BSNin2008

I'm ready to give up on nursing too. Three years in and I haven't found my 'niche' yet. In the current economy, it's hard to change your specialty as the competition is so fierce. You need experience to even get a call back. I can't get hired because I don't have experience. I can't get experience because I can't get hired. Repeat. It's so frustrating! As a student, I was so excited to become a nurse. Now I'm just depressed.

It's true. As a new grad in Long Island I was on a med-surg/tele unit. I had 8 patients on day shift, every one of them on a monitor. These were post-op CABG, cath, vascular, etc.; after they left ICU or step-down, of course. It was totally overwhelming but NY does not have a nurse-patient ratio.

Wow, congrats to you and thanks for answering my questions. I have a good feeeling about this and I am really hoping to hear back from them. I know it will take awhile but I've learned alot of patience in this economy. Good luck on your new job and keep us posted!

Yes, I love the patient or family who tells me, "well, that's your job", whether it is getting them on the commode, cleaning their dirty diapers, calling the pharmacy for their refills, etc., etc. Or, "well, you are supposed to come every day to xyz, you're the nurse!". What they are not getting is exactly what RN1263 said, they are choosing NOT to be in a facility and along with that comes responsibility to self-care. Our job is to teach, monitor, reassess, and change POC PRN. Unfortunately, many people think we are going to come and do hospital care in the home. If you need hospital care, then go to the hospital, your home is not set up for that.

KNEAL, did I understand you correctly and CA no longer has furlough days for RN's? That would be awesome news! I applied to 4 positions today, all in So. Cal. How are you liking it so far?

I moved back to CA a year ago, and the job market out here stinks! I was fortunate to get a position when I moved back, although it's not in a field I want to work. At this point I'm just happy to have a job. Good luck to you both. I think with critical care experience you will find something eventually.

Thanks for the replies. I apologize for not being more clear; I have been an RN for a year and a half and in HH for just a few months. I was wondering if a few months was too soon to know if I was going to like this or not but I think hmarieD anwered my question. Thanks again.

Hi everyone, I am new to Home Health and not loving it. In fact, I don't like it at all. I am a new RN; working for a year and a half. I relocated, and with the economy the way it is I took the first job offer I got, which was HH. I just don't feel I have enough experience to be an "independant practitioner". I get very nervous being on my own with no support team like in the hospital. I am also having a hard time getting used to providing nursing care in someone's home, charting in my car, etc. Is this something I am going to get used to in time or should I cut my losses earlier rather than later? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Catheters are not always used in surgery, example, a TURB or a TURP, to name just a few. MD's always write orders to "have patient void OCTOR" in those cases. Also, I agree with all the other reasons why one should void before surgery. And lastly..... can't we be nice to each other here? We are all we have.

I hear you on this one. I am new to the OR and cannot believe the attitudes I've encountered. It makes me wonder if I've made a huge mistake in going to the OR. There are some great nurses in my OR; about half I would say. The other half are rude, arrogant, and just plain mean. As if it wasn't stressful enough trying to learn a new specialty, I feel like I'm walking on eggshells every day in dealing with these people. I've considered quitting the hospital and going into home health, but in this economy, I don't want to end up unemployed. It's really unfortunate that the old adage, "nurses eat their young", is true in my OR. At this point I guess I stay and just pray it gets better.

Thanks for all the feecback on cenitmeter vs. sontimeter. I had no idea that 'sontimeter' was actually considered correct. I thought it was just a NY thing! lol

Well, here in NY many of my professors pronounced 'centimeter' as 'sonameter'. What is up with that??

No, I'm not going to apply for a temp license as I don't plan on moving for a few more months. I will be out in CA in a few weeks so I am going to do the LiveScan for fingerprints out there. Once everything is sent in I will start looking for a job. My mom who lives out there talked to an RN who works at Kaiser and she said that with a year experience I should be able to get something. I hope she's right! All I read on here is how people can't find jobs.... very scary! Good luck to you!

Just curious as to where RN's are making 130,000 a year with 2 years experience. Is that with a ton of overtime?

