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chapter 14 | Your Nursing Careerr 235 CikguOnline
process, but you should also try to get a broader view may be focusing on work arrangements or benefits
of the overall philosophy of supervision. You may rather than on the job description. Your lack of
not be working for the same supervisor in a year, but direction may come through in your résumé, cover
the overall management philosophy is likely to letter, and personal presentation. As a new gradu-
remain consistent. ate, you may also have unrealistic expectations or be
trying to cut corners, ignoring the basic rules of
Work Climate marketing yourself discussed in this chapter. Go
The daily work climate must make you feel com- back to your SWOT analysis. Take another look at
fortable. Your preference may be formal or casual, your résumé and cover letter. Become more
structured or unstructured, complex or simple. It is assertive as you start again (Culp, 1999).
easy to observe the way people dress, the layout of
the unit, and lines of communication. It is more The Critical First Year
difficult to observe company values, factors that
will affect your work comfort and satisfaction over Why a section on the “first year”? Don’t you just get
the long term. Try to look beyond the work envi- a nursing license and go to work? Aren’t nurses
ronment to get an idea of values. What is the always in demand? You have worked hard to suc-
unwritten message? Is there an open-door policy ceed in college—won’t those lessons help you to
sending a message that “everyone is equal and succeed in your new position? Some of the behav-
important,” or does the nurse manager appear too iors that were rewarded in school are not rewarded
busy to be concerned with the needs of the employ- on the job. There are no syllabi, study questions, or
ees? Is your supervisor the kind of person for whom extra-credit points. Only “A’s” are acceptable, and
you could work easily? there do not appear to be many completely correct
answers. Discovering this has been called “reality
Compensation shock” (Kramer, 1974), which is discussed else-
In evaluating the compensation package, starting where in this book. Voluminous care plans and
salary should be less important than the organiza- meticulous medication cards are out; multiple
tion’s philosophy on future compensation. What is responsibilities and thinking on your feet are in.
the potential for salary growth? How are individual What is the new graduate to do?
increases? Can you live on the wages being offered? Your first year will be a transition year. You are
no longer a college student, but you are not yet a
I Can Not Find a Job (or I Moved) full-fledged professional. You are “the new kid on
the block,” and people will respond to you differ-
It is often said that finding the first job is the hard- ently and judge you differently than when you were
est. Many employers prefer to hire seasoned nurses a student.To be successful, you have to respond dif-
who do not require a long orientation and mentor- ferently. You may be thinking, “Oh, they always
ing. Some require new graduates to do postgradu- need nurses—it doesn’t matter.”Yes, it does matter.
ate internships. Changes in skill mix with the Many of your career opportunities will be influ-
implementation of various types of care delivery enced by the early impressions you make. The fol-
influence the market for the professional nurse. lowing section addresses what you can do to help
The new graduate may need to be armed with a ensure first-year success.
variety of skills, such as intravenous certification,
home assessment, advanced rehabilitation skills, Attitude and Expectations
and various respiratory modalities, to even warrant Adopt the right attitudes, and adjust your expecta-
an initial interview. Keep informed about the tions. Now is the time to learn the art of being
demands of the market in your area, and be pre- new. You felt like the most important, special per-
pared to be flexible in seeking your first position. son during the recruitment process. Now, in the
Even with the continuing nursing shortage, hiring real world, neither you nor the position may be as
you as a new graduate will depend on you selling glamorous as you once thought. In addition,
yourself. although you thought you learned much in
Even after all this searching and hard work, you school, your decisions and daily performance do
still may not have found the position you want.You not always warrant an “A.” Above all, people shed