Asklepios

Funny you mention this, as I even bought a "Spanish For Nurses" book to try and increase my marketability.

Congrats on getting the offer! I also feel like I'm being strung along by some of the HR people I've had to deal with. They take forever to get back to you, if at all. Then they call and tell you the full time position you applied for isn't available and all you can hope for is per diem with no benefits. You really have to be your own advocate in the job search. It takes getting on the phone and calling the HR contact people over and over until they finally work on your application just to get you to stop calling them.

I'd like to vent as well... I graduated in May and started speaking with HR people at a couple different locations right away. But they dragged their feet and when they finally got back to me they only had per diem jobs to offer. I have a chronic condition, so I'd be a fool to give up my current position as a nursing assistant which gives me benefits. But what is really starting to upset me is that some of my classmates have gotten positions at the hospital where I'm an assistant. Its bad enough having to take orders and work like a slave for the nursing staff of each floor I go to (I'm in the float pool so I don't have a steady unit), but it's going to really be bad if those nurses giving the orders are my classmates - some of whom I outperformed in the classroom and clinical setting. I guess the biggest problem is my inital resistance to working on a med-surg floor. I really wanted to go right into Psych or the ER, but jobs in these fields seem limited. People kept telling me "Oh, you're a guy and you want to work in psych? Theyll be begging you to work for them! Well, so far, it hasn't been a buyer's market for me.

I've yet to work as a nurse (will be graduating in less than 2 months!), but I have experienced severe job burnout in my previous career. I hated going to the job every day for years. When they gave us laptops and told us we could work from home, I thought I'd like it again, but I just wound up sleeping late every day and not doing my work until it was due and then putting more pressure on myself to get in done in shorter amounts of time. The stress was eating me up - literally. I started seeing a therapist for help in decreasing stress. I was having mucus in my stools, and then I developed a severe fissure. There were days I couldn't sit normally in a chair. A rectal surgeon told me it was Crohn's Colitis. He said the symptoms probably flared up due to stress (not that stress can cause the disease, but it can definitely exacerbate it). At 37, I decided it was time to do the only thing that would change the situation, and I applied for nursing school. I spent one more year in that job whilst taking a few pre-reqs at night, then left it altogether in Sept of 2007. Nursing school brought an added bonus: I met a girl in school who also has Crohn's, and she encouraged me to start Remicade treatments when my doctor recommended it. The medicine has brought me a great deal of relief (even though it's extremely expensive and who knows what it's doing to me long-term...) So, even though I haven't been a nurse yet, my advice to the OP would be to move on if the job is becoming too much for you to take. There's no shame in coming to terms with the fact that what you are doing may not be right for you, and many good things could happen if you look to explore other opportunities. I'm a firm believer in that things happen for a reason, and you can improve your life if you are open to change and pursue opportunities when they present themselves.

Thanks for your replies. I noticed the facility where I did my clinicals has a posting for an RN, and it says new grads are welcome to apply. Even though I haven't graduated yet, I am thinking of going there to inquire about the position and maybe introduce myself to a nurse manager or someone like that. If they know they have someone interested who already works in the system, maybe they'll keep me in mind in a couple months when I am looking for a job. As a nursing assistant, I've done many 1:1 when psych pts wind up on a med-surg floor. This is usually before they get an open bed at the local facility or the state facility in the region. On several occasions, I've had patients start talking to me, and before I know it, 8 hrs has gone by and we've talked nearly the whole shift. Some of the patients have thanked me and said I was a good listener. One patient who had a lot of bad things going on started telling me about his problems at the beginning of the shift. BY the end of it, he told me he felt like our conversation had helped him figure out what he could do to improve things. When the psych case workers came to the room to talk to him, he asked if I could stay with him while they were there (I was going to anyway because I don't let 1:1s out of my sight when I'm with them, but he didn't realize this). It was a really moving experience for me, and made me realize that my personality may be geared for this type of work. I recently spoke with my hospital's mental health clinician, and she was very encouraging about me going straight into psych nursing after graduating. She said she can often tell which nurses would be good at it after spending a little time with them, and she said she thought that about me right away. I've read some posts elsewhere on this forum about burnout, apathy setting in, safety issues, etc. All of that worries me, but no more so than the concerns about issues med-surg nurses face in their jobs.

