<p>My d is graduating in May and has just started applying for jobs in various hosptials. Her plan is to work for a few years and then go back for a masters - or take classes while working. The "recruiting" process is very different for nursing - basically just searching online for job postings at various hospitals and applying. She got a job offer on Tuesday from a hospital that has a more structured new grad program and does a hiring day where all candidates come in on one weekend. She's excited about the offer but has to accept by today or they go to the next candidate. She feels she has nothing to compare it to and isnt sure it would be her best option. The advice she's getting from fellow classmates and nurses she works with is to be thankful she has an offer and take it quickly because there are so few jobs out there.<br>
So my question for working nurses - Is your hospital hiring new grad nurses? How competitive is it? Do top grades from a pretigious nursing school make a difference or do they prefer to hire locally?</p>
<p>Did your D intern at medical institutions?..did she work PT during summers?..These are the first places to seek employment…Also having a ‘connection’ certainly helps</p>
<p>She worked as a CNA at her school’s hospital full time in the summer and part time during the school year so she has experience in addition to clinicals. She’d rather not stay in Philadelphia though so is looking at hospitals where she has not worked - does this put her at a big disadvantage? Is it unrealistic to get an offer from a top hospital without having interned or worked there?</p>
<p>When I was a new grad, the orientation process was 6 wks. It was an invaluable experience. I got the impression that new grad orientations in general have faded away so if this hospital is offering one, I would kind of jump on it. Unless she thinks she can get hired at a hospital she did practicums at during school, she really can’t compare other places because she has no past work experience</p>
<p>In terms of your last question about being hired at a top hospital she hasn’t worked at, if her nursing program is a top one, then she may have a better chance. When I was hired, the charge nurse who hired me told me that part of the reason I was hired was because they knew what our nursing program was like and that I had done a rotation there.</p>
<p>ShanghaiMom, i have tried 2x to pm you and my sent box does not show either message went. Did you get either of them?</p>
<p>Also living in the Philly area, surprised to hear your D wants to leave the area…not many big cities have the quality and quantity of medical institutions Philly has…our D is only a freshman,but has worked summers (paid and internships)at some of the best places the past 2 summers</p>
<p>My D graduated from the Univ. of Delaware last summer. She did extremely well there, UD has a highly rated Nursing BSN Program, and was able to land a highly competive (nearly a thousand applications for only 10 entry level RN positions) at New York Presbyterian/Cornell Medical Center in NYC on Cornell’s Neurological ICU. She had no prior connection with this Medical Center. They have a nurse residency program there for new graduate RNs that runs for the whole first year of employment following an eight week education/orientation program. Based on her experience it does tend to support the idea that doing well in a prestigious Nursing Program can be a plus in landing a good job at a prestigious Academic Medical Center. According to my D she was told by Nurse Recruiters at several prestigious Medical Centers in NYC (NYU, New York Presbyterian/Cornell and Columbia Medical Centers) that they initially screen applicants looking at their GPA and the college they attended. She was told that all applicants with GPA’s less than 3.5 are generally not considered further for positions. They then look at the college the applicant attended (she was not told what rating system they use in this area). Once offered a position you then had to pass a written exam (similar to the NCLEX) to start the job (you get two chances to pass it). One of the other new nurses hired with my D graduated from UConn and had done an externship at a outpatient extension program of NYPresbyterian Hospital out on Long Island. This person felt like this was also an additional factor in her being hired. Hope this info is helpful.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great input.<br>
LakeMom - I did get your messages - very helpful - esp the importance of a new grad program.</p>