nsnapres

phoenix is growing and they pay nurses pretty well around here. however, as a native i can tell you that it's WAY TOO HOT. i'm thinking about settling in san francisco or seattle. getting out of the desert and into a city where they pay nurses really, really well.

For it being a Magnet facility, I was surprised how the actions of the staff at Banner Good Sam contradicted them telling me they wanted me to succeed there. Four nurses in my orientation class at another facility also had bad things to say about lack of support. For needing staff so badly, I'm amazed at how they won't support newcomers. cookielady--you must really, really hate good sam.

well, here's my opinion: as long as you finish your RN you will pretty much be able to write your own ticket whichever direction the wind blows.... i feel the same way, i'm 27, done with school in february and have an itch to get out of the desert. i plan to finish and move somewhere coastal (with a good new grad program and possibly some relocation assistance) and work for a year and then take travel assignments. we're young, unattached, we can do these things. i don't think it will hurt you in the long run to try a few places, a few jobs. lots of nurses change jobs or cities quite a few times prior to finding their niche. carpe diem i say!

i definitely did not enjoy the VA. the staff was terrible and seemed very incompetent (and rude to patients, eachother, us, etc). it was my first clinical in nursing school and by far the absolute worst up to this point. seriously, i still have nightmares about their lack of standard precautions, contact precautions or droplet precautions to this day. BLEHHHHH.

i personally didn't love mayo. we did 12 weeks of clinicals there. kind of how you'd picture it--clique-sih, snooty, rich and obnoxious patients. i felt like a pillow fluffer and salt and pepper girl--not a nursing student. they do have a great new grad program, though. county is pretty good. good benefits. i'd prefer not having to work there, but yes, the burn center is phenomenal. (just how depressing though...) i'd love to work at phoenix children's hospital. it's as good as they say. beautiful, friendly staff, etc. i have friends at boswell and del webb on the west side that like it. desert banner is good. heard some positive stuff about good sam. st. joes is great. pretty much agree with all the other people have said. i'd work at phoenix children's if i were to stay here, though. that's my top pick.

just because we are new nurses doesn't mean we have a defined obligation to serve 1 year on a med-surg floor. it's still recommended but with the nursing shortage, new grads are much more able to stake a claim as to where he/she prefers to start. a lot of new nurses are beginning in community health, private practice, and critical care. from what i've seen at mayo and other hospitals 'med-surg' isn't necessarily basic. it's becoming more and more specialized anyway.

mt33133... they recommend a year of med-surg for new grads. i'd say out of my graduating class of 24, about 3 will actually work med-surg. i live in phoenix and pretty much all the hospitals in town are now hiring new grads for icu, labor and delivery, nicu, e.d. i plan to jump right into the nicu once i'm done. i sure as hell don't want to be anyone's maid/fry-salter. when you're out and about at clinicals, ask about extern positions in icu's, e.d.s, etc and see what the trend is in your town...most likely you won't have to start there though... thank GOD!

yikes, no way for me. but a lot of people in my classes do. i'm in my 4th out of 5 blocks, and i'd say a quarter of the students are employed as nurse externs at several hospitals around the valley. also, now that we took the HESI PN, those of us that passed and choose to may sit for the NCLEX-PN and work as LPNs while in school. a few of my friends are doing that, but i've found that living on loans and health care through COBRA are pretty much the only way i could get through this with my head intact. i'm absolutely exhausted as it is....

the prereqs required are english 101 (and 102 i think?), math (i took above college algebra, but i think something below that is okay), chemistry (just one semester of high school chemistry), medical terminology (but if you have had it, you can test out of it or they'll take your credits usually). i know the school offers the prereqs on campus. also, they offer anatomy and phys 1 and 2 there, during the first two blocks, as well as chemistry (college level is first block). they also offer psych and nutrition, as well as nursing assisting. it's a good program. 5 fifteen week blocks, clinicals at mayo and county (as well as other good hospitals). i'm in my 4th out of 5 and i can't wait to get this all over and done. it's spendy but worth it.

well, my school requires the HESI, both the PN and the RN version in order to sit for the NCLEX. I'm in my 4th block, just took the HESI PN and got 1037. I found that the Saunder's Review....PN (or RN for that matter) are very, very good reviews. If your friend uses the Saunder's book and does a couple hundred questions from the disk, I bet she will pass just fine. The HESI is hard, but it's not impossible.

Yeah, Mayo only pays $.66 more per hour for BSN. Haha. (Just make them pay for your BSN). That's my plan!

Plus, EBSN is an excellent school. I feel as if it's worth every penny of my non-wait-listed time.

I go to The Ethel Bauer School of Nursing, and I really like it. I'm in my 4th out of 5 blocks--it's an 18 month program for ADN. Currently, Grand Canyon University and U of P accept our credits, but after the first group finishes, it is expected that the other universities will accept our credits as well. The great thing about school like PMI and EBSN is that they're fast, less wait-listed (or at least they were) and it seems like there is better one-on-one attention than that of the Maricopa system schools. Although my school is expensive, I figure waiting on the lottery list for entry into a Maricopa school I'd end up having to pay more in bills/loans than just finishing quick and getting out there to work. Let the hospitals pay for my BSN or MSN.

My theory is that most nursing students have difficulty with the critical thinking and time management aspects of nursing school. Classes like fundamentals really throw people off due to the fact that you are specifically learning theory...not just practical skills. It reminds me of art class--first you have to master the theories of oil painting like the classics in order to really have your own talent develop. It tends to be a tedious and time consuming area of nursing--all the care plans/NANDA-speak, etc. Also, I think people have false assumptions that they'll have time to work to pay mortgages and eat...truth be told, most of us can't balance the two. So, it's an expensive yet rewarding time in one's life. I just keep the main picture in mind--I'm in my 4th block, just gotta get through this one and the next one. Then this will all be a whirlwind of a bad dream. (tired just thinking about it!)