Delancree

I definitely understand anhow your BSN helped you. I did state that the degree needed for one’s position should be obtained. I just don’t agree that some places are demanding that nurses have their BSN to get a bedside job. Why does the ADN still exist then?

I totally agree with you. I have a hard time understanding why some licensed nurses think BSN prepared nurses are more competent than ADNs, especially that they sit for the same exact exam.

I do not agree with the “choosing to stay stagnant” remark. Nurses do not have the same goals, or budgets. Nursing education is expensive and higher nursing degrees do not automatically translate into better care. All RNs received the same basic nursing education needed for practice, reason why there is only one NCLEX RN. I went the ADN route, and obtained my RN to MSN while on a public health job. The clinical knowledge I had gained on the job and the way I professional developed surpassed anything I was taught in the MSN program. Experience in a setting where you work is way better than a title, but the title needed for the job should be obtained. Degrees only matter if one wants to learn, otherwise it is just about passing exams and getting more initials attached to one’s name. I know some MSN and doctoral degree nurses who are highly incompetent, lack professionalism, clueless on treating patients with dignity, basic communication or adequate critical thinking skills. How a nurse’s care impacts patients and or their area of practice should be considered before their nursing degree.

@tining you are right about the pharmacy label with a description of the pill and all...if you get one. Some of the pills I receive are dispensed in orange tubes with regular sticker labels. Almost all my kids have the same community providers and same neighborhood pharmacies...imagine that. Meds that come in original packages have to be unopened, but with the orange tubes, I just have to trust the pharmacy, the good intention of the parents and my guts.

Unless an opened container was given to you by the parent (which you are not permitted to accept as per policy), or, on inspection you noted something “off” clearly written on the med & you did not bother to check it out, then you cannot be held accountable for this blatant display of lack of knowledge, professionalism and leadership from your sup. ?‍♀️

Hi, Public school nurse in a big city here. I read your policy and it does not state whether or not the medication container may be accepted “opened”. The policy we have at my health agency has that part written in bold. I don’t remember being taught in nursing school/pharm. to know the physical characteristics of tabs/capsules etc... This is definitely not part of the med. rights. Unless of course, it is a clause in your policy . The same exact drug may look totally different depending on the manufacturer. This is wrong of your sup, on every level, and you should fight harder for your rights/license.

No, the first pay check covers the first 2 weeks only.

For anyone who is thinking about becoming a school nurse with dohmh. After the processing, you ll get an email 3 days prior to the orientation start date. The orientation lasts 2 months, Monday through Friday 8-4:30 pm. Your first paycheck will be seen 6 weeks after orientstion date. Pay is biweekly. Orientation locations are 6 in total across NYC. Be prepared to travel and pay for parking. They still use paper time sheets that have to be mailed through the post office on Fridays after 4. Be prepared for calls from them that they did not get ur time sheet on time and ur pay will be affected... etc... during each training day, a lot of info is given, so bring a log book everyday. There are a lot of issues with signing up for things thru papers. So be prepared.

Hello new grad. First, let me start by saying that the one mistake new grads always make is "only look for positions at hospitals". There are so many other options out there for RNs. While I do understand the need for the hospital experience, please understand that you must start somewhere. Plus...RN experience anywhere is RN experience. The way healthcare is going is away from the hospital setting. I live in the big apple, and major hospitals here are shutting down their inpatient wings to make room for "observation and outpatient services"...which explains the Urgent Care Centers trend. Patient care is moving away from hospitals to the home setting now. I know 8 nurses who worked in hospitals for decades who were recently laid off because their departments closed. My advice to you is to start with home care if u cant find anything else right now. Home care cases are at least $90 per case, 45 minutes a case. At Nursing homes the patient load is usually high 1:15 at least and 1:30 where I have worked. You d be crying after week 1. As for interviewers, they are trained to make you feel as if you will get the job. I am not saying you didnt ace them, however they ll make you feel that way 95% of the time and turn you down. That "no experience" nonsense is just an excuse. After all, if you are assigned a preceptor, what is the sense in having all that experience to start? I know about 10 nurses whom I had graduated with, who were hired in hospitals right after graduation, and some even before they sat for the NCLEX...it really is nice to know the right people in the right places. I also have seasonned RNs from med surg, step down, post op, ER, whom do not get hired because they are "overqualified". Employers have to show numbers to the suits by a certain time...so conducting countless interviews is part of their grant fetching process. Do not focus on hospitals only. I am sure you"ll get plenty of offers once you find something you really like. Do not get discouraged. After all, the hardest part was Nursing school, and you made it out of there. Explore other options. Best of luck.

