MIM_RN

I, too, am curious about YRMC. I have been looking on their website to see if I could get any good info about living/working there. I love the fact that it's not too far from the Sea of Cortez!

I live in Indiana and interviewed at both Duke and WakeMed with a fellow nursing student. We were excited about both the GEMS program and the Nurse Fellows program and were able to tour both. I will say that with WakeMed, you have to follow-up with them. They are busy! I sent in my application the first week of Jan and called them to let them know I was traveling to the area and interested in interviewing. I asked the Nurse Recruiter to please let the managers know that I would be coming through so they could attempt to schedule an interview, if interested. I dealt with three different Nurse Recruiters (all very friendly) and was able to score an interview one day before I left to go to NC! Again, I encourage you to follow-up with them and let them know you are willing to answer any questions the managers may have concerning your resume and qualifications. Good luck!!!!

I applied to WakeMed in January and never got a call back, either. I called their office because I was going to interview at Duke in the first week of March and had not heard back from them. (I was traveling from far away and wanted to secure as many interviews as possible) I called their HR office and advised them that I would be in the area and asked if they wanted to set up an interview with me. They did set one up and I really liked it! I would suggest you contact them and let them know you are interested in interviewing, have already filled out an application, and are willing to answer any questions the managers would have regarding your resume and qualifications. Either way, good luck!!!

I requested an application packet for there residency program. It's sooooo long! Also, they are very particular as to who can get into the Critical Care area. I believe they require some experience before you can get into that pathway. Other programs are more flexible. Good luck with that! I decided not to pursue it because I really DO want Critical Care and the only experience I have is from my CC rotation. Oh, well! Instead, I have applied to another residency program in the Triangle Area.

I graduate in May, as well. I gotta say this semester hasn't been so bad! I am kind of enjoying it, actually, because it's been distracting me from the crazy problems I have been facing in my personal life! Also, the idea that in two and a half more months I will be done with all of this mess and moving on to new things is exciting! May be it's because my class load isn't as heavy as others. I am taking Leadership/Mgmt, some bs class called "Senior Experience" which was created for young graduates who need to learn about relationships, sex, finances, planning career, etc...(I tried to beg my way out of that one without success, citing that my life experiences had already met the requirements for this class), Clinical Problem Solving (a review of Med/Surg, Peds, Psych, and Mtrnty), an Independent Studies class (I do 75 NCLEX questions per week and submit rationales for missed questions) and Research II (we haven't yet met for our first class).

I have worked nights for many years in the hospitality industry and have really liked it. When I began having children, I found that schedule not to be very conducive to family life, but you do what you gotta do to get the bills paid. I will be graduating in May and I have realistic expectations. Rotating holidays? Working nights? Sure! I understand that I am not the only one with a family and I don't mind "paying my dues", as some of you have said the "entitled" generation must do, but I will not work somewhere that will require me to work every holiday and stay on the crappy schedule for years just because I am the newbee. So, I agree with MB37. If that labels me as having an "entitled" attitude, so be it. I am learning that there are more things to life than pursuing the "American Dream" and I refuse to become caught up in the rat race. Do I want to be a productive member of society? Yes. Do I want to contribute to people in a positive way by working as a nurse? Absolutely! Do I feel nursing is part of fulfilling my purpose in life? Definitely! Do I want to work myself to death and become a slave to the pressures of this profession? No way! I chose this profession to be able to live my life, not for it to consume my life.

MommyToZion: Congrats! I have an interview in March with Duke's Durham Regional Gems Program. Did you accept and what area will you be in?

If you watch the video, it seems he was pretty traumatized. I actually feel bad for the guy and I think his world was rocked when he came face to face with his own humanity. My father had a very similar experience in a local hospital while in the ICU, so I understand his point of view. He said he came in contact with some wonderful nurses. Unfortunately, he also came into contact with some dreadful ones, too.

you're not bad. may be a little burnt out...but aren't we all??? still, i would encourage you to study, even if it's 50 questions/day. imho, a little something is better than nothing. besides, the learning isn't over! this is only the beginning...

kimmersrn thank you so much for your input. i have an interview at durham regional with their gems program. i am interested in the critical care area and really want to work somewhere that has a nurse residency program so that i will begin my nursing career with caring preceptors and educators. i have applied to wakemed, but have not heard back from them, yet. because i do not live in the state, i do not know what areas are good for family life. i would be willing to live anywhere in the triangle, even if i have to commute, as long as it's safe and family friendly. i am not interested in buying, at this point, thinking more about renting. (either home or townhouse) i am excited about durham because i think i would really benefit from a small hospital system until i get more comfortable with nursing. (i still feel i know absolutely nothing and will be graduating in may...kind of scary!!!) it seems that many nurses are not very thrilled with duke, from what i have been reading. that's disappointing because it seems like they would be such a great environment for a novice nurse to thrive in.

Squirt6907....Do you know anything about the Nurse Residency programs @ Vanderbilt TN, Duke or WakeMed in NC?

kimmersrn- i am interviewing at durham regional in march and have applied to wakemed. i would love to know your opinion about both hospitals. (i am graduating in may and, hopefully, moving to nc to work in one of their nurse graduate programs.) which areas in the "triangle" offer affordable housing? which areas have a good school system? family life? thank you so much!!! p.s. anyone is welcome to jump in and answer my questions!!!

We have a Life After Delivery Book that we give all moms when they arrive to Mother/Baby Unit. As part of our discharge teaching requirements, we education them on signs/symptoms of PP depression and give them a phone number they can call if they are having troubles. (We have a group called Mother Matters, which is a support group for mothers who experience anxiety and/or depression r/t childbirth. It's run by nurses on the unit who have experienced similar issues.) If we feel the patient is in need of assistance, we make sure that prior to discharge we send a referral form to one of the nurses who works with Mother Matters and they do a follow up and we give the moms the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Hope this helps!

