chachi69

BUT, right before I left in March 2009 in their quest for magnate status they eliminated all LPN positions. Most people feel the handwriting is on the wall and it is only a matter of time before a BSN is required. If you are not already enrolled in a RN-BSN program, do so. The good news is that WHC offers a very generous $10K/year tuition reimbursement benefit for staff nurses.

That's how it was for me. I went to DD in June '07 and was hired on the spot for the PACU. It totally took me by surprise - I don't think I even had a copy of my resume with me. The education dept has totally changed since then though, but I'd still go there prepared to have an interview. Part of the interview is a sort of oral nursing exam,"what would you do if..." Back in '07 you could go directly to ICU but they may have reconsidered that by now. If not you'll have no problem starting in burn ICU or neuro IMC (2E). They weren't that popular. I left WHC in March btw.

Re: what are those 500,000 nurses doing now? After 18 months I went back to my former profession, web development. I DO want to help people, but I don't want to kill myself doing it! The odd hours and rigid work environment really turned me off and burnt me out. I loved my coworkers. Management, not so much. All is not lost though. I am volunteering, as a nurse, at a local clinic serving a mostly gay/lesbian clientele and anyone who is HIV+ and I'm loving it.

You wrote, "PLEASE KEEP RECRUITER INFORMATION OFF THIS THREAD OR IT WILL BE TAKEN AWAY. This website prohibits users from posting recruiter information!" Does that mean that I cannot ask for an agency reference? I'm considering becoming a travel nurse and want to find out which agencies have the most contacts/jobs in New York City. I'm trying to figure out where to begin. Thanks.

You will have to provide that type of total care more on some units than others. Medical floors generally have more patients that can toilet themselves than surgical floors, particularly surgical ICU units. I work in the PACU. It is my first job so I have nothing to compare it to but many other nurses who have been around the block say the best thing about it is that we see many patients for short periods of time rather than the other way around. In one year I have had to contend with one code brown. Being a tech you will be doing some of the things that nurses have to do as well, such as cleaning up patients, that's true. However, you are going to do it much, much more often than you will as a nurse, I believe. So don't lose heart.

CORRECTION: I spoke with the nurse in my department I mentioned in my earlier post and she clarified things. UDC lost the accreditation necessary to offer the 4-year BS degree only. That is why they only offer the 2-year Associate degree AND the RN-BSN program. The RN-BSN program does confer a BS degree at the end, but only RNs with at least one year of working experience can enter the program. They are fully accredited on the AAS level. Sorry if I caused you some undue stress.

I went to WHC's Dream Day one year ago, which I thought was just a go-see and was hired on the spot! ukstudent is right, however, about the ICU. A number of people in my Fellowship group had wanted ICU but had to settle for something else. Those that were in the ICU Fellowship seemed to have some prior experience.

I'm getting the new grad rate at WHC, which is $26.70/hour. You probably can't count on too much more than that with just one year of experience. Sorry, I can't tell you about the shift differentials because I don't understand them! My check is always different and there are multiple rates displayed for day/evening/holiday/OT/on-call....

I'm in the UDC RN-BSN program. I did not get my A.A.S. from there but I work with a nurse who just graduated from there this past May. She did not think highly of it. In fact, she told me that they just lost their accreditation because their NCLEX pass rate was so low. She said the program and the faculty were disorganized and students had to teach themselves. Based on my limited experience so far, I can see it. The faculty has been there for a loooooong time and information (deadlines, direction, etc.) does seem a little hard to come by. BUT, if you are a DC resident you can't beat the price. You really don't want to come out of school in debt if you can avoid it.

I live in 20008, Northwest DC and it's nice being able to avoid taking highways to work. I cut across town through Rock Creek Park and I get to WHC in about 15 -25 minutes depending on traffic. It's a nice commute. You WILL need a car, however. I tried Metro-ing it to work when I first moved to DC one year ago and it really stinks.

Wow, you sound just like me. I was a Web Developer up until September 2007. I started my new life as an RN in the PACU October 1st. It has been just under 8 months now and my reaction is...mixed. I too took a pay cut, though not as drastic as yours. While that's bad enough I'm also working 500% harder than I did as a Web Developer, so I have this nagging feeling that I'm backsliding. I work three 12's, and while 4 days off IS nice, since most people (including my partner) work 9-5, I spend a lot of time alone, especially if one of my shifts is on the weekend. If you have children you probably won't have that problem. ;-) The PACU at my hospital is very fast-paced and the acuity level is high. We routinely receive patients on ventilators and it is our job to wean them. It is a great experience but it was an intimidating place to start fresh from school. It IS nice to know you've helped someone, absolutely. But those moments can sometimes feel like a small fraction of my day in comparison to the amount of time I spend filling out paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork. You know all the benefits of nursing so I won't go over them here. I guess my bottom line to you is this: know that it's a real lifestyle change from the M-F, 9-5 corporate world. I'm still adjusting to that. You won't have an office of your own, or a phone or computer at your fingertips either. Taking care of any personal matters such as calling your wife or making a doctor's appointment of your own is very difficult. And forget about coffee breaks. BTW, I'm 39 and they may be why I'm finding the change a little drastic.

Hello. I currently live in NYC, where I graduated with my AAS in May and I'll be moving to DC to live with my partner once I take the NCLEX (here) and secure a job (there). My friends who are getting jobs lined up here are telling me their annual salary - not hourly - and the high so far is $72K and the low $66K. Re: the hourly rate, maybe I don't understand how the scheduling works at a hospital. All I hear people say is that a nurse works three 12-hour shifts. Assuming lunch is not paid that works out to a 33-hour workweek. At $26.77/hour (http://www.nursesunited.org/index.cfm?view=newsalerts) that works out to...$46K annually. Am I calculating correctly? If so that's obviously a disappointing discovery. Yes, the cost of living in DC is less than NYC, but not dramatically so. I'm moving to DC no matter what, but I'm just trying to get a handle of what to expect if the interview gets to that point. Thanks for any clarification you can offer.

My first semester Fundamentals professor read that to us back in September, 2005. She read it because she had to and then scoffed, "Why would anyone take a nursing job for $40,000?" Seems that to the uninitiated it sounds like a great deal, but in reality you're trading off huge potential earnings for a relatively small grant. I think there was some kind of post-graduate commitment (is that what you meant by three years?)

cnistler - thanks for the good news. Is there a specific contact in H.R./Recruitment at WHC re: "Dream Day"? Also, you mentioned that you started through the fellowship program? Is that the only way they hire new nurses? From what I've been reading it seems that a lot of hospitals hire you conditionally as an intern or an extern before making you a full-time, permanent nurse. The gist of it seems to be money and commitment; they pay you less while they are training you and can terminate you without severance. Is that right or am I reading too many cynical posts?

Thanks. Sounds like there's little hope of finding advanced practice nurses or NPs there.