How To Find Your First Nursing Job
Assessing the Types of Nursing Careers the Medical Field Offers
Preparation is the key to success when searching for your first RN position. 7 self-assessment questions will help you determine type of nursing job is best for you.
Just as in nursing school, where you prepared a care plan before caring for the real person, you will now need to prepare before you search. Part of preparing to find your first job involves self-assessment. You need to know what is important to you before you ever start to look for a nursing position.
1. Where do you want to work? This means what state, what area of town, or which agency. Consider transportation between your home and workplace. Environmental issues, as well as gas prices, may be a consideration for where you work.
2. What type of clinical nursing and/or population are you interested in? Your interests may lie with medical, surgical or psychiatric patients, or maybe you prefer to work with children. Perhaps you are interested in telephonic nursing or working in an outpatient area instead of a hospital. Let these interests guide your search.
3. What clinical rotations did you enjoy the most? Which rotation were you most anxious to finish? Why? Was it the agency, the staff, the workload, or the population of patients that was responsible for the fact that you either liked, or didn’t like, the rotation?
4. When do you want to work? How many days a week? What hours? Will you work weekends or evenings? Do you want to work full-time or part-time?
5. What are your salary requirements? As a new-grad RN, your salary may be consistent in your area, but some agencies may provide better hours for less monetary gain. What is important to you?
6. What benefits are important to you? Do you need health insurance, or can you waive that because you get benefits through a partner? Do you want tuition reimbursement, flexible hours, or vacation time?
7. What preceptor program or orientation is available to you? This is often overlooked by new graduate RN’s, but is a very important component of the first RN position. You will want to assure that you have a mentor or preceptor for an appropriate amount of time before you are expected to be on your own.
Once you have completed your self-assessment and have chosen an area (either clinical area or location) to search for work, it is important to have a plan for your future. The following questions will help you determine your goals so that you can effectively search for the right job.
- Do you want to move into a position of responsibility?
- Do you plan to continue your education?
After you answer these questions, you will have a better idea of where you may want to search for your first RN job. This self-assessment will assist you in the decision-making and help you to choose an agency that will meet your needs both short-term and long-term. Now that you have a clear picture of what you want now, and what you want a little later down the road, you are ready to begin your job search for that first RN position.
References:
Kelly-Heidenthal, Patricia (2003). Career Planning in Nursing Leadership and Management, (pp 512-515). USA: Thomson Delmar Learning.
