wheresthecharge

To add what has been stated... The pay is different between rns and rpns. rns make slightly more usually in any given equivalent position. The expected "complexity" that rns usually deal with in terms of their patients... they are suppose to be more unstable. However, I have seen experienced rpns deal with complex patients instead of rns. The program for rns is longer than rpns. However, rpns have to know a lot more in a very short period of time. Hope this helps.

Some things to consider also include demonstrating outreach or knowledge of a department in public health. This can be done through volunteering or taking certification/courses in the specific area of interest such as infectious diseases, chronic diseases, maternity/newborn, mental health, etc. To add to what was written, you need approximately 2 years worth of full-time experience to be eligible to get into a nurse practitioner program. You can either do a masters in nursing and then do a certification for nurse practitioner OR do a primary health nurse practitioner program. Good luck! Feel free to message or comment if you have any more questions.

You do not necessarily need a Master's to be a wound care specialist. However, you do need experience on which you are working on! Congratulations! Certification in wounds is a common listed required or expected qualification for this position. This can easily be done at a college or university under continuing education.

Slowly but surely... some places are getting software that allows physicians to type orders rather than write them. So its about advocating for this if your place of work does not have this already.

I know this comment may probably long overdue... but I wrote a post about this on my blog. I update it as I experience interviews for different positions. Here are some common questions you may get during an interview for a nursing position 1. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? 2. Person walks through the door presenting these signs and symptoms...what do you do (ex. heart attack, stroke, overdose, anaphylaxis, fall, etc.)? 3. Why do you want to work here? What do you know about this facility? 4. What separates you from the other candidates? 5. Summarize your clinical background. 6. How did your education/experiences prepare you for this position? 7. Tell me about yourself. 8. What kind of assessments would you do for someone presenting signs and symptoms of....lab work? diagnostic test? physical assessment? 9. What kind of health teaching would you give someone with a diagnosis of...nutrition? medication? limitations? safety? 10. What do you do when a patient is violent? Procedure? Priorities? 11. How do you prioritize your patients? Explain? 12. Give an example of a time when you managed conflict with a patient or co-worker. 13. What are your career and educational goals? 14. Describe your experience working with our population (ex. immigrants, lgbt, homeless, etc.)? 15. How do you keep up to date with what is happening in your field and with the latest recommendations for practice? Take into consideration the patient demographic, the healthcare setting and the type of professionals that you will potentially be working with. Remember that every answer should always be explained, never listed.

The maximum your resume should be is two pages. However, make sure that you only include 'relevant' experiences and qualifications as opposed to everything you have and done.

Under your clinical experiences where you state skills you have performed, try to word it a way where they sound like an accomplishment rather than a task. For example, Decreased pain of women in varying stages of labour by performing fundal massages Or something like that...

I am not sure which province you are in, but try using CharityVillage - use the filters nursing/health/nurse and entry level you will be surprised to see they are not all PSW work.

This is a fun topic! I remember getting random stuff from my peers were always appreciated. Cards Mini alcohol bottles/special flavored name juices artsy stuff (knitted or crocheted) baked goods food in general I think getting anything is a very kind gesture to begin with.

There are a lot of jobs nurses can do. Think beyond the traditional (though some do need an extra course or two): Educator (Public Health or Post-secondary) Research (assistant or associate) Politics (union) Occupational nurse Doctor's office/clinic Consultant/Case Manager Discharge Planner/Patient flow Coordinator Liability Claims Professional nursing association (support staff) Etc., best of luck!

I remember those feelings, and still have them every now and then. Though I am not extremely experienced when it comes to self-care... consider the following: Do you take your breaks? Do you focus on your responsibilities, or do you try to help everyone else out with theirs? Do you eat properly? Do you keep hydrated? Have you shared these feelings with management? Do you feel comfortable telling them? Would they or did they do anything to provide support? Personally, I find that telling someone (outside of work, not a co-worker) about all the stresses of work (without breaking confidentiality) helps. It helps to just rant sometimes. You need to find methods that are effective for you to cope. If you find that you still dread going to work and feel like you want to quit... I consider still applying elsewhere... just take it day by day. However...just quitting with your situation I think may cause you more stress from the way it sounds. Take care. P.S. If you ever need someone to rant to, my door is always open.

I agree with everyone who has posted that working for the first time was harder to cope with in comparison to first semester nursing school. However, I find that the first semester was challenging in its own right. I remember thinking and still thinking, am I really smart enough to do this? Why does everyone seem like they are just breezing through this? I think what made me stress the most was constantly comparing myself to others. Though I am a hypocrite when I state this, focus on yourself. You need support and to practice self-care as well. You deserve it for getting into nursing school and choosing to balance all your responsibilities. Even at least 15-30 minutes of doing whatever activity YOU want - sleep, music, food gorge, exercise, reading - each day goes a long way. Take care always. Remember, you are no good to anyone if you don't feel well. So take care of yourself first.

From what it sounds like, the nursing role and work environment are two things that you don't like. I wouldn't say you hate nursing per say as you did not mention that you dislike caring for people... There is more to nursing then just working in a hospital or long-term care. I would suggest exploring other nursing roles by volunteering and shadowing or even applying if you can.

Making connections is also a benefit of going to job fairs. Even though they may not have a position, they could potentially pass your name to someone who might.

Hi, I am not sure if this is too late, but I wrote a blog post about common questions that I was asked during my interviews. Here is a list to practice with: 1. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? 2. Person walks through the door presenting these signs and symptoms...what do you do (ex. heart attack, stroke, overdose, anaphylaxis, fall, etc.)? 3. Why do you want to work here? What do you know about this facility? 4. What separates you from the other candidates? 5. Summarize your clinical background. 6. How did your education/experiences prepare you for this position? 7. Tell me about yourself. 8. What kind of assessments would you do for someone presenting signs and symptoms of....lab work? diagnostic test? physical assessment? 9. What kind of health teaching would you give someone with a diagnosis of...nutrition? medication? limitations? safety? 10. What do you do when a patient is violent? Procedure? Priorities? 11. How do you prioritize your patients? Explain? 12. Give an example of a time when you managed conflict with a patient or co-worker. 13. What are your career and educational goals?