When I was in labor with my first child, my anesthesia provider refused to administer an epidural because I had a tattoo in this region. He finally did so, after lots of discussion. (I honestly think he was ticked off because he had to wake up from his nap to administer it.) When having my second child, a different provider did not hesitate to administer it.

Also, wtbcrna, thank you!

"Be careful about taking grad classes. Many CRNA programs require that you take their courses and will not transfer them in from other universities or degree plans. The 2 schools I applied to will not include your time spent in an internship toward your critical care time but they only require 12 months ICU to apply. Also, one required the CCRN and the other strongly encouraged it. The average GRE at each school was between 1100 and 1200. PALS and ACLS are a must. Hope this helps a little. Also, call the financial aid offices at some schools with programs & ask them about your loans." "The other posters hit the nail on the head. Many schools will only give you credit for the one year of ICU that you worked independently. It's a good thing that your husband is very supportive...convince him to see the light at the other end of the tunnel. He will have to be mom and dad to your two children due to the demands of school. Many NA programs will quiz you about your family and your support network during the interview process to make sure that it is solid and will not interfere with your education. Hope this info helps...there are plenty of parents with young children that succeed in CRNA school." Neurogeek and Armynse: Thank you both for your input. It is greatly appreciated.

So, what how does this program work? (as I am sure they will not just spend that money on just anyone)

"My class starts in June '08. It will not cost me anything to attend. In fact, I will be paid while going to school full-time. In other words, being a SRNA will be my job. I cannot imagine not having an income and adequate health insurance coverage for my family. At the other end of the spectrum, I cannot imagine being in an enormous amount of debt after graduation. " Can you enlist as an RN/BSN and they will automatically pay for your schooling (with an agreement to serve for school paid) or do you have to serve time for them first and hope to get picked to attend school?

So, let me fill you in on some background information and then I will slam you with all my questions. (Please bear with my ADD thought processes!) I am 32, mother of two, and will be graduating in May 2008 with my BSN. From the time I enrolled in school, my plans have been to become a CRNA. I will be graduating with a 3.8 GPA and consider myself to be a very disciplined, hard working nursing student. I have attended a school that requires one semester of Nursing Theory, two semesters of Nursing Research (including submitting a proposal and conducting research), Gen Chem, and Prob & Stats. I did very well in all classes, though I really did not enjoy Prob & Stats and found Gen Chem to be a challenge (may be related to the poopy prof). So, here are my questions: 1) Should I be taking some graduate courses while I am gaining my critical care experience? (Physics, Chem, Stats, etc...) 2) I have applied to a Nurse Residency Program at Vanderbilt, a year long program in Critical Care Nursing with a commitment of one year. Will I be able to consider this 2 years experience in a critical care setting or just one year? Has anyone heard any good things about this program? Also considering North Carolina, Nevada, and Colorado. Any insight on good programs there for new nurses in critical care? 3) I will be graduating with around $40,000 in student loan debt. Is it possible for me to continue acquiring more school debt once I am in a CRNA program when my BSN debt is still unpaid in full? Also, once I graduate, will I be overwhelmed with school debt??? (things I ponder late at night) 4) My children will be 10 and 8 once I enter school, and though my husband is extremely supportive, how will these two years of intense sacrifices affect my little ones? I would really appreciate any insight/information. I know it's a lot, but I am consumed with so many questions and no one to help answer them!!! Thanks!

i attend a private nursing school and they make us take the nln our fall semester (senior year). if you pass this test, you have met the exit examination requirements for the school. if not, you have to go through remediation in the spring semester for the areas you showed a weakness in and then take caps examinations in those areas. you then have to take another exit examination and, even if you are an "a" student and do not pass this exam, you will not "graduate". (they'll let you walk the stage, but you don't get your diploma and do not even get to wear the honor cords you worked so hard for all four years.) stinks, doesn't it?

:balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons: Congratulations!!! I will be there in May!!!

no wonder i did not get a reply to my post! i didn't realize i was entering a crna only forum. oops! sorry. :)

"i was worried about white because i can never find underwear that don't show through. i'm also glad for the black pants because my caboose it so big (maybe it'll camouflage it)." silly you! that's hilarious! i have quite the reputation for not being able to stay "clean". meaning, if someone is going to get something on their clothing, it will be me. from ink stains to food stains, you name it, i stain with it. another reason to hate the darn white uniform!

i feel your pain. i keep telling myself, "one more semester, just one more." our school makes us wear white tops, and not a scrub-type style, but more like what you would expect an orderly in the 1960's to wear. we can wear royal blue pants, but they also have a very distinct style of their own. (not a cute, flare cut!) i feel terrible for my fellow male nursing students, they look worse then we girls do. seriously, i do not, in any way, mean to anger the nurses (like my dean of nursing) that feel our comments on the white uniforms are disrespectful, but we are approaching 2008. times change, and it's ok for us to express our disdain for the white uniform. it's just too institutional for my taste. (our class is actually thinking about planning a uniform burning party post graduation!)

awesome! :balloons: you are where i want to be in a few years. i will be graduating in may with my bsn and have the goal of becoming a crna. i can't imagine what you must be feeling right now, but i am glad for you that it's over. when will you find out? also, where did you attend school and do you think it's feasible to do so with a family? i have two children, a very supportive husband, and great determination. i am a disciplined student, will be graduating with honors, and truly believe i will be successful in my desire to further my education.