New Grad Jobs!

Nursing Degree? Check!

RN License? Check!

RN Job? Ummm, pending.

Alright, let me start off by saying my school kind of did me dirty. For a very long time CSULB had a contract with Long Beach Memorial (LBM) to offer the graduating nursing class a new grad job. It was a 2 year contract with a stipend. A guaranteed job? Amazing. With extra money, tell me more! Previously in prior cohorts, students would be interviewed during 4th semester and at the end of the interview they would usually be offered the contract.

Fast forward to the end of my 4th semester, things changed like the fire nation attacking. We interviewed with LBM but it wasn’t for the new grad contract, it was an interview to be able to have our preceptorship at LBM.

I did well enough that I was able to precept at LBM in the PICU. Yeah, PICU. I wanted pediatrics. And now I’m in the telemetry unit with adults. Keep in mind, I hated the cardiac section in school. I’ll explain that later.

So the initial interview we had was for our preceptorship at LBM. They were no longer offering new grad positions specifically for CSULB students. We had to apply for the new grad float pool and had a completely different interview with the nurse managers. You are able to apply for a new grad position even if you don’t have a license yet. You can receive and accept an offer with a contingency that you pass the NCLEX and get that RN license!

End of my 5th semester. I completed my preceptorship in the PICU and got a recommendation from some of my clinical instructors, professors, and my preceptor. I graduated from school and  had an interview with LBM for a new grad position without a contract and stipend for the float pool. I had everything to get the position. I felt that I interviewed well enough. After a week of waiting, everyone else I knew got a job. 

I didn’t. I was devastated. And super annoyed.

I found out some people who didn’t even precept at LBM got a job. But I also found out that half of my cohort didn’t get it either. LBM wanted more new grads outside of CSULB, which I understand. My two best friends got it. I felt super behind and like a failure to be honest. Some people got speciality units like NICU, PICU, pediatrics, or respiratory. I didn’t even get the float pool. Not gonna lie, I was super salty. 

I for sure thought I was going to get the job without any doubt so I had no back up plan. When I didn’t get it, I was on the hunt for a job. I googled and looked up every hospital in the SoCal area. 

I wasn’t looking for any job, I wanted a new grad job. What is a new grad job and why is it so important?

New grad RN residencies are programs that hospitals offer to help ease baby nurses into becoming functional independent nurses. It’s built to have newly grad licensed nurses  hone in on their skills and become familiar with procedures, policies, and technologies within the hospital or specific unit. Usually a new grad job requires you to have less than 6 months to 1 year of experience from the time you got your license. Every program is different in regards to requirements but the foundation is all the same. You’re given an orientation and the length of it can differ from hospital to hospital and depends on how comfortable you feel to be “on your own.” If you’re in the float pool, you are given a few shifts on every floor to give you an insight on how each floor differs and flows. If you end up liking a unit after you float for a while, you can always apply for a position on that unit. An experienced nurse takes you under their wing and shows you the ropes so you’re not completely lost. The first day you usually start with just shadowing then as you progress you slowly take on patients and eventually the full patient load. You aren’t thrown into the deep end because you have your preceptor to fall back onto. I highly recommend every new nurse to get into a new grad program. 

I had a difficult time getting a new grad job. 

I applied to every new grad program I could find in my area: Kaiser, PIH, CHOC, Sharp, Scripps, every hospital you name it. I even interviewed at every hospital, including PICU at LBM, which I still didn’t get even though I precepted in the unit and had my preceptor recommendation. I was at first focused on getting a pediatrics position because that’s what I wanted, but as time progressed, with every rejection I was willing to take whatever population in whatever unit. I just wanted to be in the hospital.

I was getting all the interviews, but not landing any position. My confidence was slowly draining after each rejection. My parents were pressuring me into getting a nursing job even though I was actively trying. I wasn’t sure what I was doing wrong. Sometimes the amount of positions available were very limited and the applicant pool was large. I felt that I interviewed well, but it was just that others were interviewing better than me. Maybe they had better answers than me or projected more confidence than me.

I googled ways to interview better and found this one book that honestly helped me.

This book opened up what I was doing wrong and I highly recommend it to every new grad. It helped me refine my answers to common nursing interview questions, build my resume and cover letter, and gave me ways to stand out from other new grads. 

After reading the book, I had a portfolio ready that included a cover letter, my resume, my certificates, a copy of my license, my recommendation letters, and a business card. That’s right. I have a business card ya’ll.