lots of ??? ;)

Ok, so I had a lot of questions in my comments last post. Here are some answers (and yes, I should be studying):

I will be working in labor and delivery in my new job. The hospital has 20 LDRP rooms and then Mother/baby is an adjoining unit. They also have two surgical suites all on a lockdowned unit. So I will be on the LDRP side. I will have 12 weeks of orientation: 2-4 weeks on Mother/baby and my manager will meet with me weekly to track my progress. If after 12 weeks I still need more orientation, then that is fine and they will continue for as long I like (I think its up to 6 mos). It is really individualized. Also, I will be taking classes and will have lots of reading to get through, according to the manager.

As far as NCLEX, I will get my ATI on January 16th and have 90 days to test after grad. A couple nursing school pals and I are going to go on an NCLEX weekend to a hotel where we will compile all our NCLEX books and go through questions for two days. We had a Kaplan presentation yesterday at school and it is like $499 to take Kaplan! ARG! I can buy a lot of review books for that, and I have heard Kaplan isnt that great anyway, so I opted out. The hospital gives me 4 days of PTO to study for NCLEX! ;) I know some hospitals in the area even pay for Kaplan--not mine as it is a county hospital.

Ok, interviewing: I have always had great success with interviewing. God gave me a very extroverted personality (annoying to some but beneficial in the job market!). Here is what I did to get the job I set my sights on 2 yrs ago:

1.) First I contacted the hospital and spoke w/ some nurses on the unit about who exactly the nurse-recruiter was for OB/GYN. Once I had her name, I called her (as a sophomore in nursing school) and introduced myself. I explained my interest in OB, when I was going to graduate, and asked if there were any extern positions on the floor. (The extern thing never panned out, BTW). Each semester I would email or call the recruiter, reintroduce myself, ask about extern positions and send my resume. So, they knew me well when this fall came around. I didnt even have to apply for anything because they had so many copies of my resume on their desk.

2.) Still, I applied for all the current RN positions open and stated I would be graduating in Dec. The recruiter told me this is the best way to do things--even if says you need a year experience, apply!

3.) When I got the call for an interview, I got ready. I went through behavioral interview questions to get my mind thinking in that direction. Many hospitals have switched to this form of interviewing where you need to answer the question with a specific circumstance, what YOU did, and what the outcome was--critical thinking, in other words!!!! Here is a site with some behavioral interview-type questions for you to practice with:
http://www.pohly.com/interview-3.html

And tips on taking this kind of interview:
http://content.monster.com/articles/3478/16544/1/home.aspx

4.) Appearance: ok, this is VERY important. When you dress for an interview, less is more in terms of accessories, make-up, hair and jewelry. Wear a suit or nice dress pants, a button up shirt, sweater/cardigan. You are not going to church, so don't look like it. Keep you hair off your collar (that is an old nursing standard). Nails should have clear polish and no acrylics. You should have on your wedding ring and a pair of simple earrings. You also need to wear close-toed shoes and hosiery/trouser socks. We had a recruiter speak to us about this in one of my classes and I am now firm believer appearance is half the battle. It shows you are very SERIOUS about getting the job. I carry a briefcase-type-soft bag w/ pens, a calculator, my day-planner, ALL my references dates/phone numbers/adresses, copies of my resume and cover letter and breath mints inside. I also throw in an extra pair of hose in case I get a bad run on my way to the interview. Do not bring your cell phone into the interview-EVER! If it accidently rings you are in BIG trouble. (The recruiter says she automatically ends the interview if this happens!)

5.) Lastly, be open, friendly and smile. Ask a couple personal questions at the end of the interview like, "Do you mind me asking who that cute kid/beautiful person/whoever is on your desk?" or "What do you like about working at ___________(hospital name)." Obviously don't be too intrusive, but show you are human and can carry on a conversation outside of the interview. Smile & say "hi" to everyone you meet when touring the unit. Introduce yourself-these could be your future coworkers. Oh, and keep up when the interviewer is walking down the hall-I learned from a recruiter that they are watching to see how fast you walk to get a feel for how quickly you move and how much stamina you have!

Good luck everyone out there looking for jobs. If you have more interview tips, post them in comments!!!