Social Media and Your Job Search

We are often asked about the use of social media not only for job seekers, but how it can be used professionally. Let me say this right away...WE LOVE IT! The world has "gone social" and here at All Children's Hospital we are no different. Let me break down some of the ways we have integrated social media tools into our work, and how you can use them to get to know us better.

Check Us Out
If you are new to social media the best thing to do is explore the various channels we use: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, as well as our Linkedin careers page. We post jobs, share articles, keep in touch with job seekers, and generally participate in the larger social conversation that is going on 24/7. Feel free to comment or ask questions at anytime.

Get Started

Now that you know where to find us, it's time for you to get in the game! I'm guessing you already have a facebook account, but you may not be on twitter or some of the other sites yet. Now is the perfect time to get started. Jump over to the Twitter home page and set up your account. It only takes a few minutes and will open up the world very differently than your Facebook experience.

Once you are using the tools you will quickly find how effectively they can be used in your professional life. As they say, content is king, and social media is full of content that can be used in every facet of professional life.

We're going to highlight various social media tools in the coming weeks and months so be sure to watch our blog to learn more!

-Jay



photo credit

Are You Ready For Your Interview?

We receive more than 1,000 job applications each month here at All Children's Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine. That is a lot of interest in our organization! For those that receive an interview it can be an exciting and nerve-wracking experience all at the same time. We recommend you focus on your interview preparation to not only help you present yourself in the best possible way, but also to help manage your nerves.

Learn

One of the best ways to prepare for your interview is to learn as much as you can about us. We have a wealth of information on our facebook page, the Human Resources website, and our main hospital web site. We are a much more complex organization than most candidates expect. It is essential that each candidate does their best to understand our hospital and the services we provide.

Practice
Once you have a general sense of what we are all about, you need to practice. Find a friend, colleague or family member and run through an interview. I know it won't be exactly like the real thing, but it will give you an important confidence boost. Not only will you have put time in getting ready, but you'll also have the advantage of saying your answers out loud before the actual interview. You'll know if you need to make any changes before you come in to meet with one of our recruiters.

Ask Us Too!
Once you are in the interview make sure you ask us plenty of questions. That is a sure fire way to show us that you took the time to learn about us, and that you realize how important the hiring decision is for both you and the hospital. Great questions always make a great impression!

Remember to be prepared for every interview, and good luck!

- Jay

I'm A New Pediatric Nurse!

This week we welcome one of our newest employees, Marianna Broz, RN, to the blog. She is one of our RN Residents, and is going to provide a rare behind-the-scenes view of what it is like to be a new nurse in a complex pediatric hospital. Look for regular updates from Marianna in the weeks and months to come!

Congratulations, you've made it through nursing school! Something we all seriously doubted would happen at one point or another. And so now it's time to start your professional career… the moment we've all been waiting for. So here comes day 1 of my new life as a professional nurse. After all of the exams, clinical hours, and check-offs I now realize: I know nothing. But that's okay, it's actually expected. And thank God it is.

The first week was an overwhelming blur of trying to remember door codes, passwords, colleague names, and locations for everything ever created. Oh, and trying not to run into any more walls (the hallways are deceiving and set up in an oval shape, so walking in a straight line while not paying attention won't do you any favors). It took 3 hits for me to figure that one out.

A new nurse must dance along a very thin line of trying to be competent and knowing when to ask for help. Like the first couple times I received report, I was absolutely convinced it was in another language. I stood there and nodded along, making mental notes to google half of the abbreviations and crazy syndromes I've never heard of.

There are preceptors, floor managers, nurse educators, and residency directors all checking in with us constantly because they know how tough it can be to be so new in a top-notch facility. And though the meetings with all of them are great and helpful, the true support comes from the residency class itself. There are 9 of us; 3 of us will eventually be in Pediatric ICU (including myself), 2 eventually in Cardiovascular ICU, 2 are already in Neonatal ICU and 2 are on the Neurosurgical unit.

All of us are in the same boat, working side by side, experiencing the same events through brand new eyes.

Every Monday we have a 4 hour residency class, and faithfully after each one we all go out to lunch together to "debrief." For at least 2 hours, we all vent and tell stories about how our weeks are going. And if one of us can't make it to lunch or we have a story that just can't wait, there's the group chat: an ongoing conversation of "Oh my God you'll never guess what just happened" moments. Gotta love technology.

As any nurse will tell you, it's very hard to describe the things we deal with to someone who has no idea what it's like. Bad accidents happen to good people. There's touchy subjects like child abuse and neglect. The same kid that makes you laugh all day at work, you'll cry about on your drive home.

But with the support of the people around, it's not hard to see the impact we can make… even after a grueling 12 hour shift.

People always ask why I chose pediatric nursing… My response tends to change after each shift. Sometimes, it's because I get to play at work: Use toys, light up games, talk like Patrick from Spongebob, etc. Sometimes, it's the obvious: Who doesn't want to help a little kid feel better? But after my first couple weeks at All Children's, I found another reason I wasn't expecting: The people around me.

