I am being advised that when I graduate...

mama_d, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2009

So many people have given so much good advice on this one already. I do find myself thinking "troll!" but just in case, or if someone else might be able to benefit, here goes....

Well, I'm just a lowly LPN, but I do have nine years worth of experience as a nurse...although you seem to think that counts for nothing.

I have my doubts as to whether or not you'd take any advice I have to give you to heart, but I'll try anyway.

You're in for a RUDE awakening when you start in the real world of nursing.

"If this is so, then I will have a professional do my resume, betcha dollar bottom I will."

Most places don't want a resume, they want their application filled out and a negative drug screen. Preferably with real world, health care facility work experience on said application. And, if I may be so bold, if you are getting such a superior education, why would you need a professional to do your resume anyway? It's not like it's rocket science, I learned how to write a resume in middle school.

"...sounds like you are a professional at business hiring. I was not iquiring about your expertise perhaps in another are than nursing."

Actually, rbezemek is just indicating that he/she understands the business model utilized by the majority of hospitals. I'm sure that most of us on here who work in hospitals could have told you the same thing, and he/she was trying to help you to understand how the hiring practices work for your benefit. If this is the kind of attitude which you present to those who are attempting to help you understand concepts which you have obviously not mastered yet, I think you should take a look at Ruby Vee's recent post about her experiences precepting.

"Yes, maybe they NM ought to take a pay cut as well, it does not take 6 MN (one for each floor) to hire nurses to fill a hospital."

Um, nurse managers do a heck of a lot more than just hire nurses to fill a hospital, that's why there are usually one for each floor/unit. Again, you show your lack of real world experience and understanding of hospital organizations. As has been pointed out on allnurses previously, NM's often make less than some of the floor nurses, since they are salaried.

"Not more than it takes to hire someone with 3 years experience for the ICU compared to a new graduate, becuase they are training us really well here at the university, and there are a lot of us who are a lot more smarter than some nurses in the hospital now. Yes, that is right, we are being taught and are getting hands on the most updated nursing concepts and training there is. So, take that to your NM."

There are so many wrong assumptions in here that I almost don't even know where to begin. Firstly, though, I would like to point out that when you are calling people out in regards to intelligence, it helps to present your point of view in an intelligent manner. Failing at basic English grammar does not help your case.

I can guarantee you that the wisest choice, when presented with someone with three years of ICU experience to a new grad, most places will go with the experienced nurse. It makes sense to hire someone with a proven track record in the real world. You will learn, once you are in the real world of nursing, that what you dealt with in clinicals and lab is nothing like what you will face on the floor. School prepares you to pass the NCLEX, it does not prepare you to safely or even adequately care for the kind of patient load and acuity that you will receive as a floor nurse.

Hands on on the most updated nursing concepts does not translate into you having the ability to provide safer care for your patients when compared to an experienced nurse. The experienced nurse (hopefully) will have the knowledge and skill base to take that new concept, recognize how much of it can be applied and adapted to the realities of the working environment, and use the flexibility of thinking which they have gained through their experiences to utilize "updated nursing concepts" in a way which you currently cannot understand. This is not a personal attack in any way, just a recognition of the fact that you do not have the experience to be able to do so yet.

"We are good trained nurses while we are in college, and if anybody gives me a hard time as a new grad, I call that bullying, and will file a harassment law suit."

I hope you realize that it is actually against the law for you to make this statement. You are not a nurse. You are a student. When you pass the NCLEX, and obtain licensure, you will be a nurse. Once again, grammar error as well.

You will be given a hard time as a new grad...the learning curve is steep, the expectations are high, and you will make mistakes. Again, not a personal attack, but you are human, correct? It is not bullying to point out where inadequacies lie, and to neglect to do so only culitvates a culture of unsafe patient care. Your personal feelings are lower than secondary when people's lives and outcomes are at stake. Your failure to realize this is troubling, but you still have time to reflect on your attitude and make positive changes before you join the workforce as a nurse.

"...and everything will be based on the level of education."

Once again, fallacy here. Judging from your previous postings, I'm going to assume that you actually mean level of degree, not level of education. There is a fine but distinct difference. True, there are positions where a minimal level of degree is expected, and that's as it should be. However, level of competence is more important than level of degree. This would be why there are BSN nurses on my unit who come to me for advice, despite the fact that I am a LPN; they value the fact that I have been a nurse since before they graduated from high school, and have been working on our unit since before they even began nursing school. Most everyone has something of value to contribute, and often it has nothing whatsoever to do with degree level.

"I believe in being perfect the first time."

I've got news for you...it doesn't happen. Ever. Personally, I'd like to be there the first time you try to start an IV on a 650# patient.

"2 year RN do not graduate with the full scope of practice as a 4 year"

Yes, they do. That is why RNs who bridge to a BSN do not have to take an additional NCLEX upon graduation. The opportunities are different in some areas, but the scope of practice is not.

