When should I start interviewing, etc.

[ABQLNDRN]

Hi,

I will be gaduating in May and was wondering when I should start interviewing with unit managers. I have two friends who have already been hired at Georgetown. I am guessing that I don't necessarily need to wait until I've graduated to apply? I'd like to start working in June.

Also--I had worked as a "nurse intern" on a M/S floor at the hospital I'm applying to for about 9 months last year. I ended up resigning my position because I had a black cloud of child care issues that followed me the entire time I had that job and the problems ended up making me look like an unreliable worker. (I'm absolutely not; these problems were beyond my control. I took corrective measures and things still blew up in my face.) I am worried that the unit manager from that floor may sabotage my chances of getting a job. He scheduled an appointment with me to discuss "my future as a nurse intern" on the unit. Right before I told him I was leaving the unit, he said, "frankly," he would not hire me if I applied there tomorrow. (Yet he offered me a 90-day probationary period to resolve my issues.) He and the nurse educator for the floor, who had been one of my preceptors prior to taking the educator position, told me that they would be "happy" to write a recommendation on my behalf. ??? Anyway--I want to work at this particular hospital so that I am eligible for a federal loan repayment program.

Nursing school has not been hard for me academically, just socially. I have a 9 year-old child with ADHD and Turner's syndrome and a 14 month-old son. My husband is a law enforcement officer who has a very demanding schedule. I have been stretched to the nth degree to get my BSN. I would like to ask for recommendations from my teachers but am worried that they will mention all of the difficulty I had just getting my clinical hours.

So--to sum it up--should I start applying now, and, should I ask for the letter of recommendation (or "referral") from the M/S unit manager?