Qtp2t RN

I am an Army Reserve Nurse. I serve as a member of a Combat Support Hospital. Nurses take on differently roles in different settings based on the branch of the Military. I don't see mention of the Army Reserves in your post, but if you would like information about the Army Reserves, please let me know. ~Cathy

Wait a minute, Ajax! I'm an Army Reservist, who took the $50K Loan Repayment bonus 3 years ago (Feb 2010, to be exact) and was boarded for LTHET in Nov 2012. I got picked up for USAGPAN and will make the transition to Active Duty this Spring in order to join the USAGPAN class starting in June 2013. It IS possible! Let me know if you have any questions about the process. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have. ~Cathy

Hello, everyone! I've been lurking around here for the past 6 weeks or so, hoping to see more posts as it neared time for the board to conviene. Were any of you granted the required dual acceptance by Northeastern and the Army/LTHET? I have yet to see a post by anyone anywhere on this site stating that they've been fully accepted by both. I'm an Army Reservist who's been accepted by Northeastern Univ, but OML'd by the Army for LTHET. I don't know whether I'll be joining the USAGPAN class beginning Summer 2013, Summer 2014, or none at all. Either way, I'm hoping to gain some insight from the personal experiences of others as you continue the process and transition into the program. I'm hoping for the best for each of you and look forward to reading about your experiences as you continue on this journey! :)

Hello, cjpol, vtrobinson, and chudder! I'm an Army Reservist who's been accepted by Northeastern Univ, but OML'd by the Army for LTHET. I'm unsure about whether I'll be joining the USAGPAN class beginning Summer 2013 or Summer 2014, but either way, I'll be lurking around this board as the rest of you move through the process in hopes of gaining some insight. Congratulations to each of you! I look forward to reading your posts about the process and your personal experiences. Good luck! :)

BTW, AllAngelsRN was right about the new grad pay.

Hi NHurleyRN, I believe Princeton is still hiring. They keep their employment page pretty up to date and there are plenty of postings for RNs at the moment. Check out https://jobs-princetonhcs.icims.com/jobs/intro. I honestly do not know how difficult it is to get in as a new grad. I saw an RN training program posting and decided that I'd submit my resume. The posting stated that they wanted 1yr of med/surg, but new grads would be considered. The worst that could happend was that they would either not call or say "No," right? I received a call from them about a month later or so telling me that someone backed out of the training program and they now had another opening. I interviewed the following day and was offered the job less than 2hrs after leaving the interview. I don't know a single person that works there, so I can honestly say it was pure luck that I was offered the job, and I am extremely grateful. I will send you a PM with additional info. I hope this is helpful! Good luck!

Hi puddingpie! Yes, I'm still at Princeton and it's great! I'm currently only in the didactic portion of my training and will remain in the classroom for another 4 weeks, then it'll be time to being learning how to apply all that new knowledge during my 4-6 months of clinical training. My first week was mostly HR stuff and the HR department has been very easy to work with. The rest of the OR staff has been extremely informative and welcoming, for the most part, as well. Is there anything in particular you were curious about?

Wow! I just realized my last post sounded like I already plan on leaving this job at the end of my contract. Lol! That is absolutely not how I intended it to come out. I was told by some of my coworkers today that if I can make it in Princeton as an OR nurse, I can make it anywhere...a full schedule daily and very hectic to say the least! I'm looking forward to the challenge and am actually becoming more and more excited each day. Honestly, I was hesitant to accept this offer when I first received the phone call, feeling like I had no place in the OR as a new RN. Now that I've taken a good look at my schedule for the next 8 months or so, and met some of my coworkers, I feel grateful to have received the offer and am in awe of how much information and how many skills experienced OR nurses have mastered. I know the OR will always be a challenge, but they make it look so easy... I can't believe how much I will learn in this position! It's a little intimidating, but so exciting! :redpinkhe

Thanks, AllAngelsRN! I've decided to accept a position in the OR training program. On Monday, I will be asked to sign an employment contract promising 2 years of employment following completion of the Periop 101 training course and at least 4.5 months of clinical training. I think I'm at peace with that now that I've met some of my coworkers, many of whom seem very pleasant and supportive. I know it's extremely difficult to find a job as a new grad anywhere around this area and I do feel very lucky, and even moreso to have found a job in a specialty that I find absolutely fascinating. God forbid I decide to leave Princeton sometime down the road, I will have 3 yrs worth of experience under my belt and excellent training (from what I've heard :-) Thanks again!

Hi Everyone! Can anybody tell me what new grad RNs are getting paid in Princeton or the surrounding areas? I'm familiar with the new grad pay rate for many of the Philadelphia area hospitals, but am clueless about Princeton and have expanded my search to include this area; however, I want to be sure I'm not being taken for a ride by a perspective employer. Thank you in advance for any input you can provide!! ~Cathy :heartbeat

Congratulations, 4Jen, RN!!!! Isn't that such a great feeling!? Enjoy it and treat yourself. You worked hard for this! :anpom::dancgrp: :anpom: ~Cathy :heartbeat

Thanks whykiki0103! My reasoning for going through telemetry is that I really don't see myself spending the entirety of my career in the OR. With this being the case, I'm afraid it may not be my best move to go directly into the OR as a new grad. This facility has an excellent 6-8 month OR training program, but as I noted in my original post, my passion is the ER. I had 5 OR rotations during nursing school and thought it was amazing, but the ER is really where I see myself spending the majority of my career...at least at this point. I'd imagine that starting off as a floor nurse for a handful of years or so and getting my basic nursing skills down will benefit me in the long run, no matter what department I eventually find myself in. :wink2:

Thank you for your reply, subee. My biggest fear is that I would eventually decide that I wanted to be a floor nurse and would have difficulty transitioning, or even worse - difficulty in finding a NM willing to give me the opportunity to make that transition.

Hello Everyone! Let me preface this by telling you that I am a New Grad RN. I took up nursing school as a 2nd degree student (previous degree is a B.A. in Foreign Languages and International Business) after spending 4 years in sales, marketing, and project management. I graduated in September 2008 with my BSN and passed NCLEX in December. I have been offered a position as a Perioperative RN, but am *hoping* to receive an offer for a floor nurse position, as well. I have longed to be an ER RN for years; however, that is just not going to happen at this moment and I am fine with that. I REALLY enjoyed my OR rotations during my schooling, but at this point in time, although I would like to spend part of my career in the OR, I do not see myself spending the entire duration of my career there. So, on to my question. Which do you feel would be the easier transition: Floor to OR, or vice versa? I would imagine getting my skills down on the floor first would benefit me in the OR, but I would like the opinions of some experienced nurses. TIA for your input. ~Cathy :heartbeat

Thanks, MamaCheese! I about fell on floor laughing when I read your comment about being able to program a VCR! :chuckle The interview went really well and they called me less than 2 hours after I left to offer me the position. My biggest concern is that they require a 2.5 year employment contract. If I don't complete the full 2.5 years, no matter what the circumstances, I owe them $39K. I understand their reasoning for this, as training anybody (esp. a new grad) is very expensive and extremely time consuming, but OUCH!! They are allowing me to take a look at the contract on Monday (was not available yesterday as the OR director needed to jump in on a procedure very quickly and therefore, was not able to meet with me) and possibly take it home to discuss with my family. I know that contracts are not at all uncommon in general, but they are almost unheard of in this particular area unless there is loan forgiveness involved. We'll see what happens! Thanks again! ~Cathy :heartbeat