"We also learn more on the theory behind nursing practice, and excuse me, but that is so very important to every nursing skill provided to any patient."

Ah, this would be why my poorly educated LPN butt can run circles around the BSN new grads. Again, theory is nice and all, but actual hands on practice is where you develop that sixth sense about your patients. You can study theory till the cows come home, but experience tends to trump theory. When a patient calls their nurse in the room and says "I just don't feel good," they don't want a nurse who can spout theory at them, they want a nurse who can take one look at them and know to grab the EKG machine and a set of enzymes and chemistries b/c something is screaming "Acute MI!" at them.

"When I graduate, if it comes between me as a 4 yr RN and a 2 yr RN, yea, that is right , I will get the job."

A lot of that actually depends on the reputation of the school. There's a school in our area which offers a BSN that has a bad rep, and HR and NM hands down will take a ADN from one of the local community colleges instead. It also depends on personality and presentation; someone who is humble and indicates their willingness to work as a team member and learn is a much better choice for a facility than someone who comes in with a know-it-all attitude, regardless of which degree each holds.

"...who are smarter than a lot of the nurses in the hospitals today."

Native intelligence has nothing to do with education. Additionally, I'd have to say that I can almost guarantee that I'm smarter than you are, just based on statistics...I've never scored below the 99%ile on any standardized test that I have taken, and am at the extreme right of the bell curve for IQ.

But you know what? I still regularly go to my fellow teammates, even (gasp!) those uneducated techs, for their advice and input. One of my techs saved one of my patients one night, and if I wasn't willing to listen to her and value her input based on her experience, my patient would have probably suffered permanent residuals from an acute CVA. Within the five minutes between me being in the room and my tech being in the room, the patient began exhibiting signs of a CVA. Because my tech recognized that something was wrong, and I was willing to listen to her, that patient was able to get treatment in near record time and walked out of our facility as good as she walked in. But if I would have had the opinion that just b/c I'm smarter and more educated, her input meant nothing, the patient would have been in much worse shape.

"Just because we are coming out after you, it only means we are fresh and trained for whatever, like just about everything."

Ah, this means that you know the steriods are the appropriate treatment for certain kinds of sudden hearing loss? You're ACLS certified and capable of running a code without pooping your pants? You know the proper way to approach a newly diagnosed terminal patient about end of life care? You can handle five different patients crashing at the same time, and still have time to help a tech clean up a patient, while getting your meds passed on time and fielding phone calls from seven different doctors and multiple upset family members? I could go on and on, but most importantly...

Do you know how to value that which those who have less official education than you do have to contribute, and do you truly know the meaning of teamwork?

"Tell me one thing that I can expect not to know when I start my first day as a new graduate nurse?"

Humility, compassion, and the value of your co-workers and patients/family members as part of the healthcare team. School can't teach that. Also see the above.

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Mar 31, 2009

Well, so what. I believe in being perfect the first time. And don't tell me that there is everything I should learn from you. It goes both ways, there will be things experienced nurses will learn from new grads, and that goes for nurse managers as well.
Research where it says that 4 year is considered a professions degree versus a 2 yr RN. I did not say that I had a problem with a 2 yr, now did I? No I did not!! You are wrong for saying that I said that in front of everybody, and you own me an apology. I have a right to speak my peace on this web site just as much as anyone. And I do not have to bandwagon. 2 year RN do not graduate with the full scope of practice as a 4 year, oh yes, wait a minute, a 4 year where I go leads right into the masters and Phd and nurse practitioner, and in this 4 year program we nursing students are being trained at a higher skill level. So, don't tell me that a 2 yr RN will not have to step aside ( it will be done becuase 4 yr students are trained in leadership skills) and let the 4 yr do it, because the 4 yr RN will have more training , a larger scope of practice say for instance in health promotion etc....... We also learn more on the theory behind nursing practice, and excuse me, but that is so very important to every nursing skill provided to any patient. Do you think that a doctor makes decisions just because? No, a doctors decision is based of scientific as well.
The advantages to the BSN education are a broader educational base in the general studies, which is for decision making, and if the nurse is planning further education--which I am planning on doing. Another another is the additional courses, which allow the BSN RN opportunities for access to employment positions often not available to RNs with an ADN education. Additionally, some health care facilities and systems are requiring or at least preferring that all RNs in a supervisory position have a BSN or higher degree. Therefore, the BSN RN has a grearter opportunity to advance their career than an ADN RN.
So, unless you want to tell all my instructors who have Phd in nursing, you will get a big suprise
Yea, let's keep this "real" and peaceful, I am not attacking anybody, and I refuse to bandwagon with a few 2 yr RN who are not as educated as me in nursing.
When I graduate, if it comes between me as a 4 yr RN and a 2 yr RN, yea, that is right , I will get the job.

