netty78

Hi Glenmar, I was just following up to see how your coding job is going. Are you liking it so far? I'm interested in making a change to coding as well. Thanks!

Hello marcopolo59. Thanks so much for the info. After reading your post I did some brief research on the Fish Hawk area and it looks beautiful! The next time I'm in Tampa I will definitely check out that area. Thanks again for your help!

I understand what you mean. The reason for us considering the move to Tampa is that my husband's family is there and they will be able to help with our (hopefully) future kiddies! We also own a condo here and will definitely have a hellacious time trying to sell, but we are looking at leasing or trying a lease-to-own situation. The market is absolutely terrible so we aren't exactly holding our breaths! Good luck to you, hopefully one day you can make your move.:)

Hello, IampattyRN... Making a move is quite difficult right now, but it must be done! I can't stand Miami for much longer! Why can't you move if you don't like it here? C'mon, let's all get the heck out of here! This place isn't what it used to be.

I currently live in Miami, FL and am considering a move to St. Pete by this fall. I am a relatively new NICU RN (one year exp) and looking to work in a hospital with a great NICU. DH and I are trying to decide on which area to live in. Can anyone please provide suggestions/feedback? Also, any info about St. Pete/Tampa living is appreciated (pros/cons). I've never visited St. Pete but we are planning a trip for next month. Please help! We are looking for a nice place to raise a family and be relatively close to Tampa for job opportunites for hubby (graphic designer). If anyone has any information about good hospitals with a NICU, it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!:)

I currently live in Miami, FL and am considering a move to Georgia by mid 2009. I am a relatively new NICU RN (one year exp) and looking to work at Childrens Hospital of Atlanta as I've heard great things about it. DH and I are trying to decide on which area to live in. We would not like to live in Atlanta but perhaps surrounding areas. I've heard that Atlanta traffic is a nightmare! I've heard great things about smaller towns such as Kennesaw, Smyrna, Peachtree City, etc. Are these places too far to commute with traffic? Can anyone please provide suggestions/feedback? Also, any info about Georgia living is appreciated (pros/cons). I've never visited GA but we are planning a trip in the next few months. Please help! We are looking for a nice place to raise a family and be relatively close to Atlanta, but far enough away from the big-city life. If anyone has any information about Childrens Hospital of Atlanta or any other good hospitals with a NICU, it would be greatly appreciated! Sorry for rambling, just trying to make a very big decision soon! Thanks!!:)

Thank you all for your support! My NICU training is mostly hands-on clinical with a preceptor, there is very little formal classroom training. I have heard that the Merenstein books are great. Would you agree? I definitely love to ask questions and so far I am getting good feedback from my preceptor and my nurse manager. There is a lot to learn and I want to make sure that I take advantage of every learning opportunity. Thanks again for your support and suggestions! I am so happy to be a NICU nurse finally!!

I am a brand new NICU nurse (just graduated and passed boards)... I am extremely eager and excited to begin my orientation, but I was just wondering if anyone had any tips or advice regarding making the transition as smooth as possible. I realize that there is a LOT of info to learn and I am definitely being bombarded with information! The NICU where I am working is a level II and soon to have a level III. Any specific questions I should ask my preceptor... any learning resources... any organizational tips.. any information from you wonderful experienced nurses would greatly help! Thank you all so much! This forum has been a wonderful lifesaver for me

I PASSED!!!! Thanks everyone for all of your support. I am so happy this is over! :monkeydance:

Oh no, angiebaby2!! I'm so sorry. I just took my NCLEX today and I'm feeling as though I failed. I wish you the best... I know you will pass the next time. Hang in there. I wish we didn't have to go through this torture! As if nursing school wasn't bad enough! My thoughts are with you.

Thanks so much! I know that I'm just nervous and panicking right now. I realized how ridiculous I was being after I posted my message. I just have never been this nervous before! I can't wait to get this over with already. Thank you again for your reassurance. I will pass!!

Of course, everyone has heard this a million times already... I'm taking the NCLEX tomorrow and I am extremely anxious and nervous. The thing is, I always heard that Saunders was a great resource so I've been using Saunders primarily for the past 3 months. But just recently, I've been hearing more and more that Kaplan is a better resource because it is more similar to the NCLEX. I have a Kaplan book but I've hardly used it. Should I even bother to read through it now? Is Saunders enough? I can see that the Kaplan questions are much harder so I am very worried!! Anyone with any suggestions, please help!!! Thank you!

hi. i am graduating in 2 weeks (yay!) :monkeydance:and i've been using saunders, kaplan, and mosby's to prepare for nclex. i have consistently heard that saunders is a great source to use for nclex, but i have the 2006 edition and i don't think saunders has come out with anything newer. i plan to take the nclex in june. has anyone already taken the new 2007 nclex? if so, can you tell me how it was and what worked for you? thanks so much! looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel!

First of all, I believe that you shouldn't exactly "plan" whether or not you're going to have a significant other. If you meet someone who is truly understanding and wants to be by your side just as you want to, then it is no major obstacle by any means. I am married to a wonderful man who supports my nursing career 100%. He actually helps me so much, I think it would be harder to do it on my own. I am in my last semester of my BSN and he has been with me since I was doing my nursing pre-reqs. The only difficult part about being married while in school is that I want to spend more "off-time" with him, but I'm studying most of the time. My advice to you is to focus on your nursing and keep that as a priority. However, if the love of your life comes your way, do not shut the door!! I believe that if you are in a relationship and it seems that the other person is not supportive, then you are with the WRONG person!!

Hello, I am in my last semester of nursing school and I am still unsure of what area I would like to work in. I do know that med/surg is not for me. I have enjoyed most of the specialty areas in my clinicals which included NICU, PICU, OR, and L&D. I have talked with other nurses and many of them tell me that they "just knew" what they wanted to do immediately and I simply don't feel that way. What I like about the ICU is the great nurse/patient ratio. I am currently doing my practicum in the NICU and so far I love it, but I can't say that I cannot see myself doing anything else. I've considered the OR, NICU, PICU, and PACU and probably other areas. I have always been very flexible and adaptive to new situations so perhaps that is why I am feeling this way. If anyone has had similar experience or advice, I would love to hear your feedback! Thanks so much. 3 more months to graduation!! :monkeydance:

I started my nursing pre-reqs when I was 25. I was married and working full-time. Then, I got divorced and had to cut back on my classes to take on more work. I entered the BSN program in 2005 at age 27, got re-married (very happy!), and will graduate this May at age 29! Most of the students in my class are in their early 20's, but there are some of us who are older. Even though I have sometimes wished that I would've started earlier, I am appreciative of the work and life experience that I gathered during my early twenties. I feel more prepared now to handle this type of work and I know that nursing is what I want to do. Good Luck to you! Janette :monkeydance: "Never settle"