I will be graduating in May '09 and I am highly motivated to go right into the field of psych nursing once I pass NCLEX. I have one year experiance as a med-surg PCA. I am a career changer, so I'm a little older than most of my classmates and I don't feel like I can spare the year or two that most of my instructors and some of my coworkers at the hospital are telling me I should spend as a med-surg nurse to "get my feet wet." I was wondering if any psych nurses can give me a little adivce on how I can go about seeking a job once I graduate. I will be speaking with the facility where I did psych clinicals (they are part of the same system as the hospital where I work as a PCA), but I don't know what else to do. There is a state run institute about an hour away from me, but they have had lots of bad press the last few years (though they are said to be cleaning up their act quite nicely lately). Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and hopefully other soon-to-be RNs will also read it and be helped by your generosity!:wink2:

I am a nrsg student and a part time nrsg assistant. There are nights where I walk up to 5 miles in one 8 hr shift (I know because I bought a pedometer). I come home at night, and when I sit down for a little while my body tightens up and I walk like an old man for several hours. Sometimes, it's my back. Other times it's my hips, feet, knees... I've also developed some kind of inflammatory condition in my wrists and fingers. After pullng gloves on and off a few dozen times per shift, I sometimes can't straighten out a couple of my fingers without intense pain. Because of all that, I take care in what I do. I raise the bed when cleaning patients, put heavier pts in trendelenberg position when pulling them up in the bed if they are heavy, etc.

The staff parking at my hospital is about a quarter-mile behind the main part of the facility. It's free and it's gated so vistors can't use it. They used to run a constant shuttle to pick up and drop off staff, but due to budget cuts they've discontinued the shuttle. A lot of the female staff members hate walking in the dark to this lot, so they risk disciplinary action and park in the adjacent administration office buildings' lots. I usually look for people getting off work the same time as me and walk with them so they feel safer (I'm kind of a big guy).

Where I work, the transporters usually all wear black scrubs. I just bought a set, and hope the trasporters don't think I'm infringing on their "colors." (Which wouldn't matter - the kitchen staff all wear navy blue, and when I wear mine and go down to the cafeteria to eat, they think I'm a new guy there to work with them!) BTW - I saw a Halloween scrub top online that was black with little white skeletons all over it. I was considering ordering, but had some reservations about it for the same reasons being discussed here.

I don't know how my school goes about deciding who gets in sooner. All I know is that I waited two semesters from my intial signup to acceptance. This gave me time to finish all but one pre-req (Micro). But, since I already had a Bachelors degree in another field, I was able to take Micro concurrent with Nrsg I. Listening to others in my class tell of being on the list for 2 - 4 yrs before acceptance does make me sometimes feel as though I had someone in the admissions dept looking out for me, but I hope it's because I had a 3.5 GPA from my Bachelors and I got all As on the pre-reqs I had to take while waiting to get accepted, rather than because I am male.

I'm halfway through school, and I work at a hospital where I've told some of the nurses about being in school. Haven't heard one bad thing about it yet. Also, during our psych rotation, I told my clinical instructor I thought it was a field I might be interested in going into after graduation. She was very encouraging,and told me most psych facilities would be thrilled to hire more guys as RNs, and the female staffers would also appreciate having guys on their team as well. As an assistant, I've been questioned by some patients and/or their families about why I'm doing the job, or why I don't want to be a doctor. I tell them the truth - I want to help people and work in healthcare, and nurses do much more with the pts than most doctors. Also, I have no interest in spending all that time in medical school and incurring $100,000+ in debt to pay for it.

