2006RNCS

I took the NCLEX 3 weeks after I graduated, and I passed the first time. I really don't recommend waiting an extended period of time to take the exam, because you do forget what you don't use. Also, study hard, but don't over study. You made it through the program, so that is a good indicator that you are prepared to take and pass the exam. Good luck!

I agree completely! I was so disillusioned. I thought I had found the place that I wanted to work for the rest of my nursing career. Then, along came the new ED-who has no healthcare experience. I have my administrator license, and she is making no attempt to get hers. She is firing employees without just cause, and I fear I may be next. I love the residents very much and all the staff for the main part. I just cannot stand being micromanaged. She is not treating all management equally. She definitely has favorites. I know I cannot trust her at all. I know the job market is not good, so I am trying to hang on a little while longer. I have only been in my position for 6 months.

I too am finding out about working for this company. I have been putting in almost double time the past couple of weeks. Well, I am salaried, and guess what, I am sick from exhaustion. My new ED is alienating all staff, and firing people without just cause. Everyone is stressed and walking on eggshells around her. I feel so "micromanaged" in this position of RN Healthcare Coordinator. I also have my administrator license, and was promised a salary increase upon completion, but that likely will not happen. This company wants their employees to work for as little as possible. I do not feel good about the company in the long run, because the stock is bottoming out. We'll see, but something has got to give!

What week are you going? I am going Nov. 3-7.

I just found out I am going to Milwaukee in November for "boot camp." I have heard it is very intense. Good luck to you. You may have already went!

So far so good with my new position at a Brookdale Senior Living facility. I am Wellness Director/Healthcare Coordinator of a 20 bed assisted living facility, and we have an independent community as well. I am an RN, and I took a huge paycut, but the hours are wonderful, and the staff I work with are awesome. I love the residents, and everyone is very supportive. I like my job very, very much, and I look forward to going into work most every day. I started over a month ago, and am getting more used to the job. I hope to stay with this facility for a long time. Good luck to everyone starting their new jobs with Brookdale.:heartbeat

Hello! I worked this shift for two years, and it was a struggle for me for all of those two years. Some people's bodies adjust to night shift better than others. My body fought it the entire time. I stayed sick, tired, irritable, and unhappy. Now, I have a 6:30A-3P job, and I am so happy. I make less money, but I mainly work M-F, with no holidays or weekends. I am Wellness Director/Healthcare Coordinator for an assisted living facility, and I LOVE it. I am very independent, and I love the elderly with all of my heart. You are young, so maybe your body will adjust better than mine did working night shift. Just remember it may only be 3 nights a week, but if you work 3 in a row, the next day will be devoted to sleep. You will need a full day to recover, or your body will let you know about it. Also, you will need to stay on your same schedule on your days off, or your sleep/wake cycle will be so confused, that you will suffer ill effects. It helps to have a support SO also. Good luck to you. I hope it works out well for your family.:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

I grew up in a household where both parents and an older brother smoked. They smoked so much, that my clothes and hair reeked of it when I went to school. When I was in middle school, some classmates accused me of smoking. There was so much smoke in my clothes and hair, that I could see why they thought I did. My parents smoked while I was in the car with them. Windows were up or down, but that really did not make a lot of difference. I suffered from colds and asthma, and I missed a lot of school because of it. I have permanent lung damage because of exposure to the smoke. My mom even smoked when she was pregnant with me, and I was born premature and underweight. I know that it is an option to smoke or not smoke, but please parents, don't make your children suffer because of your habit or addiction. They are innocent. Some may not show the damage until many years down the road. Love them enough to not smoke around them. My dad died from lung cancer, and my mom still smokes, and suffers from every ailment imaginable, most relating back to her smoking. She has COPD, CHF, CAD, emphysema, peripheral vascular neuropathy, and AMD. So, I am not trying to preach, but I know what devastating effects smoking has on a family. God bless each of you.:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

I know that I am in the minority, but most people deserve a second chance. You seem to be a very caring person from your response to your former employer. I believe only a caring individual needs to be in the medical field. You did make a mistake, but it sounds as though you have matured, and that you have learned from your mistake. If it is meant to be, it will happen. If not, other doors will open for you. I have never been let go from a position, but I have quit, and really, really regretted my decision. But, the way I look at it, there is a bigger plan in place for each and every one of us, and at this moment it may really hurt you to not have that job back, but there is always a reason for everything. Take care and God bless! I hope your prayers are answered to your liking!:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

