So, you’ve nearly completed your nursing degree and placements and are thinking of applying to Registered Nurse (RN) positions. Well, you’ve come to the right place! This can be an exciting and stressful time marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next.

Here are some tips to guide you.

Apply to a number of places (Ideally 5-10 if you can): It is always a good idea to have a few back up plans. This is should not be too difficult as most of these applications will be done online. It goes without saying to apply with a a professional, up-to-date resume. Ensure you have the updated contact information of at least two or more professional references or recommendations.

Browse different job sites: These vary depending on you location but Indeed, Seek, and Linkedin are common ones. Also, visit the career section of your prospective employers’ websites so you can get a better idea of their mission, patient population, and services.

Interview preparation: Record yourself or get you classmates’ to ask you scenario based questions so you get more comfortable with patient related questions. For example, you find your patient unresponsive, what do you do? or how would you approach a colleague who has breached patient confidentality on social media? It is key to become comfortable with unpredictable scenarios so that you don’t blank during your interview. But don’t stress out, practise makes perfect and the interviewers are most likely not expecting a new graduate nurse to know everything.