Ok, I will keep this short and sweet. The majority of the nursing supervisors and specialty coordinators in my workplace are ADNs or Diploma graduates. Experience is what counts.

I'm not even going to bother to take offense to your attitude because I believe you are in for one hell of a shock. Seriously, I even questioned whether your post was real. But, thanks for the comic relief.:chuckle:D

If there are nurses out there who still "eat their young"...I think the OP may as well just smear herself in ketchup, because I think she'll be the main entree!!

RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2009

no not yet. i already have a job when i graduate, making $30.00 hr. my sister is an rn for the government, and i have already met with the safety engineers and i have a job waiting for me. she does the hiring and scheduling. i am so excited. she and another retired army nurse spits the 24 hour days. 12/12. sundays off. only when needed. and it is a great job. i am going to just love it.
i better not have to jump hoot and holler either, i will go to hr one time and one time only. then from there, watch for things like discrimination hire.

https://allnurses.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=3534912

quote from op on can't get a job thread: "my sister is an rn and she makes 28.00 in a nursing home in wv, and she is not the don, just like a charge nurse that oversees the whole facility. in wv, in a certain northern panhandle city, the hospital is very picky who they hire, and it is hard to get on. a "click" thing is going on there that involves hr"

i am appauled by this thread.

to the op, in another thread titled "can't get a job", you say your sister works in a nursing home, but yet you claim she has a government job.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 31, 2009

The quote thing is just not working. It just turns orange when I click on it, and no "quoted text is appearing in the reply screen. ???? Maybe I should get my BSN. ROFL!

I am stopping right here to answer your post so if it has been answered after sorry for re-posting. You have 2 quote buttons, one that says quote and one that turns orange when you hit it that doesn't say quote but has the " symbol.

The one next to thanks that says Quote is to just quote that particular post, the one that turns orange is to quote multiple posts, so say you see poster A, B and C and want to reply to all 3 of them without having 3 separate posts you would hit the " button that turns orange on each of their posts, than when your done go to the bottom and hit add reply, when the reply box appears it will have all 3 posters quotes in it and you can add in your reply after each one.

I hope that makes sense, I don't start NS until August, just doing the other easy classes like Pathophysiology right now and I chose to start with an ADN program first so we all know how smart I obviously am :rolleyes:

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Mar 31, 2009

https://allnurses.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=3534912
quote from op on can't get a job thread: "my sister is an rn and she makes 28.00 in a nursing home in wv, and she is not the don, just like a charge nurse that oversees the whole facility. in wv, in a certain northern panhandle city, the hospital is very picky who they hire, and it is hard to get on. a "click" thing is going on there that involves hr"
i am appauled by this thread.
to the op, in another thread titled "can't get a job", you say your sister works in a nursing home, but yet you claim she has a government job.

yep, that's what i figured. i figured the op was not entirely above board..who knows. probably isn't even in nursing school or has been kicked to the curb. good catch.

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 31, 2009

You know what I just thought about, I was just looking on my hospitals website Job board and a lot of the positions that DID require a BSN said BSN OR EQUIVALENT JOB EXPERIENCE. I think that sums it up well in here.

This is a good hospital too, they are a magnent hospital with a few new units and voted one of the top 100 places to work.They also got this The American Nurses Association has presented ************ with the association’s highest award for sustained overall excellence in nursing quality.

Magnet status identifies a high quality nursing staff

One of the national standards for identifying a hospital with outstanding nursing care is designation as a Magnet Hospital for Nursing Excellence. Designation is made by the American Nurses Credentialing Association.

In 2000, the association designated **** as a Magnet Hospital, the 18th hospital in the nation to receive the designation.

A hospital must reapply every four years to maintain its designation. In 2004, ****** achieved re-designation, the 11th hospital in the nation to be re-designated. ********* will reapply in 2008 for continued designation.

The ANA, the professional organization for 2.9 million registered nurses in the U.S., presented the Fort Collins hospital with the Award for Outstanding Nursing Quality during the association’s national conference on National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI).

So it can't be said, "well they are a crummy hospital that will hire anyone "

~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN · Mar 31, 2009

Yep, that's what I figured. I figured the OP was not entirely above board..who knows. Probably isn't even IN nursing school or has been kicked to the curb. Good catch.

It is odd someone says they have a job making 30 p/h already set up yet are complaining that they will not bed for a job and how they were mislead.

heron, ASN, RN · Mar 31, 2009

Aw, OP, where'd ya go? We were having such fun with you!

She's off to post on the nurses eating their young thread.

allnurses Guide · Mar 31, 2009

I think this thread has run it's course, there is a great deal of good advice in the thread from all levels of very experienced nurses, and after being qualified for 20 years I am still learning every day, yes sometimes from new grads but sometimes from nursing assistants and sometimes from colleagues that I have worked with for years.

To the OP good luck with your new job, I hope it is everything that you want it to be.

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