Helpful Tips for Finding a Job as an RN Nurse

The nursing profession is one of the most in demand jobs today. A manifestation of this is that the United States and Canada have been hiring Registered Nurses from other countries, especially from the Philippines.

However, most nursing graduates who recently passed the board exams find it hard to get a job. Partly because they don’t have specializations yet or they don’t have enough clinical experience yet, which are important requirements if you want to work as an RN overseas.

More and more Filipino students take up Bachelor of Science in Nursing with hopes of having the opportunity to work overseas. Just for the July 2010 Nursing Board Exams, 91,008 graduates took the board. What is unfortunate is that only 37,679 passed the board exams. As a result of this, the Commission on Higher Education sought the review of some colleges and universities which have not produced board passers in the last four years.

Given this scenario wherein thousands of RNs vie for one or two vacancies in a clinical institution, if you are one of the 37,679 new RNs, you will definitely be wondering how you can get a job locally or how will you be able acquire the required experience requirements for you to be accepted as an RN abroad.

We will give you some tips on how you can get a job as a registered nurse.

As a fresh graduate, you need to have an edge over other applicants who like you are newly graduates. It would be important that you did well in school – so include distinctions or citations that you received while in school in your application form. In order to improve your chances of getting hired as an RN, you need to have performed well in nursing school because employers will be looking at your academic credentials in the absence of your actual clinical experience or specialization.

It would also help if you can build a good nursing image. Experienced RNs usually build up their image in the nursing community for at least a year or two. Most big and well known hospitals only hire RNs with specializations so be content if you get hired by a small hospital or health care institution outside the city. Take this as an opportunity to study further and gain more experience.

If you have acquired a few years of experience of general nursing in a small institution, you should be bold enough to request your employer to assign you to a specific field for you to specialize on. Of course, having the right attitude towards the job and towards the people you work with will be crucial to your employer’s decisions.

If you want to work as a nurse, do not limit your options to hospitals and other health care institutions. There is also a demand for private nurses – this field will also give you a higher paycheck compared to RNs working in a hospital setting. The trick lies in finding a good private employer.

Recommendations from respected people in the nursing or medical field will definitely help you get a job as well.

Being a Registered Nurse definitely gives you varied choices. You only need to broaden your horizons and think outside the box – you will be surprised at finding RN positions outside hospitals and health care institutions.

Best of luck finding a job!