BeezieRN

I would not push it back. They say that the longer you wait after graduation, the harder it may be to get back into test mode as you did in school. Honestly, I studied an hour or two a day by answering questions and writing down topics for review. Relax and don't worry! Good luck and study hard.

Congratulations! You took one of the hardest exams ever!! It may seem hard to believe, but you can pass after taking only 78 questions. In my opinion, it's a good sign. On the other hand, I am not grading the exam so I can't tell you for sure. Do you receive quick results? If so, 48 hours after the exam you can receive them. It is the longest 48 hours EVER, but relax and do something you enjoy. You will find out soon. Congrats again!

New grad NICU jobs are few and far between. I have met many future RNs worried about not getting into their specialty of choice right out of school, and that it will be impossible to transition into if they start in Med/Surg. What do you all think? What sort of experience does a nurse need to transition into NICU, if any? Should they start into peds right away or should they gain adult experience?

Hi! Unfortunately new grad neonatal programs are few and very popular among applicants. Do you personally know any units and nurse managers? Have you had your peds rotations? It might help to get to know the areas where you'd like to work. Go to job fairs and meet the hiring managers personally. Many peds positions do not offer interviews just by application and resume. They want to meet applicants too! Depending on where you want to work, if you graduate spring 2019, then you should start around December/January...but they might not start hiring until later once they know how many jobs are available. Your professors are also your advocates. They may have connections with certain units too. I also recommend to having a back up plan. Many units I have talked to would prefer experienced nurses, so also consider adult units or critical care too! Hope this helps!

Have any tips for surviving? Did you enjoy it at all? How often did you rotate between 12's?

It sounds like it is guaranteed for staff not to swap shifts within the same week...I guess unless you want to? Things are never for certain. I don't know how they schedule personally, since I don't work there and it is out of state. What I have seen/heard during school will definitely be different once I find a place to work.

It really depends on what area/environment that you work in. At the hospitals, I've met some nurses who work 3 12's on weekdays and have an extended weekend. Others opt for Fri, Sat, Sun so they can be at home with their kids during the week and save money on child care after school. Their spouses can work a normal Mon-Fri workweek and stay home with the kids on the weekend while the RNs are working. Honestly, it really depends on if your employer allows self-scheduling or if you are assigned shifts instead. In other places like long term care, primary care, outpatient clinics and home health, the nurses work 8 hour shifts for 5 days or even 10 hours for 4 days. I have been told by several nurses that once they got into the swing of 12's that it was harder to work 8's and 10's, but it depends on what you enjoy. Personally, I prefer having 3 days on, 4 days off rather than splitting up days like MWF. Having 1 day on/1 day off schedule sort of drags it out for me.

I have been looking around at employment opportunities. There is one floor that I dream to work on, but it is rotating shifts only. While it is all self-schedule, it is a requirement to work days (50%) and nights (50%)...just not rotating in the same week! I have heard so many bad things about this type of schedule from many posts on allnurses, and it has frightened me for sure to read people's opinions. Any advice?