AndreaH

Hi, congrats on your job offers! The good thing about nursing is that you can always move around and try other specialties. Even if you dislike your first job, you can always switch. From my perspective, the most important aspect of a job is working with a good team, supportive management, and a short commute (especially after night shift.) Of course, pay is also a factor but if you're young and don't have a family it might not be make or break for your first job. It sounds like you are dead set on NICU. If you can't imagine being happy anywhere outside of the peds world, I wouldn't take a med surg job. You will most likely be miserable and I don't think getting a job at a highly ranked hospital is worth that. If your goal is NICU, I recommend taking the pediatrics job. You can apply to a NICU at another hospital in a year or so once you get experience. Good luck!

I recommend getting a BSN instead of ADN if you are able to pay for it. All Chicago area hospitals are hiring, you won't have any trouble getting a job with a BSN! If you want to advance your education and do a direct entry MSN that's also a great route, but it's definitely not necessary for a job. Good luck!

If you've already interviewed and you haven't heard back in a week, I would reach out to the recruiter. They should update you! You should also ask them if there's other positions available. Good luck!

Hi, I've been a RN at UChicago for 3 years and I like it. The pay is great. The acuity is high and it's a stressful patient population. Management can be good or bad depending on the department. There's lots of educational opportunities for new grads. There's LOTS of RN positions- I don't know how long it should take for them to get back to you. I recommend applying to multiple RN jobs and looking at the job board daily.

Yes I recommend applying to jobs even if the description says 2 years nursing experience required! You have nothing to lose! If they are open to new grads they will select your for an interview after reviewing your resume. Good luck.

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to pursue a master's! But it is best to get more experience as a RN before you do so or while you are in school. Try to think outside the box. Could you work outpatient? Home health? Hospice? For an insurance company? Telephone triage? Case management? Also, what do you want to get your master's degree in? If you want to be a NP, you need experience with patient care. It's also important to work as a RN to learn what master's specialty you would like. For example, if you want to get a master's in nursing leadership and run a nursing infusion clinic you should work as an infusion nurse beforehand. You might love working as an infusion nurse or hate it and I'm sure you don't want to waste your time. Good luck!

Hey there, it sounds like a very stressful shift! From my perspective, I believe you did a great job. As a nurse, your most important job is to keep the patient safe and communicate with the care team. First, give yourself some credit. This patient has multiple complex health conditions, is acutely ill, combative, and their family is hard to work with. First, you did a thorough assessment of the patient. You educated the family on the importance of limiting fluid intake. You listened to the RTs recommendation and communicated with the provider multiple times. You quickly completed orders. It's true, at the end of your shift the patient was in bad shape. This is not completely your fault. Nursing is a 24/7 job- the oncoming nurse can pick up where you left off. Of course, there is a lot to learn here. You could have called a RRT or entered an ICU consult or asked another nurse to assess the patient with you. My advice is to write down what you learned and what you may have done differently. Be kind to yourself, you are working hard and doing well!