How can I start to build my portfolio as a new graduate nurse? How do I choose the right job, where do I start?
Being a new grad you may not find the “right” job initially, the beauty of nursing is there are so many different types. So take the pressure off of the situation and yourself and be open, because each organization and unit will teach you something you will take with throughout your career.
I would ask yourself:
*What type of nursing gets you most excited when you think about it?
*Was there a particular type of nursing you really enjoyed hearing about or being in during clinical’s?
*What did you excel at in nursing school?
*What do you dislike the most- cross it off the list.
As a 20 yr ED Trauma nurse I always encourage new grads to get down your organization of patients, documentation and fundamentals stronger. I know it sounds fun to jump right into the ED, but it really can backfire on you if you don’t have the right support and mental flow for the atmosphere. Not saying you can’t jump right in, i did as a graduate nurse, but IME i have seen nurses end up hating it because they didn’t have the right support, and it can be paralyzing. I wished I spent sometime in the ICU getting down some critical care processes I feel the knowledge that an icu nurse has is quite helpful to ED nursing. Or even an OR nurse would have helped me with assisting trauma surgeons down in the trauma bay…
But whatever you decide, take care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.
As a Nurse Educator, here is my advice to help you start building your new graduate nurse portfolio. Here, I briefly share a few examples:
Start by exporting transferable skills and accomplishment in your portfolio. These could include evidence of educational qualifications, a career learning plan that include writing samples, relevant papers, reports, poster creation, hospital involvement, volunteer experience or community involvement, (describe your role/duties what you did, hours served, communication and
customer service skills. Prepare a career summary and a philosophy statement, resume, awards and honors for your portfolio.
Be prepared to discuss the experiences and challenges along your learning path.
To help you choose the right specialty in the nursing discipline, one suggestion is that, you could do some research on a few hospitals that appeal to you.
Choose one and inquiry as to who is the nurse manager, get the contact information for an opportunity to talk with him or her about your interest in working there as a new graduate nurse and ask permission to shadow a few nurses for a day on different floors. These suggestions I believe will help you to determine your career path.
Hope you find this a helpful start. Ena-L, RN, M.Ed
Hello! You start by answering a couple practical questions
1) What is your Nursing Philosophy? Read it again.
2) What are your career goals? Nursing is my life! Way to make money. Supplemental income. I hope to be a Manager someday. Going for certifications and Advanced Practice. Get married have kids and work part time? I will be the only source of income for my home. This matters. I have been an Transport PICU, School Nurse and Army ICU Nurse, then Professor of nursing, in that order. I could not have done Transport PICU with 3 children and have a family life. No kids later at home so Professor/educator/living in the lab with students during check offs worked for me. So be realistic and do not complicate your life, work with what you have. Time is precious.
3) What are 3 words that describe you as a nurse? i.e, Committed - Personable - Organized. Take those 3 and write out examples of these descriptions. You can use your time as a project leader or while at clinical you were given Kudos for your management. You will want these for your interview. You should always have your 3!
4) Start looking at job postings at hospitals or agency websites, read the job descriptions. If they interest you, read the qualifications. If you are really excited about a job but don't have the qualifications - Boom you know where to start.
For example if you see yourself working transport Pediatric ICU and you need 1 year emergency room or pediatric experience, you have to do the work. What certifications do you need. ACLS, PALS, NALS? What hospital helps with certifications and have lateral movement. What benefits do these hospitals have? Bonus? Incentives for Advanced Practice?
5). Build your Dream Board. Set the Trail for your career. At the top you should have a picture of you as a nursing student and then a graduation, honor society, any awards certificates up there. Remind yourself of how hard you worked and the ball is in your court! Dont believe otherwise. Good Luck and "Be That Nurse"
take your ceu and cme career classes because usually they hand out or efiled your porfolio through certificates being certified or have a id certificate link to your board certification associations. apply and suggest something futuristic for a job title so go for the pay of it and start early.
Can you apply through your local hospitals on line? Many hospitals are hiring new grads. I just graduated and we all pretty much got jobs. we got to pick what we wanted to do.
