When I was in nursing school, I worked as a student nurse tech at a university on their telemetry unit. I was welcome to stay at the university, but I preferred Barnes-Jewish and took a position here instead…and I’ve been here for 18 years.
Real-world education.
As a preceptor, I like that I can stay in touch with what’s going on in nursing school. I work with students one-on-one so I know what they’re learning, and how they’re being taught. Barnes-Jewish also offers tuition reimbursement for a lot of courses including cardiologist certification in cardiac vascular nursing. If you pass the test, you’re reimbursed. You can also get your BSN for free, and MSN is being offered online soon.
Hands-on management.
If I have any concerns or problems I can go to my manager, and our director is always available. Right now, we’re switching to a new computer system and I saw the director here at 1:00 a.m. Saturday night. He wanted to be here to make sure things were going smoothly. Clearly management is hands-on and they’re always willing to lend a helping hand.
Why Barnes-Jewish?
Barnes-Jewish offers more opportunities to advance in nursing. You’re also free to move through other departments. In fact, I was in the float pool for a while before I settled into cardiology… You can always shadow before you switch to another department. We’re a huge facility and you’re encouraged to branch out. They’re flexible, and the sky’s the limit.