Any nurses have suggestions or helpful info for new graduates from an RN program?

ALmost every hospital in the U.S. is in need of nurses. Look around and do reseach before you commit anywhere because there are a few thing you should check for first.

-find out what their staff turn over rate is: if they go through a lot of staff, it probably isn't a good place to work

-walk around the nursing units and see how the staff is interacting: if it looks hectic/ caotic, look elsewhere you can find nurturing environments in which to employ your new skills

-consider all of your options: there are many types of organizations that employ nurses, sometimes industial companies hire nurses to do employee health screening, and not all hospitals and nursing homes are created equal.

-ask the HR representative if the company offers tuition reimbursment:you may get the money back that you spent for nursing school

-also ask your tax preparer about the hope credit, you may be eligable for a special tax deduction

-choose carefully, talk to employees at the place you think you want to work, find out what they really think

-make sure you talk benefits, find the company with the best healthplan, and employee benefits

-don't be fooled by smiley directors: their only concern is putting a warm body on their nursing unit to push pills and make the state/JHACO happy, they don't care about individual situations they have their own agendas

-make sure you get enough orientation time, if you don't feel confident that you are ready to go on your own, tell your director you need more time

-take extra courses that your establishment may offer: it will look good on your yearly reveiw, and the more ceritifications you have the more $$$ you can make, always look for ways to make your resume better, always keep your certifications current, the better you look at review time the more your raise, and the better reccomendation you'll get when you are ready to move to a better position

-take critical care courses, and all of the extra advanced nursing care classes that you can, they will only add to your benefit

-if you have a associates degree, work on a B.S. over the net. It's a conveinent way for you to better yourself, and get more money. The best thing is you can do it from home.

-if you have a B.S. you can work on a masters from home also, many institutions hire M.S. nurses for supervisor positions, and for administration and teaching positions.

-The posibilities are endless, the harder you work the more you will succeed. GOOD LUCK!

Yes, answer those call lights right away, and if you plan to work in a long term care facility,ie. nursing home, make sure you know if someone is a DNR before you do any life saving assistance. YOu can get into big trouble if you make the wrong call.

Always, Always, Always, remember the 5 rites.

The job market is vast...have fun finding the job of your dreams!