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I get it. I was a new grad who went straight into the ICU as well. Coming up on my one year mark in two weeks. I think your success depends largely on the support you have at work. I had to request a transfer to another location because of how terrible my preceptor was (this preceptor was known for this but was the only available preceptor due to a number of circumstances). Once I got to my new ICU location, there was a night and day difference. We are total care as well, but the teamwork is amazing. My new team is so supportive of new nurses and never makes you feel dumb for asking any questions. Many of them have commented that it's because they "want to build their new nurses up instead of tearing them down." It's just not the nurses either. Directors, managers, lab, housekeeping, RTs, literally EVERYONE is welcoming and helpful when you have questions. Just wanted to let you know that it does get better and not to get discouraged. ❤️

I will take that consideration. I do not partake in gossip as I am well aware of the possible repercussions. It's more like the other nurses approach me because they hear my preceptor talking to me. I just kinda nod my head and say thanks to them. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

Thank you for all of your opinions! We do not actually type out any progress notes or anything. The only time we type is when we need to type conversations, etc that aren't covered by a checkbox. Checking all of the boxes is not time consuming in my opinion. The problem is that for example, there's an order to do a fall risk assessment every 4 hours. He tells me there's no need to do this since "nothing has changed" and that he just does it once a shift even though there's an actual order written by the doctor to do it every 4 hours. I do it as ordered, then he berates me for being excessive and a showoff. ?

So I just graduated in Dec and have been working for 1 month in an ICU. My preceptor is absolutely terrible. He hates his life, complains about literally everyone despite me asking him multiple times to stop with the negativity, and he can't ever be wrong. I have proven him wrong on multiple instances and he does not like that very much. Other nurses on the floor have told me to take what he says with a grain of salt. Anyways, what it all boils down to is that he tells me I am overcharting my documentation. He states that he only charts by exception. He also said, and I quote, "If you are charting so thoroughly, it can get you in trouble because when State comes, they will wonder why this new grad is charting so detailed and none of the other nurses are. And usually the one who is over documenting is a new grad nurse who wants to kiss ***." I have seen his charting and he's a terrible documenter. He's gotten mad because I have refused to document his conversations with physicians for him. In addition, my Cerner trainer specifically told us to be as thorough as possible (esp in the ICU) to cover our own asses. I also had an instructor in nursing school who highly recommended against charting by exception as it can hold some of its own legal liabilities. What are your opinions? I've looked for a documentation policy for our ICU and cannot find anything.

Bay area is super competitive. I live in California and graduated from a central valley ADN program. Most of us here are easily able to get jobs at the local hospitals because, simply put, people do not want to stay in the central valley so it's less competitive. If you are really determined to get a job in California, the central valley would be an easier bet for a new grad compared to the Bay Area or down south.

Graduated this past December. About 7 out of our 50 classmates were hired straight into the ICU after graduation. Three of us chose to go via a RN New Grad program at a different hospital.

I am in the central valley about 1 hour away from Bakersfield, so hopefully I'll be able to get placement at the local hospital here in town. How much work is required on average during the week? I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions! No one else has given me any input so I really want to thank you. ❤️

Yikes, that sounds scary. Is it a lot of writing as in essays, discussions, group projects, etc? A lot of reading? I just started in the ICU and was looking to start this Fall but I'm not sure if starting the BSN this fall would be a good idea. Also, are they responsive to your needs when you have questions about the program as well as class assignments? I was thinking of Fresno State but I heard terrible things about that program that they don't care about their RN-BSN students. Was placement for community health easy for you? Thank you so much for taking your time to answer my questions!

For a multitude of reasons: I wanted a state school, UTA would require more additional classes, and my hospital is paying for my BSN.

Hi! I am thinking of doing this program. How are you liking it? I will be a working nurse with a 2 year old so I am hoping to get into a program that isn't too demanding time and work-wise. I am also worried about the 135 hours that they require for public health. Are you a working nurse also and how do you find the program to be? Thank you!

Just graduated in December. You should start applying before you graduate. My city held two New RN Grad Hiring nights held by two different hospitals so I attended those. Got a job at the second event in the ICU. The hospital understands that you are a new grad, so most of the time, they just wanted to be updated as to when you are testing and if you've passed/failed. You can also get an Interim Permit so that you can start working before you are able to take your NCLEX. I start my job Feb 24th. Other classmates started working back in Jan. As for how soon you are able to test, it completely depends on your school. You cannot test until your school sends your transcripts to the BRN. I'm also in CA and once transcripts were sent, it took 2 days for the BRN to send out ATTs. Once I got my ATT via email, I immediately booked for the NCLEX the following week. In total, my school took 3 weeks to send out transcripts so from graduation to getting my license posted, it took exactly 1 month.

Geez! You are a FIRST semester student! It takes time to develop critical thinking skills! Please don't give it up. It just sounds like your instructor is a jerk. I'm sorry you experienced that. Best thing to do is to keep going and prove to him/her that you can do it! GL!

Just graduated in Dec. I think if you have an interest in science and the WHY then you'll be fine. I definitely didn't think the material was hard, it was just the amount of work assigned. I'm one of those students who read almost every assigned chapter. Sure, I had no life, but I didn't come to play being that I was 32 with a 5 month old when I started. I feel that if you read and really strive to understand the pathophysiology, you can determine which symptoms you will see and thus, determine which nursing interventions you will need to implement. You will get better at this as you progress. Our first semester was fundamentals and I feel that it was really important to understand fundamentals because we really actually built on that as we went. Lastly, reading everything will help in the long run because then you won't have to study so hard (or at all) for the NCLEX. Good luck!

Your story is my story. I did terrible at UC during my undergrad years. Ended up with like a 2.7-something from there. It really killed my self-confidence. I didn't know how to study, was a first-generation college-goer, and experienced depression for the first time in my early 20s. After leaving the UC, I worked for 3-4 years and then finally started taking my pre-req's slowly. I applied to a CC with a 3.0 cumulative GPA, 4.0 pre-reqs GPA, and a TEAS score of 85% (didn't study). I was offered seat #34 out of 40 seats and ended up graduating as valedictorian. I will be starting my BSN this fall. I took the long route, but whatever it takes right! Please don't doubt yourself. It sounds like you've also matured and are serious now. You will get there!

Hi everyone! Looking to start an online RN to BSN program this fall. I live in CA and have narrowed my choices down to CSU Bakersfield or Fresno State. Costwise, they are pretty similar and both will take about the same amount of time, give or take 3 months. Looking to see if anyone has completed either of these programs and what your advice would be? I would also love to hear about workload, what I can expect, and how difficult the program is. As with my ADN, I am dedicated to putting in the required amount of work to do well. I do know that CSUB does require a substantially higher # of public health clinical hrs than Fresno State is. Quite honestly, I have been impressed with CSUB's nursing advisor's responsiveness thus far. More info: I will be working full time with a 3 year old by this fall once the program starts. Thank you in advance!