When an RN or LPN supervisor is responsible for all patients and all staffing who are riding on his/her license, then yes, always all personnel operating under his/her license should ask their RN or LPN supervisor's opinion, and let them assess the patient before transfer out of the facility. In my former facility, it was in the policy and procedure manual to do so, and yes, I follow policy and procedure. I was not trying to start an argument, I was only stating what had to be followed in my former facility. Also, under my state board of nursing, I am responsible for all employees working under my license, so yes, I need to be aware of the situation. I have utmost respect for everyone that I work with. I know I can learn a lot from some LPN's, as well as RN's. But, out of respect for supervisors, LPN's, RN's, aides, etc... should consult with their supervisors and let them be aware of patient status. That is what is most important. :heartbeat

When I worked ICU, we did total pt care, bed baths, linen changes, blood draws from lines, no EKG's, we restocked pt rooms, we cleaned the room, cleaned all equipment, restocked crash carts, had no unit secretary, had 1-4 pts per RN, and that is why I quit. The last 2 weeks that I worked, I had 4 vent pts. NO JOKE!! That is unsafe nursing. I loved ICU,but I love my license way more. No job is beneath a nurse to do though I believe. We are all in it together to take care of the pts. I am no better than anyone else, and I basically do anything I can to help others.

congratulations jess! i too start a new job tomorrow. i will be healthcare coordinator in an alf! i think it will fit my personality just fine! i know you will love working in the or. that is what i wanted to do before i started clinicals, but i have a bad back, and the or would kill me. but, you are a lot younger than me, too!!! again, congrats! you will do a great job!:heartbeat

The most important question to ask yourself: Do I think being a nurse is what I want to do? Only you can answer that question. Nursing is tough. It is tough emotionally and physically. But, most days I am so glad I became a nurse. I graduated with my ADN at 38. I have been a nurse for 2 years. I am about to go back and get my BSN, and hopefully MSN someday. I am in management, and I just accepted a new job at a great ALF, with travel opportunities, and room for growth. My goal is to become a DON or executive director at an ALF. My passion lies with the elderly. I really want to make a difference in their lives. Some days are harder than others. I have had days where I want to pull my hair out. I have days that bring me to tears, of sadness, and of joy. I have days that I feel like I am making a difference, and I have days that I feel like I am going nowhere. When a resident reaches out and kisses my hand, or tells me they love me, or gives me a sweet hug, it is all worth it. Good nurses are soooo..... needed. If you really think you have been called to be a nurse, please know you will have good and bad days, but hopefully a lot more good days than bad. Maybe you can arrange to shadow a nurse in a hospital, or visit a LTC or ALF to see what interests you most. Let us know what you decide. Take care and Good Luck!:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

It was 2 weeks for me from graduation to taking the NCLEX. I am a nerd though, so I thrive off learning all that I can, and I was doing the prep all through nursing school. The NCLEX was so unlike any test that I had ever taken. Just know your labs, study prioritizing type questions, know your meds. On mine there were a lot of prioritization, critical thinking, several medication questions (I purchased a flip-o-matic Kaplan med. book from Books-A-Million), no math questions,etc. The med. flip book really drilled the meds into me, and it has helped me retain knowledge of the meds. I wish you the best. The exam to me wasn't that bad. You'll do it!!!:heartbeat

Hi. Please know that we all felt that way! Well, I know I did, that is for sure. We have so much info. drilled into our heads in such a short frame of time, and we leave the program so tired, and with such an awesome amount of responsibility on our hands. You know WAY more than you think. I promise you, that you will be in situations, and the info. that you think you don't know will pop out of your head, and goodness knows from where it came! Has happened to me so many times. You will have times, especially until after the first year of nursing has passed, that you will feel this way. But, I promise you will go through this like every other person does, before you feel confident and competent. You will get there, and I believe will be an awesome nurse. See, you are already worried about being that great nurse. That's a great first step. It shows you really want to be that great nurse. Good luck to you! Please keep us posted.:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

I would not suggest taking Micro and Human Growth along with nursing classes. Both classes are fairly difficult, and you don't know what to expect from your first nursing classes, so I wouldn't recommend it. You took 5 classes last semester, but both these classes are fairly difficult and time consuming, and A LOT of info is thrown at you during your first couple of semesters of nursing courses. I don't recommend taking any extra courses while in nursing school. I only took nursing courses while in nursing school, and I graduated at the top of my class. Some classmates of mine did take co-reqs along with nursing courses, but they normally struggled or were very stressed. I didn't work while in nursing school either. Some do, and I applaud them, but I couldn't risk it. It wasn't easy, but I managed to get by financially until graduation. Some don't have that choice though. I can see where the closer classes would really be an advantage over the course of the program, but I still wouldn't recommend taking two hard classes at the beginning of nursing school. Can you take one the first semester, and another the second semester? If you can, that might be an alternative. Good luck!:heartbeat

