had wings they could fly. Maybe for gynecologic experience I should have put my time with Jane Kawalski underneath the back porch. Experience means working by yourself,not having a teacher there to hold your hand, for money. Period

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

To add to everything that's been said: There is no "stretching the truth." The truth is found out as soon as they see your graduation date. On the other hand, to hide the grad date and present clinicals as work experience would be an outright lie.

[FaithGurl93]

And if pigs had wings they could fly. Maybe for gynecologic experience I should have put my time with Jane Kawalski underneath the back porch. Experience means working by yourself,not having a teacher there to hold your hand, for money. Period

Geesh okay I understand. IT DOESN'T COUNT. Alright

[Merlyn]

Geesh okay I understand. IT DOESN'T COUNT. Alright

Alright.