Finally!!

Well i've finally graduated from Nursing school on May 10th. It's been a long, but great 5 years of school and I've made some really great friends along the way.

I already work in a hospital and have been a tech for 2 years in the ED. I love it there but was told that i couldn't work there as a new grad because turnover has been low and it's not fair that a person whose worked med-surg for a year dosn't get the job over me. they told me the same for the ICU's! I was so upset over this because i love everyone i work with. I love trauma's!!

Well I was in touch with Human resources and she wanted to set me up with floor interview's. It's not that i hate floors i've just found that they really aren't my thing, and i praise everyone who likes the floors. I just crave the higher acuity patients.

Well last friday the HR lady called me and said she had a position in the CCU if i wanted to interview for it. I said of course because CCU is my second choice (although she didn't know that because i only put ED on my app), i love the heart and I did my critical care clinicals at the Cleveland Clinic in the Heart Center ICU's. She set up the interview for today at 2pm.

I talked to people i work with and some of them whom have worked in the CCU, and they said they loved it up there. I went for an interview i was 15min early. I saw a nurse i used to work with and chatted with her for a few minutes because the director was in a meeting. She said that she loves it there and it's a much better learning enviorment. She said the director and management is super nice and so are the nurses and docs.

So i interviewed and she seemed really interested in me. She talked a lot about the unit, the high patient sat scores. Clinical trials going on, and a new program starting in the fall that is going to try and merge the gap between nurses and docs, so that the communication system is better. She talked about how i will take critical care classes after i pass boards and that's not included in my 12 week on the floor orientation. I will also take ACLS as soon as she can get me in. She took me on a tour and introduced me to everyone, and told them that i was interviewing to work there and that she was really hoping that i would stay and work with them. I had a lot of questions and she answered almost all of them through her talking. Ratio's are 2:1 or 1:1 with a patient on a balloon pump which i won't do for a little while. She said that when she started as a manager ratio's were 3:1 and sometimes 4:1 but not anymore.

I got home a little after 3pm and i recieved a call from HR a little before 4pm. They offered me a position. I took it of course, i know it's has to be a good unit because everyone i've talked to has great things to say about that unit. I just am excited now because getting a job was so stressful to me. I didn't get to work in the ED but this is the next best thing and i believe that down the road if i do decide to be an ED nurse that this will only enhance my nursing skills.

Thanks everyone for helping me through the last 4 years or so of NS. I'm so happy it's over with, but know that my learning has really just begun!! I sometimes don't think i would have made it without my friends at school and Allnurses because if you arn't a nurse or haven't been to nursing school you just don't seem to understand what it's really like!!!