For those of us who graduated in May (or thereabout) how is the first few months of nursing? How are you feeling and where are you working? Thoughts?
I'm working in a PICU at a teaching hospital and I LOVE it! I learn something new everyday and my co-workers are the bomb! I feel supported and there is always someone if I need help/have questions.
There have been some days where I feel very overwhelmed and want to throw in the towel but most days I really enjoy it. I'm thankfully that I work on a very supportive unit to new grad ICU nurses. I had a 10 week orientation and that was adequate I thought....so far so good on my own.
Yesterday was funny for me, I have to share. Everyone had told me that new residents don't know anything but I never really believed it. Well yesterday was the first of the month and the new residents/interns came. The resident who was assigned to one of my patients (we usually have 1-2 patients per nurse) told me it was his first day and he didn't know what he was doing. So *I* the new NURSE had to show him the ropes....she him how our vents worked, etc. He then got assigned to pull back my patients PICC line to 5cm and I had to show him step-by-step how to do that and then I dressed it. ME a NEW nurse?! LOL He was so thankful and kept shaking my hand and telling me how thankful he was.....lol. Hopefully down the road he will remember the nurses who helped him when he didn't know what he was doing :)
Hello to all. Im also a May grad, took NCLEX on Aug 1st and passed, yipee. Still no job, looks like most of my classmates scheduled interviews and got job offers before graduation. I have a possible interview at a local hospital which offers a residency program for several areas. Im interested in L&D but still have that thing in the back of my mind that as a new grad it is important to do Med/Surg. Any advice on that, considering there is a residency program for both areas?
Well, I got hired on the floor I was a CNA on for the 2 years of school...and my boss and I were talking today and I'm going, "you know what? I'm glad I didn't have to go to another floor and figure out who I could trust, who I could joke around with, who I need to work with etc...."
I work on a ortho/neuro/medical floor...so we see everything from knee hip replacements to spinal sxs, CVA patients non-acute, general medicals, etc....
I just ended my 6th orientation week...4 more weeks than I'm on my own! But I rountinely take 6-7 patients, 2-3 admits, and usually have 1-3 discharges per shift....I feel great about what I do and how I do it!
Took my NCLEX on July 7th (I think), took a quick vacation and started working on July 21st. I have an amazing opportunity having gone straight to L and D.
Having said that, my job is starting to irk me. It's not so much the position as it is the adjustment/transition from a 9-5 and working from home gal to a standing on your feet for 12 hours at a time worker.
I hate waking up ridicously early and I'm not crazy about the fact I have to do rotating shifts.
So we'll see. Even though I get a lot of days off working 3 12's a week, I find myself dreaming of a 8-4 schedule, 5x a week sitting on my butt the whole day.
Hello to all. Im also a May grad, took NCLEX on Aug 1st and passed, yipee. Still no job, looks like most of my classmates scheduled interviews and got job offers before graduation. I have a possible interview at a local hospital which offers a residency program for several areas. Im interested in L&D but still have that thing in the back of my mind that as a new grad it is important to do Med/Surg. Any advice on that, considering there is a residency program for both areas?
If you don't mind doing med/surg for a year, I'd say to just do it and get it over with. Had I been able to tolerate med/surg, I would've done it.
If you go to med/surg first, just let the recruiters know your heart is in L and D and you would like to transition after a year. You can always do overtime or agency work with your med/surg skills after a year.
Marilynmom, I'm in the PICU as well!!! I absolutely love it! I love the kids! Its a very positive place. I'm about a month in now, but I get six months of orientation. I think that will be too much for me, but we will see. I am also at a large teaching hospital and I've heard the same thing about the residents not knowing anything, but I haven't experienced anything like you have.
I graduated May as well. Took boards July 1st and passed!!! Got a position in the ER and have ONLY six weeks of orientation...Im on my second week...Good luck everyone!!! we made it :)
I was not big on med/surg even in school during clinicals... i lean more towards womens health so i thought it was perfect when i found a hospital that has a residency program for L&D. Anyone heard of the Versant RN residency program? Supposed to be real good.
If you don't mind doing med/surg for a year, I'd say to just do it and get it over with. Had I been able to tolerate med/surg, I would've done it.
If you go to med/surg first, just let the recruiters know your heart is in L and D and you would like to transition after a year. You can always do overtime or agency work with your med/surg skills after a year.
Hi guys, graduated May 10th I took my boards Aug 2nd and passed!!! I am going to start September 27th on an Onc unit... Very excited.... and stressed just getting ready to find a place and move from one state to another. Oh orientation is 12 weeks I thing and mentorship is 1 year. Hope I make it there in one piece!
I was not big on med/surg even in school during clinicals... i lean more towards womens health so i thought it was perfect when i found a hospital that has a residency program for L&D. Anyone heard of the Versant RN residency program? Supposed to be real good.
I googled it and it looks great. Personally, if one is going to do a residency (I'm in one now), I think they should take advantage and do it in a speciality.
Why waste this opportunity on an area you don't even care for? If it was just a regular ole hospital with standard orientations, then I would probably advise you to do med-surg first, but if Versant provide all the resources they claim they provide on the website, just go for it and do L&D.
I'm a May grad too, and work on a tele unit, and love it. So far things are great... I started on the floor the first week of August, and have a great preceptor. I was hired for nights, so tomorrow is my first night shift. I'm still on orientation, and my preceptor has said that she thinks I'll definitley be ready to go when we start the next schedule- after 8 weeks- the average is 10, so I'm feeling encouraged and fairly confident. Everyone from the day team leaders and other day staff have all been asking me to stay on days and telling me how they really want me to stay which also makes me feel great and that I must be doing something right!
After a month on I'm getting a better sense of where my strong and weak points are and set goals for myself each shift as to what I want to focus on improving that day- mostly time management and organizational issues. My preceptor thinks I'm too hard on myself, and I know I'm impatient- I want to have it all down pat like yesterday, and many of these things only come in time. I still find I feel as though I turn into a bumbling idiot when dealing with drs, as I'm most intimidated by that aspect of it.
Overall I'm really happy and love my job. I'm nervous about going to nights because I've gotten along so well with everyone and just fit right in on days, and don't really know the folks on nights. I'm hoping it all goes as well as its gone so far.
I grad 5/15; passed boards 8/1. long gap in between, i really didnt want to take it right away, but when i did go to schedule my boards, i couldnt get in until august! that was terrible! my boss was actually mad that i didnt get in earlier, cuz she wanted me off orientation way before i really thought i would be ready. i started my job 5/29- hospital orient for 2 crappy weeks, then i started on my floor orient, i was only on for 3 weeks when she asked me when i was taking boards cuz she wanted me off orient. that was pretty cool, but at the same time, i was a little thrown off, usually orient is 8 weeks or more. i had been on that floor before for an entire semester and my precept, so maybe she took that into account.
its SOOO much easier than being with someone!! wow.. lovin' it... (not mcdonalds!! lol)
adema12
14 Posts
Hello to all. Im also a May grad, took NCLEX on Aug 1st and passed, yipee. Still no job, looks like most of my classmates scheduled interviews and got job offers before graduation. I have a possible interview at a local hospital which offers a residency program for several areas. Im interested in L&D but still have that thing in the back of my mind that as a new grad it is important to do Med/Surg. Any advice on that, considering there is a residency program for both areas?