What Do Hospitals Look At For New Grads?

[Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP]

Question: What do hospitals look at for New Grad RNs?

I'm looking for/at Medical New Grad positions that don't want you to have any experience in order to get into their residency program. My professors also stated not to put where you did your clinicals or what you did IN clinicals, but if that's the case, what are they looking for? What should I put in my resume???

I'm in a Nurse Externship, I have some volunteer activities/ experiences, should I put my non-relevant places of work?

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Why wouldn't you list your clinicals? Our career center told us to put them on our resume.

[Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP]

Why wouldn't you list your clinicals? Our career center told us to put them on our resume.

I don't know! Basically, she said don't put in where you did your clinicals because a lot of places don't really consider that "experience" and it just takes up space on your resume. Say how many semesters of clinicals you completed or even how many hours, but not where. She did say to be brief in terms of what you did in your clinicals though.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

moved for improved response.

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

any experience you have, you need to put down. The reason being if it turns out that they actually want some experience and ask, then what would you say? If you used your externship but didn't put it on the resume, you are kind of being deceitful. Also, if they do any sort of check where prior employment comes up and you didn't mention it, then that could be terms for not hiring. It's deceiving someone. Just be honest.

I was always told clinical does not count because all nurses did clinical. Just my opinion and what I was told.

[Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP]

any experience you have, you need to put down. The reason being if it turns out that they actually want some experience and ask, then what would you say? If you used your externship but didn't put it on the resume, you are kind of being deceitful. Also, if they do any sort of check where prior employment comes up and you didn't mention it, then that could be terms for not hiring. It's deceiving someone. Just be honest.

I was always told clinical does not count because all nurses did clinical. Just my opinion and what I was told.

Is it okay to exceed a page? I put in my Externship and the recent (last 4 years) of volunteer experience I had. But for work, I omitted things like Administrative Ass't and Working in the Drama Department at my school because I didn't feel it was relevant...without all of that it came up to a page.

[wish_me_luck, BSN, RN]

No, if it's not relevant then some people don't put that. But, I thought you were saying you weren't going to disclose the externship.

[SummitRN, BSN, RN]

They interested in applicants who have cured a leper, restored sight to the blind, and walked on water. Otherwise, it can be hard to get a new grad job.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

You should list some of your clinical experiences. In fact, I'm a nurse of 2 years soon to be job searching. In revising my resume, I have included the last 2 facilities where I had clinicals. Why? One of these was OR, another was complex med surg. I've held the same position for 2 years, so obviously, I'm going to include more than one relevant job on my resume. I think it depends on how you are presenting yourself.

[One1, BSN, RN]

List your clinical experience, especially if you had clinicals in the facility you applied to. Showcase any additional experience you have and emphasize skills and strengths that you had in a previous career that can be applied to the nursing environment.

[Ntheboat2]

I think clinical experience can be very relevant sometimes. For example, I spent my entire last semester of school in a psych facility. So, when applying to psych facilities, I think that came in very handy. Yes, all nurses do clinicals, but not all nurses spend 5 months in one specialty area.

If you're applying for an ICU position and you spent an entire semester on an ICU unit, I think that would be helpful for employers to know. What's better, a new grad with zero experience in ICU, or a new grad with a few hundred hours of experience?

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Precisely. I spent 550 hours working full time in the OR. I have had at least 3 interested employers contact me about OR positions over the last 2 years, which they wouldn't have otherwise. And every nurse completes clinicals, but only the chosen ones go to specialty areas such as emergency ICU, and OR. It is very relevant to highlight related nursing experiences.