Lindsey Birdwell, MSN, RN, CEN and Cassie Chaffin, RN, MSN – Norman Regional Health
Twenty-Three years after graduating, They’re now leading a transformative summit.
story and photo by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer
Twenty-three years ago when Cassie Chaffin, MSN, RN, CEN graduated from nursing school she had received plenty of instruction on what to expect when she stepped onto the nursing floor for the first time.
But how to get there, from preparing a resume to excelling in interviews to selecting the right first step into her new career was an afterthought.
When she became the supervisor of Norman Regional’s Nurse Residency and Extern program she knew something needed to happen.
That’s why she was instrumental in helping the health system develop a summit for students to gain those crucial skills before they signed on to put their crucial skills into the hospital.
“There was nothing like this,” Chaffin said of when she graduated. “I think this is a needed bridge and it’s coming from the standpoint where we have recruiters actually looking at them as opposed to a professor saying “this is what we think they’re looking for.”
The bi-annual event will be held Tuesday, September 10 from 6-8 p.m.at Norman Regional Moore, 700 S Telephone Rd in Moore.
Titled “Taco Talks: Transitioning into Nursing With Confidence” the event will feature free tacos, door prizes, the opportunity to network as well as free headshots you can use for your resume.
Topics included in the event will be finding the right nursing fit for your first or your next job. Resume building pointers along with interview prep and a leadership panel. The event is free.
Last year, the health system started offering a summit each semester for students to come prepare for finding their first job.
“The goal is to help students because we know it’s an overwhelming time,” Chaffin said. “Obviously, we would like them to land at Norman Regional but at the end of the day we want to make sure they have a successful transition into professional practice. That first year coming out of nursing school to practice as a professional is very, very challenging in a lot of different ways.”
“This gave us an opportunity to bring some light to that and to tell them to give themselves some grace.”
Lindsay Birdwell’s experience was much the same graduating in 2016.
“There was zero prep in terms of transitioning from that student role to that professional practice role,” Birdwell said. “I’m really proud of Norman Regional taking the lead in our community and putting this out there with the mindset that yes, we want you to work for us but it’s more important we are preparing our healthcare force for tomorrow.”
Now, Norman Regional’s Education Specialist and Student Coordinator, Birdwell, MSN, RN, CEN gets to offer students what she never had.
“This is amazing,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to get an insight from a recruiter’s point of view of what’s in your resume and what does that look like. A lot of students don’t realize resumes are read by software now so if you’re not including the right things in there you could have a great candidate getting missed.”
From a hiring standpoint, Eric Shaw, Norman Regional’s Talent Acquisitions Manager, sees lots of benefits.
“We are at the job fairs and the colleges talking to students and we have heard them … that there are things that aren’t covered in their courses,” Shaw said. “We talk about what their resume looks like, what experience they may have and how that may translate into a medical professional’s resume. It’s kind of the do’s and the don’ts. I think it gives them a leg up on their peers as far as how to conduct themselves on paper and in the interview process.”
“We give them a lot of feedback of what you should look for yourself. You’re in demand, you’re in the driver’s seat right now.”
For more information you can contact Birdwell at 405-307-3618 or email her at
[email protected]
“It’s getting the message across that you can do this and regardless of where you land the more prepared you are and knowing the right questions to ask of how you will be supported (is important),” she said.
