Why I Want to Work at [Hospital Name]

And I thought the NCLEX-RN was tough. Writing a 500 to 1,000 word summary on why I want to work at a certain hospital is like trying to write a biographical novel on a two-day-old infant with a specification of pages at a minimum of 1000. Why do I want to work there? Well, because trying to find a new graduate job for a Registered Nurse is hard these days and I'll do anything to get a job. Ok. Maybe that didn't fill the 500 word quota. You should hear all the questions running through my head: What are they looking for in an essay? How are they going to determine that one person is better than another because they know what to write? Or even how to write? Why do I want to work there? How do I start this report? What is it that I want to say? Why do I want to work there? On and on the questions run through my head which always leads me back to, "Why do I want to work there?"

I sit at my computer with my fingers to the keyboard. I even spend about five minutes, while I'm asking myself, "Why do I want to work there?" cleaning the dust off around the keys and off the top of my monitor. After about 15 minutes, I decide to get up and stretch my legs. Maybe a half-hour walk will help me clear my head and give me some ideas?

An hour later, I sit myself down at the computer again ... and nothing. I check my email and log on to Facebook to leave a status that reads, "Why do I want to work there?" hoping that one of my friends will give me an idea of what to write. They respond with, "Work where?" "You haven't found a job, yet?" "Have you tried this hospital or that hospital?" Then I log off. That was pointless.

I look at the clock on my monitor and it's almost lunch time. Maybe if I get lunch ready and then eat it, it will give me time to think. Hopefully, something will pop into my head. I better bring a pad of paper in case something does pop into my head and I can't step away from the stove. Two hours later, I return to my computer. My pad of paper is blank. And, yet again, I find myself sitting in front of my computer thinking, "Why do I want to work there?"

Then I begin:

"I want to work at your hospital because ... " delete, delete, delete.

Let's try this again:

"Your hospital is right for me because ... " delete, delete, delete.

One more time:

"Your hospital's highest priority is ... " and I keep going and going ... typing away.

I finally finish my paper and I go to read it to make sure it sounds okay. As I read it, it begins to sound like a book report. Nothing catchy to impress the reader ... delete, delete, delete, delete. It's dinner time anyway and I should think about what I'm going to eat.

Five days later, I sit down again to write this report. I continue to just write and see where it gets me. After 3 hours, I finally finish it, edit it, and I'm ready to send it. I pause. Is this good enough to send? All of my friends who have read it say it sounds good. But I have to be sure. I stare at the send button for what seems like hours. Do you think they'll like what I wrote and give me a call for an interview? Maybe ... hopefully ... I'll be the only one who sends in everything so I'm the only one they can hire. That's doubtful. I end up sending it with fingers crossed.

This has helped me learn a lot about myself. I've always wondered how much stress I'd be willing to put myself through to get a job. I've learned that I would do anything to get a job, even if it means I have to write a report that says more than, "I want to work there because I need a job and have bills to pay."