Hi. I just finished my 1st year in Endoscopy at a private clinic and I've just commenced at a major tertiary hospital. I'm more than happy to contribute.
Great to meet you Tom! Can I start by asking what state you are in? And whether you are RN or EN?
I'm in QLD and I'm a RN.
Great! And so when you graduated did you apply for any grad programs?
I applied for QLD health, Ramsay, Uniting Care (St Andrews and Wesley). Oh, and the Mater. I only got an interview with Qld Health.
And were you offered a position?
I was offered a position doing COVID vaccines however it was a horrible environment and I resigned after 3 months.
That must have been a difficult time for you. How were you feeling whilst all of this was going on? And what did you do next?
I wasn't feeling great. I struggled with the increasing pressure of lines and constantly changing information. I picked up more shifts at the Endoscopy clinic as a casual but I applied for a heap of endoscopy jobs before leaving and thankfully got offered one at the PA. I didn't feel like my skills were getting used and my mental health was deteriorating but thankfully now it's getting better as I'm out.
Do you think there were skills that you learnt during your time in the Covid vaccination environment that you were able to take with you?
Conflict resolution unfortunately.
Anything else? What about infection control, medication safety, building patient rapport, managing deteriorating patients such as people suffering a reaction, working within your scope, working within policies and procedures? Do you think you gained anything from that which has helped you grow as a nurse?
A good chunk about deteriorating patients as well as working with policies and procedures.
At what point did you pick up work in the endoscopy clinic? How did you get that position? And how did you find the support there?
I got that position straight out of uni in Oct 2020. A friend told me to drop my resume off and I got called back for an interview. I got offered a 6 month contract which got extended and I'm now casual with them after getting the COVID job in July 2021.
Have you enjoyed that position? How was the support there?
It was very enjoyable as there's a lot of variety in the jobs you do (recovery, admissions, cleaning of scopes, procedure room) and it's a close knit team. They were very supportive and gave me heaps of training in each area.
That's great! And what are your plans for the future?
The PA is very interested in training me in interventional endoscopy (endoscopic ultrasound, ERCP) as I have experience in the procedure room. I'm also hoping to commence postgraduate studies in Gastroenterology Nursing to further develop my knowledge and put me on the path of becoming a CN in the future.
Amazing! Do you feel that in the long run you have been disadvantaged by not doing a grad program?
Not at all. I've been able to transition into a major tertiary hospital and all my employers have provided full training and support. Tbh the COVID program didn't feel like a grad program, I never saw my nurse manager since my first day. I've done a lot of CPD myself and I attended the GENCA conference (subsidised by my employer) to help me learn.
That's awesome! Do you have any message you would like to share with any new grads or students who are worried about not getting a grad program?
Don't be afraid to apply for any job, even if they state they need experience. I drove around for a whole day dropping my resume off and I wound up with 2 interviews and a job.
Thank you so much for sharing 
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