No they did not. I even asked my sup and she said all I can do now is wait for further instructions. It really is frustrating. You should plan your childcare according to school hours. 7_4. Heads up, some schools start at 7:30, like where I am now. I will wait patiently. Stop by and let us know how it goes OK.

I agree. You should have gotten a call for the processing part by now. Someone should be calling you soon for processing. I was told processing is where you bring hard copies of your credentials, such as RN license, CPR/BLS cert and etc...along with the packet you received from the fair. You might want to look over those forms and see what needs to be filled out. I received my call last week Friday 5/12/2017, so don't start worrying yet. If you want, send me a private message and I will provide you with the number of the rep who called me. Maybe she could help you shed some light on what is going on with your processing. Best of luck.

Hello there. The hiring process is uniform. You apply through their site and attend the event. You cannot apply directly to a school. The only way you could land the site of your choice with luck is to apply for a transfer to that particular site you want, after working for them for a year. If that site is still available, they ll probably give it to you. Unfortunately, they do not honor preferences. You will however be placed in a school in your borough. For example, if you live in Queens, you will be placed at a school in Queens. I have been covering a school for almost a year now working with an agency, i have a good relationship with the DOH supervisor and all, however, she told me that even though she d like to keep me at my current site, she is powerless when it comes to making that decision.

Actually, it is very interesting that I came across this thread today. I just came from the career fair. It was held today April 21, 2017. I am not sure when or if they'll have another one for the year. If you get invited by email or phone, make sure you know what you are walking into. I was given an offer today. Here is the process in a nutshell. First, you must be there by 8 am, they waste no time with the process. You check in, and are given a folder with forms to fill out. There is a brief essay to write, where candidates talk about what qualifies them to work as school nurses, and what skills they think they need to excell on the job. Then you are escorted to a room where there is a presentation about the job itself and its benefits. The salary is mentioned right there and then. You are even given the chance to walk out if you want, because the salary SUCKS...and they know it. Once done, candidates are called in groups to go wait to be interviewed. Once called upon, you go to a room with about 6 tables, where at each table there are 2 nurses who will be conducting the interviews. Be prepared to answer questions like, tell me about a time you had a conflict and how u resolved it, solved a problem, went above and beyond for customer or patient, had to comply with authority...etc. All cliché questions that they are taking turns reading off a piece of paper. It lasts about 30 mns, depending on ur answers. Once that is done, you are then taken upstairs where you will be given a written test, 20 questions. The questions are mostly scenarios, like what you would do if a student was self medicating, if a parent brought a medication different from what you have a physician's order for, in what order you would see students with breathing, vomiting, glucose check, fever and paper cut. A couple of med math, simple things, but no phones allowed and no calculators are provided. M sure they change the questions each time. Make sure your unit conversions, multiplication and division skills are on point. Once testing is done, you go wait a bit. They call you once again to briefly interview with one borough supervisor who will go over the test results with you. Again this is done in a room with several stations where interviews are being conducted. Make sure you have rationales for ur answers if they are wrong. They ll listen. I had a nice African borough supervisor, so he agreed that some questions were confusing. He also asked me why i want the job because it pays so low, and asked me what makes me unique. At the end of this last interview, the sup tells you whether or not you are coming onboard, and shakes hands to congratulate you...when you leave that room, you are taken to HR where they tell you what is going to happen next, and set you up for a physical and stuff. Then you just wait until you get calls and emails about what to do next. Do not quit your job until the end of August when they ask you to report to your assigned school. Throughout the whole process, the salary topic was never off limits. That is one good thing about this fair. FYI, m not sure whether or not is legal to disclose this, but School Nurses with ADN get $38.68/hr, and those with BSN get $38.99. There are increments for RN experience, but not much. Your salary is spread out through 12 months, because you will get 4 checks for July and August even if u dont work...so you are looking at $32.11 per hour throughout the year. Again, their salary SUCKs. I hope this post was helpful to some of you.