Everyone here has to have some form of a sense of humor to be able to get the job done. To me, there's no quicker way to make a child smile than to make an absolute fool of myself (like arguing with a kindergartner about why Toy Story 3 is better than both 1 and 2. Combined. Times infinity plus one).

So this blog will be dedicated to the good, bad, sad, and absolutely hilarious events that come with being a brand new pediatric nurse. I've been convinced for a while that nursing should be a reality show anyways, so really this is just the beginning.

Look for Marianna's next post in January!

-Jay

Meet Hella Ewing, RN - Chief Nursing Officer

Today I’d like to introduce you to our Chief Nursing Officer, Hella Ewing. Hella is a high-energy leader (that’s an understatement!) who advocates for our patients, our nurses, and our organization every day.

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Jay:    Hella, you joined All Children’s two years ago. What was it that drew you to our hospital?

Hella: All Children's Hospital has a wonderful reputation within the state of Florida and amongst many other hospitals nationally.  We are one of only three freestanding children's hospitals in the state of Florida.    I was working in another facility in the state where pediatrics was constantly competing with the adult facility for resources.  Here, every specialty from pharmacy, lab, child life, respiratory, nursing and physicians are totally focused on caring for the sickest of kids. 

Online I watched the new All Children's Hospital being built.  We celebrated two years earlier this year.  It is a beautiful facility with the newest technology and highly skilled care group.  I think the biggest draw was after I interviewed with the front line staff.  It was obvious how committed and compassionate they are about caring for kids.  They truly care.  It is part of the culture and I wanted to be a part of that.  I recently celebrated my two year anniversary and I can say I am hooked!  What more could any CNO ask for: a hospital full of kids that need our care and wonderful staff to provide the care that is needed.  I am very fortunate that they chose me to be a part of their team!

Jay:    You’ve made a clear commitment to include front line Nurses in every facet of their practice and work environment. What are some examples?

Hella: We are committed to being the number one children's hospital in the nation.  To achieve this goal we have to have front line staff who are engaged and feel they are 'owners' in this institution.  We can do this by allowing them to participate in the direction we want to take in nursing.  So many great ideas come from the front line staff and it is leadership's job to make sure we decrease barriers and support these ideas.  Over the last year the team created so many wonderful programs. 

Our front line leadership class has accomplished many group projects.  They developed the new nursing model for ACH.  They developed the new clinical ladder to support professional growth.  We restructured the governance structure to include many wonderful clinical councils that provide oversight of clinical care, clinical education, clinical research, advance practice and IT documentation.  Nursing was not happy with their performance feedback tool and competency criteria.  They revamped it to make the feedback much more relevant.  The new leadership cohort is working on the foundational plan for Magnet status. 

The future for nursing and other clinicians is bright.  We look forward to developing our clinical relationship with our peers at Johns Hopkins.  We are learning so much from each other.  It is such an exciting time here.  There is so much more to come.

Jay:    You have a reputation for being passionate about Nursing and supporting Nurses at the bedside. Why is this so important to you?

Hella: My passion for nursing stems from my own personal experiences.  My husband was hospitalized for over 4 months.  During that time we both had such great support by the nursing staff.  There are not too many professions that you can go home at night and know you made a difference in someone’s life.  We know nursing is a tough career.  What makes nursing so special is that it is more than a job.  Sure we are competent at caring for our patients but we also support the families on an emotional and spiritual level.  

Look around All Children's Hospital.  We get to celebrate wonderful moments with our families.  Moms and dads holding their baby for the first time in the NICU.  A child that finally receives a heart after waiting for months.  A teenager making prom when no one even thought they would be leaving the hospital.  These are all wonderful celebrations.  We are also a part of some sad moments where we hold each other, cry together and support families through some of the worse moments in their lives.   This is what nursing is about. 

We only hire the best of the best - the ones who want to be a part of these moments.  We celebrate staff who are recognized by our patients, families and peers.  Most are very humble and say it is part of the job.  We know it is more than that.  It is being a nurse here at All Children's.  There is nothing more special. 

We hope you’ve enjoyed meeting Hella, and will check us out each week for news, interviews, stories, and opportunities here at All Children’s Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine.

- Jay

Welcome to our HR Blog!

Welcome to the All Children's Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine Human Resources blog! We’re going to give you a behind-the-scenes look at All Children’s Hospital and life along Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast. We're a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, which means we're part of one of the most dynamic healthcare organizations in the world. Each week we'll post stories, interviews, and images of the incredible people and places we experience in our work.

Our Team

Before I go any further let me introduce myself. I'm Jay Kuhns, and I am the Vice President of Human Resources here at All Children's Hospital. I've been with our organization since 2008 and will be the primary moderator for the blog.

Other members of our team who will be participating include two of our Recruiters, and a very special blogger, Marianna Broz, RN, who is going to share her experiences as a brand new nurse in our RN residency program!

Get Connected
We are on many social channels so it's easy to find us. Whether you are into facebook, twitter, Linkedin or Pinterest we have you covered!

We hope you come back regularly to explore, learn, ask questions, and ultimately join one of the most sophisticated and complex pediatric facilities in the nation.

- Jay