Recently my cousin put me in touch with one of his friends who had
just graduated nursing school. He kindly asked me to shed some light on
the wisdom I have gained in my few years since graduating nursing
school. Here is my advice, take it as
you will.
My best advice for a new grad:
· Do not listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do
something because you are a new grad. Everyone was a new grad
once. It’s hard to forget but there are
a few hospitals that will hire new grads for ICU or ED but sometimes they won’t,
and that’s probably good.
·
Know the nurse to patient ratio at the hospital that you are
applying for. Some states have mandated nurse/pt ratios but some do not.
· Shoot for the moon; if you miss you might land on a
star. Meaning, if you shoot for the reach, you might land on something
that you weren't even thinking of. Like if you try for ICU
but they don’t hire new grads, you might hear about an opportunity in ICU
step-down which is a great start.
· Know that after a year of nursing, you can really do
whatever you want. Most places just want a year of nursing
experience before hiring you to a higher acuity job (ICU, ED, Research,
etc). This may seem arbitrary but you will be surprised how much you
know after 1 year.
· Think about your passion. Don’t apply for a job
that you wouldn't actually want to work. Don’t apply for
geriatrics if you don’t like old people or oncology if you don’t like cancer
patients, etc.
· Know your options, nursing is extremely broad and you
really can go into anything, think about if you want to be a generalist or a
specialist. Your skills are valued and don’t ever think otherwise.
· NETWORK! Network network network. I
cannot say this enough. Who you know really does make a difference in this
healthcare world. You never know who knows who, who knows someone
else. Don’t be afraid to reach out.
· Update your resume. It can only be one page, I
know this may sound insane but nursing hiring managers will not even look at
your resume if it is longer than one page. (I have heard this many
times)
· Make your resume a pdf- this ensures that the formatting
of your resume won’t get all screwy when you email it or upload it to an online
application. (make sure to save the word file so you can edit it later)
· Update your LinkedIn profile and look to see who works at
the institutions that you are interested in. You may be surprised
that you know someone who works at that institution, or someone you know, knows
someone, once again.. Networking.
· Do not wait until you pass the NCLEX before applying for
jobs. I had multiple friends who got hired before passing.
· Know that the first 6 months of nursing is going to feel
like you are trying to drink water out of a fire hose. It will all
feel extremely overwhelming. You will
get through it, and you will be ok.
· Know the salary that is competitive in the area you are
applying. Don’t be afraid to ask for more money.
· Do not accept a job without an acceptable amount of on the
job training. This is
really up to you, but please just be careful.
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