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!