I loved the ICU at night. I had enough time and quietness to critically think about my pts diagnoses. I just recently realized I cannot work nights any longer for my health's sake. I am a little frightened to try dayshift ICU.

nso.com

God bless you. I know how hard it is for you to carry on with life right now, not to mention work. I have been there. You are in my thoughts and prayers, along with your entire family. :heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

I hope I didn't discourage you. I received a lot of conflicting info. from my former DON. She told me that the facility was well staffed, and that I would work a med cart very seldom, but it was almost the norm that I worked the med cart, in addition to paperwork, compliance rounds, transfers of patients, admissions, etc., and the staffing was terrible, and the call outs on third shift were awful. We didn't send skin tears to the hospital, unless they were terrible, and there was another injury. I have really good assessment skills, with a critical care background, so I guided the LPN's in the decision to transfer pts. out. Some LPN's wanted me to assess and make the decision, others did it on their own (which I don't approve of), and the one's who did the transfer with my input, were the ones I loved!!! So many had so much more experience than me, but just needed validation that it was the right thing to send a pt out. Some nurses work great under pressure, and some crumble. I stay really calm throughout the crisis, and breath a HUGE sigh of relief afteward. If you have great assessment skills, and can remain calm and clear headed in a crisis, you will have no problem. If not, it will come with time. You know way more than you think. You'll probably be fine. Is it day, evening, or night shift? Good Luck!!! LTC needs really good, special nurses. Hope you love it.:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

I have been there and done that. An RN, like the previous poster said, is responsible for all patients and all staff when he/she is on duty. I had the job of RN supervisor in a LTC facility for almost 5 months on third shift. I loved the job, but if an LPN called out, I had to fill in, plus be house supervisor. On 5 different occasions, I had to work an entire wing by myself and be supervisor, and that meant caring for 70 patients, and being supervisor and responsible for all employees on the shift, and 179 residents total in the facility. I made really good money, but I never slept right during the day, and I never knew what to expect when I went in. Your LTC facility may be different. Where I worked, the DON took all call outs, and between the DON and staffing, the call outs were not communicated very well, so we would show up to work with no one else there to help. More than one nurse walked out, creating abandonment of her patients. That was the terrible part to me. Please think really long and hard. If you get a year or two under your belt, and you go to work for a good LTC facility, then that is wonderful. Just be wary, because what you are told is normally not the reality of the job.:heartbeat:heartbeat

I wouldn't listen to what others say. Do what makes you happy. If you go to the hospital, and you are unhappy, you will burn out fast. I discovered that hospital nursing is rough to some, great for others. It really depends on your personality and your needs. I found LTC to challenge me in ways that the hospital didn't. You become great at time management, prioritization, and using your psych skills. The hospital, you will do more IV's, NGT's, etc. Also, in LTC, especially if you work at night, you develop your critical thinking skills quickly! You learn to pick up on small things, esp. since you have most of these patients on a long term basis. Please listen to your heart, not your head. Do what is best for you and your family. I am sure the place that you work seems like family to you. If you give it a try, and you want to move on later, you can do that, but just follow your heart. It is trying to tell you to stay. Good Luck!!:heartbeat

You should be fine. My test shut off at 80-85 questions, and I passed the first try. I felt the same way when my test was over. If you can, go out and do something really fun and be nice to yourself. All those hours and all that studying will pay off. In Alabama, we know within 2 days if we passed or not. Hang in there!!:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat

What a beautiful story! You just touched my heart. I try to be that kind of nurse to my patients. So many of them have given up, and feel hopeless. You made a difference in that patient's life. You are definitely a kind soul, and you will go far in life.

You will do just fine! We all were nervous to first start clinicals, but it gets better each time you go to clinicals. You will probably start out doing assessments, care plans, etc. You will probably be given one patient to start out, and it should be one that is not too ill. The unexpected, I believe, is the intimidating part of anything that we do. The insecurity of knowing what to do gets better with experience, but if you are a perfectionist, which I just having a feeling you may be, you will always be harder on yourself than on others. I speak from experience, because that is my personality, and it sounds like me you are describing. I am very hard on myself. I am making a real effort in my life to "be good to myself." This is hard when I have always tried to be good to others, at the sacrifice of myself. Now, I have learned that to survive in life, and especially to survive in nursing, you must take care of yourself, be good to yourself, roll with the punches, and just know that everything happens for a reason, good or bad. There will be a lot of emotions that you will go through. You will laugh, cry, kick, and scream, maybe all at the same time! Just remember, all of the nurses before you have gone through the same thing. We made it, and you definitely will, too. Good luck, and God bless!!!:heartbeat:heartbeat:heartbeat