Washington Hospital Center July 2011

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Hi I am wondering if anyone has heard anything about Washington Hospital Center or any other DC hospitals that are having a Summer 2011 New Nurse Residency program? Thanks in Advance!

Where are you from Y.Not.ask?

No idea about the BSN vs Associates or GPA !!! Sorry !!

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Hey all,

Congrats to everyone who got a interview all ready!! I am really hoping to work in the ED and got a response today asking me for my preferences. The ED was not listed as an available choice, so I was wondering if those who had already expressed interest about the ED had been given it as a choice or if they had just decided to write it in.

I really want a job here so I didn't know whether it was better to reply asking for the ED or pick ones that had listed.

Thanks for your help!

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Specializes in Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN).

On 4/18, my email said:

"Opportunites are available in Med/Surg, Cardiac, ED, IMC, Post Partum areas: (all positions are full-time day/night rotating)"

Note that Oncology was not on that list. I wrote back and asked if it was OK to ask for Oncology too, and they said yes. So my choices were (1) IMC; (2) ED; (3) Oncology.

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Hi! My order of preference was 1. Med/surg 2. Cardiac. 3. IMC...and, no, I don't think they interview "just everyone" lol. Although, according to the other threads they do hire a lot of new grads which is great for us!

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Specializes in Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN).

Is WHC only hiring BSN grads?

I've been told that WHC wants to become a Magnet hospital in DC, like Georgetown Univ Hospital, and Children's National Med Center. To do so, you have to (among other things) have a certain %age of BSN prepared nurses on staff. And each time you come up for Magnet review, that %age needs to go up. Research also shows that hospitals with an increased %age of BSN prepared nurses = fewer adverse events and shorter length of stay. So WHC wants BSN prepared nurses.

But only BSN new grads? If that were true, I think they would have said so in their job posting.

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Specializes in CVSICU.

I was hired with the April cohort and there was an ADN with us, so definitely not just BSN! :)

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Specializes in Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN).
I was hired with the April cohort and there was an ADN with us, so definitely not just BSN! :)

Congratulations on your new job! When you interviewed at WHC, was your interview conducted by a nurse manager from one of the units you listed as preferences on your application? And can you tell me what kinds of clinical scenarios they asked you about (I'm aware it's probably different for acute vs critical care units).

I'm asking because I have an interview there on Monday.

Thanks!

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Well I have not heard from the hospital about an interview, but I am still hopeful!

I am from Michigan but I took boards for Dc and found out I passed the NCLEX Friday :yeah: but having not heard from them as quick as others makes me nervous and makes me think I will not be selecte dthis time I have applied a couple of other places and will continue I want to move to the area to be closer to family but I do not think I could just move without a job already lined up!

But Good Luck for those that have been selected!!

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Specializes in CVSICU.

Thank you! It has been great so far! The interview was a two step process. I first interviewed with HR (mostly "Why do you want to work here", "Tell me a situation when..." type questions), then I interviewed with the Nursing Director of my unit. Honestly, that interview is mostly a blur, haha! I do remember the clinical questions were along the lines of, "You walk into your room and find your patient (symptom xyz), what would you do?" or "Your patient has (symptom xyz). What do you think is going on with them and what orders would you expect?" I think there were four or five clinical questions. I was also asked the typical "strength and weaknesses" question. The ND told me about the unit and then asked if I wanted a tour.

A few things I wish I would have known or could pass on (you'll find many similar stories in the (Feb cohort thread):

There's a LOT of people interviewing on the same day you are. This threw me off as soon as I walked into the HR office! I think there were at least 50 of us...

The interview process takes approx 3-4 hours.

RELAX! My nervousness definitely got the best of me, and it was REALLY difficult to relay what type of nurse I wanted to/could be on the unit. I know this is easier said than done, but try!

My interview (ESPECIALLY hr) was very direct and to the point. No time for fluff AT ALL!

DON'T FREEZE! If you don't know something... its OKAY!! I swear, I seriously started to look like a deer caught in the headlights during the clinical questions. I didn't know something and I started to fumble. Looking back its comical but I swear she just sat there and watched me sink! The world didn't end though and I GOT THE JOB!! Don't psych yourself out.

Let me know if you have any more questions. This site was a life saver when I interviewed! Congrats to all of your for getting this far! :yeah:

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Specializes in Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN).
The world didn't end though and I GOT THE JOB!! Don't psych yourself out.

Let me know if you have any more questions. This site was a life saver when I interviewed! Congrats to all of your for getting this far!

3-4 hours for the interview? Yeesh! Did I mention I have a final exam in Public Health at 4:00pm the same day? I might be cutting things a bit close with an interview at 11:00am... which I thought would take all of 1 hour.

Question: How long after your interview did they offer you the job, or was it on the spot? And once they made you an offer, how long did you have to make up your mind yes/no?

Thanks again for all the info! :thankya:

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Specializes in CVSICU.

My interview was closer to 3 hours but I heard all different time frames from other nurses. Some also interviewed with multiple people at one time. I think it depends on the unit.

I want to say they offered me the job within the week. I interviewed on a Tuesday and was offered the job that following Monday. I was the last day of interviews though so I heard from some that we found out sooner than most. I'm not sure how long we had to decide. WHC is where I wanted to be and I was offered the job on one of my choices so I accepted right away.

I also wanted to let the OP (Y.not.ask) know that I applied in November and received the email regarding my top three choices and interview dates within the week. I replied that same day and never heard anything again. I had all but given up hope that I would get an interview when I decided to send a follow up email to HR regarding the status of my application (even though there were explicit instructions not to do so). 3 or 4 days letter I received a reply stating that they were "confused", that they "thought" they had sent me a reply email a month prior confirming my interview date. I PROMISE you that they did not. I checked my email religiously on the computer more than once a day (not to mention that they are sent directly to my phone). They rescheduled my interview for the next day (which may have increased the anxiety during my interview I spoke of in my previous post). Long story short: Follow up regardless of what they say, ESPECIALLY if you feel like you may be a qualified applicant!

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For those of you who have already interviewed: do you recommend wearing the traditional black suit with white dress shirt or a little less casual?

Thanks

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