What was YOUR first job experience?

[vi0leblooms]

Hello fellow pre-nursing students, students and RN's out there, I'm new here! :)

I was wondering for all of you Nurses who are working, or have worked, what was your experience getting your first job?

How long did it take? What was your connecting link to get you there (volunteering, a contact, working there before being an RN, online posting..)? How did the interview go? How was the initial experience of the job, and did you stay in it? Did you enjoy it?

Tell me anything and everything you would like about your first job experience! Your response is MUCH appreciated

Edit: Oh, and if there are any threads similar to this on the forum, I would love to see it. Perhaps I didn't use the right words in the search bar!

[rpsychnurse]

Hey- welcome!!

My first job was a casual/PRN position. I did my preceptorship at the facility I was hired at. It really helped to have my foot in the door there because it took a lot of time and applications to get a full time job- I'm sure I would have gone crazy stressing out without that position!

I've moved around a fair bit since then- and while I loved my first job (forensic psychiatry) I'm so glad I've tried other things because I'm much more confident and well-rounded now that I've worked in a few different places.

I think making good connections while you're in school is really important- whether you start somewhere as an aide or just do a clinical there- if you make a good impression it can really help you out come graduation!

Where are you in your nursing journey? Best of luck!

[sourapril]

My first job was with a travel flu clinic. We went to different companies/independent living facilities and administered flu/pneumonia shots. They took anyone with a license and clean background. I enjoyed being the lead of the team (others were LPN or RN), and the flexible schedule. It was not stressful for the most part and I liked visiting different places every day (the backroom of Nordstrom store was surprisingly small and ugly and Chipotle headquarter doesn't have a Chipotle restaurant or cafeteria for employees). I only did it for a few months before getting a full time position at my local health department because I need the steady income as well as benefits. Nonetheless I had a good first job experience after nursing school.

[Kphilli6]

I graduated in May 2010 and started applying immediately. Passed the NCLEX in June 2010 (don't bother applying until you pass, that's the only response I got). All in all, I applied to fourty jobs in three neighboring states! I got two interviews. The first was at a hospital that, immediately following the interview, entered into a hiring freeze. The job I did land was as a General Public Health Nurse at a State Health Department. The posting was specifically for an RN1 and far from what I wanted to do (labor and delivery) but it was a job. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and is something I would consider going back to again in the future for a stable, "9-5" desk job lifestyle. I started applying for hospital jobs again after five months because I wanted more of a challenge. Being able to list ANY nursing position on my resume was all I needed to get a position in med/surg (which became my stepping stone to L&D).

Good luck and keep your head up!