Voluntary Work For The Newly Graduated Nurse

Strategy For Insertion In The Labor Market

Abstract

Introduction: The search for insertion in the labor market by the newly graduated nurse subjects her/him to complex situations at the beginning of career, related to the demand for experience and competitiveness in the current nursing scenario. Objective: To understand the meaning attributed to the experience of volunteering by newly graduated nurses, at the beginning of their careers. Method: Qualitative study conducted through interviews with 20 nurses who volunteered at a university hospital. Symbolic Interactionism was adopted as a theoretical framework and, the Content Analysis as a methodological framework were used. Results: For the volunteer nurse, the professional experience required by the labor market and the high competition to job openings were the elements that made this experience difficult, as a result of poor training and the increasing numbers of undergraduate nursing courses. Final considerations: Exercising voluntary work allows the interaction of theoretical and practical knowledge that was not fully mastered during nursing school, as well as working as a tool for formalizing professional experience for hiring.