What Do Hospitals Look At For New Grads?

[Soliloquy]

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?

[peanutsauce]

Hospitals know what you did in nursing school -- important to note on your resume would be the medical centers you rotated through for which rotations - This can give the institution of the scope of your experience in nursing school ie at large research institutions, teaching hospitals, or hospitals within their hospital system. I DID list my clinical sites, as I was applying to those hospitals, and ended up getting hired at one of the hospitals I rotated through. Don't list what you did in clinical, as that experience tends to be the same for every nursing student.

List in more detail your senior practicum, including the type of unit and number of hours. Your externship would also be something you would want to elaborate on further.

Good Luck!

[peanutsauce]

Also, keep it to one page. Your resume gets one minute, maximum, with a recruiter. Make it count!

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

What are you putting under " Affiliations" --that is not commonly seen on resumes.

[Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP]

What are you putting under " Affiliations" --that is not commonly seen on resumes.

Student nurses association.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

That's where I'm getting confused. If I leave out my clinicals and only put in the externship, relevant education, certifications (CPR BLS, PALS), Computer skills, and volunteering, all of that comes up to a page if I pack everything in with no spacing. If I space it out, it'll exceed a page. If I include clinicals, 2 full pages.

You need to play around with your formatting more. That should all fit on 1 page, easily.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Cut out the objective, for one. That's a waste of space. Computer skills and skills and qualifications can also probably be condensed. Put student nurse association under education. Then make sure you're not taking up a ton of white space.

[Nursey86]

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.

Hahaha pretty much, that is what it feels like!

I had my clinical experience and all the sites and hours on there, especially your preceptorship. I kept mine to one page. I also only had the 'relevant' work experience but listed every job I have ever had on the application for the job. I I just got into a new grad residency, I hope this helps a bit!

[One1, BSN, RN]

You're kidding. I took out the breakdown of what I did IN each clinical rotation trying to condense it and that took it down to a page and a half. Here's my system so far:

Name, Address, Contact Info

Objective

Education

Affiliations

Skills and Qualifications

Computer Skills

Clinical Experiences

Work Experience

Volunteer Experience

It's not wordy. I tried to keep everything really brief.

I agree with the others. List what clinical you did and where, but don't list what you did in each clinical. Employers know what the clinical objectives are. I think your clinical experience only becomes interesting for employers when they see that you were in their facility.

[Jammin' RN]

I have to agree with a previous poster that many employers are looking for a good fit. I had been out of school for almost two years before I finally got licensed (long story) and went on my Job Search. I knew my resume wasn't getting any bites because of this; so any opportunity I got to meet with people face to face I took (open house interviews!) This was the only reason I got a job! The interviewers liked my personality and answers. Your resume only goes so far. Employers want to know who you are! This is not to downplay a good resume. It's VERY important. But don't think everything is irrelevant! I put my 10 years of serving and bartending experience on my resume! Why? Because it gave me experience in customer service, taught me how to handle differing priorities, and most of all, taught me how to deal with all sorts of people! Think about how any past experience ties into your new profession! :)

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Use Term: " ORGANIZATIONS" rather than affiliation for Student Nurse Association, include any officer status.

[Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP]

I have to agree with a previous poster that many employers are looking for a good fit. I had been out of school for almost two years before I finally got licensed (long story) and went on my job search. I knew my resume wasn't getting any bites because of this; so any opportunity I got to meet with people face to face I took (open house interviews!) This was the only reason I got a job! The interviewers liked my personality and answers. Your resume only goes so far. Employers want to know who you are! This is not to downplay a good resume. It's VERY important. But don't think everything is irrelevant! I put my 10 years of serving and bartending experience on my resume! Why? Because it gave me experience in customer service taught me how to handle differing priorities, and most of all, taught me how to deal with all sorts of people! Think about how any past experience ties into your new profession! :)[/quote']

I'll be going to a career fair this coming thursday. My hope is that the hospitals I'm looking at the field I'm interested in will be there to represent. I'm nervous. I'm not sure how I'll come across to them at this point, but I'll be going because I'm hoping something good will come of this fair.

[porkey2]

LOL!!!

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.