Welcome aboard! I left a corporate job last summer to enter nrsg school, and so far it's been great! The tests have been tough, and clinicals were awkward and scary at first (given a pt to do a.m. care on and a 4 pg physical assessment with minimal supervision), but I'm glad I made the switch. I also got a job as a nrsg assistant, which will make clinicals seem like a breeze when class resumes in September, and it's a great experience to see actual nurses doing their jobs on a daily basis.

I think the OP said the pt was unconscious when the foley was inserted. I haven't done a foley yet, but I hope the first few pts I have to put one in are unconscious! Seriously, it's the only thing I've learned in school so far that I dread having to do. I work as a nrsg asst., and a nurse had to put a foley in an elderly man. She asked me to come in with her. The man was retaining a lot of urine and wanted relief, but the cath insertion was awful for him. I grabbed his hand while the nurse inserted it, and I thought he was going to break my fingers, and he howled in pain. BTW - I've answered some call lights where a woman needs to use a bedpan, and when I started putting gloves on and getting the pan, they look at me confused and say stuff like "Aren't you going to tell my nurse?" or "Are you going to do it?" I can tell they are uncomfortable and I explain it's part of my job to do these tasks for the nurses. Sometimes this works, but if I sense they are still uncomfortable, I will find a female aide or nurse. Many nurses will get upset that I am bothering them, but the pt's feelings come before that of the nurse who feels annoyed.

I work 3-11s at a hospital and my favorite time of the evening is when dinner comes. I like to go around and get the patients set up with their meals. They often like to talk about what is for dinner or what their favorite foods are. As far as making any food, I've not done that, but I have heated food that sat out for a while because the pt was off the unit when it was served. I have also made instant chicken broth for some pts.

This question may seem trivial to some of you, but it is important to me. I am halfway done with Nursing School and am interested in pursuing the OR as my specialty upon graduating and passing NCLEX. My concern is with longer surgical procedures. I have IBS and while I am normally fine with minimal breaks during an 8 hr period, there will be the occasional time when I may need to use the bathroom several times in one shift (I'm sure you've all been there - a little too much ice cream the night before, or too much Taco Bell, etc.) How would something like this be dealt with in the OR? Would they assign you to scheduled outpatient procedures they know will likely be shorter than emergency surgeries? I am worried about this because I don't want my stupid digestive condition to be a dealbreaker in pursuing what I think would be a satisfying and fulfilling career for me. Anything you all can share on this issue would be grealy appreciated! If there's one thing I've found working as a nursing assistant, nurses aren't shy when it comes to talking about bowel movements!:chuckle

I just finished my second semester of nursing school, and during the semester I also took a required Nutrition course. A funny thing happened whilst taking the course - I really liked it! I was wondering what career opportunities may be available for me in the field of Nutrition once I become an RN. I am currently working as a nursing assistant on a med/surg floor and I know that is not the area I want to be a nurse in. I really want to find a specialty that interests me so I can concentrate on that as I get closer to being an RN. Besides Nutrition, I really like the idea of going into Psychiatric nursing. Thanks in advance for any info provided. :nuke:

I remember getting my first business job out of college, and I was assigned to a team with several women. I had to get used to hearing about how hot this or that guy was, but they usually were good about not going into too much detail when it came to their own situations. And after a while, I'd overhear them talking and I'd make a joke about something. They soon accepted me as one of the "girls" and even asked me for man advice a lot. I think some guys would see this as a sign of non-manliness, but I just looked at it as interacting with my co-workers. What was I going to do, make them talk about football with me? I could have just kept to myself, done my job, and then gone home. But they were a good group of people and I liked the interaction.

