mindofmem

I'm still a new RN (1 year) and started in adult ER as a new grad (which was a complete nightmare, but that is another story!) In April of this year, I moved to a pediatric urgent care and it's the happiest I've ever been (not just as a nurse, but at any job, EVER). True, the acuity is obviously much lower (as a previous commenter said, we do get our share of respiratory distress, serious injuries, etc. that need to be emergently treated and stablized for transfer) but I get such a sense of satisfaction from being able to actually help "fix" problems on a daily basis, even if it's something as simple as a sore throat, a lac, or splinting a fractured arm. Plus, you see lots of families over and over, so you get to build relationships, which I really like. As for pay, for me as a new nurse, I actually make quite a bit more than I did as a hospital RN resident, and actually still more than I would have as a new staff nurse at my previous hospital. I realize that might be a different story for the experienced staff nurse who would obviously make much more than I did! Though there are tough days, on the whole, I leave my job feeling satisfied on most days and would still be happy in my role even if I was earning less. I wish you luck in whatever you choose!

I agree with everyone else here...the long drive would be a deal-breaker for me. I work at a hospital 5 miles from my house and it's amazing how much working close to home can boost your quality of life. I previously worked at a hospital 30+ miles from my house (with absolutely heinous traffic to boot). I worked night shift then (as an ED tech during nursing school) and man, commuting home in gridlocked morning rush hour traffic (sometimes for 90 minutes or more), exhausted and starving, was HORRIBLE.

Hi, all! I am a newly graduated RN (May 2021) starting orientation as a resident a Level II ED next week. Does anyone have any feedback about the BCEN EDvantage certificate? It's a rather new program designed to help acclimate new or aspiring emergency nurses. Any thoughts/experiences anyone can share would be much appreciated! ?

Yes, I was accepted to the fall 2019 cohort as well. I agree with the other comments, put MAXIMUM effort into your science pre-reqs (A&P I and II, micro). My instructor said to plan on studying 3 hours per day, 7 days a week for those classes if we wanted to earn an A and he wasn't wrong. For A&P, open lab is essential...I went at least once a week, more often if my schedule permitted. The Kaplan is a very easy test if you know what to expect. Try searching YouTube for study tips. For what it's worth, I didn't find the Kaplan test practice book helpful at all; it was WAY too broad and I ended up wasting time on a lot of topics that weren't on the test. For math, brush up on fractions and decimals if you're rusty. The science portion was heavy on physiology. The reading portion was straight comprehension, but the writing portion was quite subjective, which made it a bit tricky in my opinion. Oh, and for A&P and micro, check out Crash Course and Khan Academy on YouTube. Those channels helped me a lot. Good luck to you!!!! ?

I was thinking...they might wait to update Banner, etc. until after February 15 when all the acceptance letters have been received.

From what I've heard, there will be an orientation sometime in March (at least, that's how it's been done in previous years). So I'm sure we'll get more info then!

My transcripts and Banner haven't changed yet.

4.0 GPA, 92 Kaplan.

Yes, great idea!

I already scanned and sent mine! ?

I got in!!!!!!

I hope you're right. I keep thinking they'll be like, oh, you didn't dot the I in your name on your application so you're rejected. Hahahahahaha

It really is! I don't know how much more suspense I can take! I know my friends and family are sick of me obsessing over it. ?

Well, at least that gives us an idea! Thanks for sharing. I hope each and every one of us gets in!!!!

*Sigh.* I guess today's not going to be the day after all.