Trying to get hard-to-get job.. need advice

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Hi all... I just posted this message in "Nursing Career Advice" but decided to post it here also, since the topic is an outpatient surgery position. :)

I've been a med surge nurse for going on two years now, and have worked on that very med-surge unit for six. I'm rather burned out on both med-surge, and the hours that I work (either 7p-7a or 11p-7a, it kinda varies).

I just applied for and have interviewed for, a job that I feel is right up my alley. It is nothing short of an **AWESOME** sounding job, and the type of job that probably every nurse is scrambling to find. It's a job in my hospital's outpatient surgery department, as the P.A.T. nurse. (and I've actually forgotten at the moment what P.A.T. stands for!) Basically, my job would be to see patients five days before they come to the hospital to have their surgery, and go over different things with them. I'd take their medical histories, do physicals, do blood draws, do EKG's, send them for chest x-rays... and then send them home.

When I'm having a slow day without a lot of appointments set up, I would help out admitting and assessing the patients who are having outpatient surgery THAT day, or I would help out in the recovery room.

The hours are wonderful... 8am-4:30 pm, five days a week, with call one day a week. It just really sounds like a fantastic job that i would really enjoy. The problem is that it's just one of those REALLY competitive positions. I do have certain things going for me; one I already work in the hospital. Plus, I know rather well and am friends with several people who work in the surgical department. I have a lot of experience with surgical patients. I'm very familiar with my hospital's computer charting and EMAR systems; the outpt surgery dept. doesn't even have these in use yet but they WILL in the near future, and then I will be an excellent resource person and I was quick to point that out to my interviewer. =)

The problems? Well, mainly I've only been a nurse for two years, and this is the type of job usually given to nurses with tons of experience who have "paid their dues". You know? Plus, I kinda wonder if I really would need a BSN for this job because it requires a lot of teaching; although I would have thought that my interviewer would have already pointed that out to me??

Anyway, do you all have any thoughts? Any of you been lucky enough to land a job like this early on? What could I do to increase my chances of getting the job? When I've interviewed for jobs in the past, sometimes I've sent the interviewer a little thank-you card. I could do that I suppose, and maybe even send a small gift, like a little bag of candy or something? What else? I've thought about perhaps a recommendation letter or two, although I'm not sure who to have write them! I think asking my current manager to write it would be a tad awkward, although if I just explained to her what a fantastic opportunity it would be for me, and also explained that I really want a day shift job as well... maybe? Who else could I ask? Former instructors? One of my friends who is an RN and has a rather important job working for state government as an RN case manager?

Again, any thoughts are appreciated.... thanks!!

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Hi all... I just posted this message in "Nursing Career Advice" but decided to post it here also, since the topic is an outpatient surgery position. :)

I've been a med surge nurse for going on two years now, and have worked on that very med-surge unit for six. I'm rather burned out on both med-surge, and the hours that I work (either 7p-7a or 11p-7a, it kinda varies).

I just applied for and have interviewed for, a job that I feel is right up my alley. It is nothing short of an **AWESOME** sounding job, and the type of job that probably every nurse is scrambling to find. It's a job in my hospital's outpatient surgery department, as the P.A.T. nurse. (and I've actually forgotten at the moment what P.A.T. stands for!) Basically, my job would be to see patients five days before they come to the hospital to have their surgery, and go over different things with them. I'd take their medical histories, do physicals, do blood draws, do EKG's, send them for chest x-rays... and then send them home.

When I'm having a slow day without a lot of appointments set up, I would help out admitting and assessing the patients who are having outpatient surgery THAT day, or I would help out in the recovery room.

The hours are wonderful... 8am-4:30 pm, five days a week, with call one day a week. It just really sounds like a fantastic job that i would really enjoy. The problem is that it's just one of those REALLY competitive positions. I do have certain things going for me; one I already work in the hospital. Plus, I know rather well and am friends with several people who work in the surgical department. I have a lot of experience with surgical patients. I'm very familiar with my hospital's computer charting and EMAR systems; the outpt surgery dept. doesn't even have these in use yet but they WILL in the near future, and then I will be an excellent resource person and I was quick to point that out to my interviewer. =)

The problems? Well, mainly I've only been a nurse for two years, and this is the type of job usually given to nurses with tons of experience who have "paid their dues". You know? Plus, I kinda wonder if I really would need a BSN for this job because it requires a lot of teaching; although I would have thought that my interviewer would have already pointed that out to me??

Anyway, do you all have any thoughts? Any of you been lucky enough to land a job like this early on? What could I do to increase my chances of getting the job? When I've interviewed for jobs in the past, sometimes I've sent the interviewer a little thank-you card. I could do that I suppose, and maybe even send a small gift, like a little bag of candy or something? What else? I've thought about perhaps a recommendation letter or two, although I'm not sure who to have write them! I think asking my current manager to write it would be a tad awkward, although if I just explained to her what a fantastic opportunity it would be for me, and also explained that I really want a day shift job as well... maybe? Who else could I ask? Former instructors? One of my friends who is an RN and has a rather important job working for state government as an RN case manager?

Again, any thoughts are appreciated.... thanks!!

Hi, I am going for a similar position (interviewing this Monday). You should send a thank you letter- keep it professional. I WOULD NOT send

any type of gift/candy. Is this the only interview or do you go on to round two? Scarlett,LPN

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So glad you are not from my state...for a moment I thought we were competing for the same job...just kidding. See my earlier post. I am curious, though, have they discussed pay with you. I'm trying to find any info about outpatient RN hourly pay? Good luck to you.

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