I'm starting the Nsg program this fall, and this is the portion I am least enthusiastic about. I am in my late 30s, and I have this feeling that the patients will be very apprehensive about a guy being involved. Plus, I'm not a "baby" person. I just have this idea that I am going into this profession to take care of sick people, not to help bring new ones into the world. Pregnant women are (hopefully) healthy, and the infants are (hopefully) healthy. If need be, a woman could give birth in a taxi on the way to the hospital, over even choose to give birth in the comfort of her home. But a sick person, or a gunshot victim or a burn patient isn't in that position, and relies on nurses and doctors in order to survive and get better. I think I'll feel more needed in other areas besides L&D. That said - God Bless the men and women who do work in L&D and make sure the mothers and babies are okay!

Good luck to you! Wow, 32 students?! Was that 32 in their 3rd semester, or 32 who started the program with you last fall? And while we are on the subject, do you have any advice for those of us who are starting in September? What can we expect the first few weeks? What did you find the hardest part of 1st semester? What was easiest? How were the clinical sites? What is the one thing you would advise us to do (or perhaps not to do) in order to do really well?

I have been in a business position for 10 years, but I never thought it was right for me. Last summer it got really bad where I am, and I started having physical problems due to the conflict I was felling. So I bought a book called "Life's a Bithc, and Then You Change Careers" and it walks you through how to find out what career you'd be a good fit for. I've always like science and I like the hospital setting, and I am a caring person, so I wasn't that surprised when that's what I realized i wanted to do. My family and friends would all say the same thing when i told them what I was considering - that it made perfect sense. I've spent the last year taking pre-reqs that I didn't have 10 years ago when I got my business degree, and now I'm starting the nursing ADN program in September.

I'm starting in September, and I just bought a pair of white Rockport Pro-Walkers. I got them at an outlet store at about half the price they usually go for, so if they aren't very good, I'll buy something else.

The job I currently have (and will be leaving to attend Nursing school) is in insurance. I have had times where I pull up to a new claim, and find a family that's just watched their house burn down. They have nothing left but what they are wearing in some cases. They are usually pretty emotional, and looking to me to help them. I do my best for them. I've gotten hugs from some people. I've had people start weeping while we talk about something they lost that was really important to them. Once I leave, I do feel a sense of grief for what they are going through, and occasionally I've gotten teary-eyed. Of course, that's just stuff. A house can be rebuilt. Personal belongings, for the most part, can be replaced. I'm sure dealing with a family whose loved one has just passed will choke me up from time to time. But I think I'll be able to provide better care because of my experiences.

I would disagree with you in this instance. Thedreamer's description of the situation up to this point shows that this is not a person that you can work it out with. I think he was right to go to the teahcer, and later to campus security. Their response to the situation is deplorable. Thedreamer - if your brother is in law enforcement, perhaps he could call one of his counterparts in the municipality where your school is and ask them if they'd mind paying this nutjob a "friendly" visit to talk about this behavior. Police officers look out for their own and I'll bet they'd be happy to help if your brother asked them. They could certainly send a message and you'd probably have no further problems after that. And if you did have further problems, they'd already be aware of it and would go that much tougher on the guy. Best of luck to you. I hope this has a good ending.

I am starting Nsg school in September, and will be leaving the job I've had for 10 years in order to do it. My current job is extremely stressful and there's no way I could stay there and do school full time. One of things I've noticed a colleague of mine doing - he sets a cut off time for working. This is especially important for us, since we work in and out of the office and have laptops to work at home. He makes sure that he is cleaning up whatever he has going on by 4:30 so that by 5pm he can shut down and call it a day. He also makes sure that no matter how many appointments he has to do, he sets aside one day per week for catching up on paperwork. I have been doing these things and it helps. As for nursing, I know it's going to be a stressful job, maybe as stressful as my current one. But one advantage I see is - they can't make me wheel the patients home with me! When I walk out the door at the end of my shift, I know I am getting away from it until I go back again.

This is a good thread for those of us considering this area. I am going to start school this fall with the intention or doing Burns or OR, but I'm leaning toward Burns. Only problem is there are no burn units in any the hospitals near me. They transport them to other areas.