I am also moving from NY to CA. I'm currently working on endorsement, and once application is all squared away I'll start sending my resume out. The taxes and cost of living in the NYC area are out of control and having grown up in SoCal, I am returning after 9 years in NY. I am so excited, but nervous I won't be able to find a job as I only have 1 year experience; in med-surg/tele. Any advice on where to apply in the Inland Empire would be greatly appreciated!

Winthrop Hospital in Mineola is having a job fair this Wednesday, August 27. I saw it advertised in today's Newsday. I think it is from 1130-2. It said experienced as well as new grads welcome. I did an OB clinical there and really liked the hospital. Good luck to anyone who decides to go!

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one feeling this way. I am at the point I don't know what to do anymore. After my 9 days with a preceptor as a new grad I was on my own. This is a very busy med-surg tele floor. It's been a month now. The last time I worked I had 7 patients. Two patients were total care. 5 were diabetic with AC/HS checks and most on standing insulin orders on top of sliding scale, 5 on IV fluids or meds. One discharge with none of the paperwork done and he was sitting in bed at 10 am with his clothes on ready to go. I cried that day. Alot of the people I was in orientation with are unhappy. Some have already left. As for me, I am having nightmares, I have starting sleepwalking; never did THAT before! I woke up once standing in my bedroom trying to hook up my radio as an IV pump. Can you say stressed out? Seriously though. What do I do? I am a new grad with one month experience? Who would want me? And I sure won't be applying for any med surg jobs!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated! New Grad RN

I had a pt. who had stenosis in the L subclavian artery and had very different readings in the 2 arms. I only knew this because her doctor told me .

Uplifting RN, first off, congrats! I wanted to ask you, for the OR program, do they require you start as a floor nurse first? The reason I ask is, I am working now on Long Island in an OR residency and they require you do 6 months med-surg first. So far, I am HATING the med-surg part. I always promised myself I would never do med-surg and here I am. I was wondering if there are hospitals that would put me right into OR training as that is really where I want to be. I still haven't figured out how the med-surg thing will help me in the OR, they are 2 totally different worlds. I am planning on applying at HSS so any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, and again, congratulations!

Yeah, it seems to vary alot. I took my test on July 28 and my license was just posted yesterday, August 8. My friend's was posted quicker than that, about a week later. Maybe it depends on how many people take the test on each partuicular day. All I know is........I passed!!!!! Yeah!!! A real RN now!

I'm glad I saw this post. I took the test today and I feel sick to my stomach. I really feel like I did poorly. The test shut off at 91 I think, and I can honestly say I feel like I didn't know anything. I don't know if it was test anxiety or what but I felt like I just blanked out in there. I did Kaplan, I've been doing practice questions, I did 2000 questions during last semester as a requirement for class, so all together I did about 5000 practice questions and also the Kaplan and Saunders. I also got alot of the SATA, (which I hate!), delegtion and priority, along with some infection control. Oh boy..... this is going to be a longgggggg 2 days to wait! I don't know. I thought I would be relieved but I just feel sick. ARGGHHH

Knowledge IS power! It will never hurt and can only help...I say go for it!

I am very sorry for your loss. My father passed away on May 5, exactly 2 weeks before graduation. I know how overwhelmed you must feel. I started my nursing job June 3 and am taking the boards July 28. Sometimes I am absolutely overwhelmed, but I think being focused on other things is helping me get through losing my dad. If I didn' have other things to concentrate on I probably wouldn't even get out of bed in the morning. Do things in your own time. Everyone is different. As for me, I need the distraction of studying for the boards to get my mind off losing my dad. It's been over 2 months and I still cry. Every day. You will do what works for you. And whatever that is, it is right, for YOU. Give yourelf time, the boards will always be there. I wish you comfort and am so very sorry.

I was working a job, not in the medical field, and a co-worker of mine said he had a second job as a home health nurse. I asked if he was an RN as I was going to nursing school, and he said yes. He told EVERYone at work he was an RN. I recently looked his license up on the NY State BON..... and guess what? He isn't an RN at all..... he IS a licensed LPN though!!! Being licensed as an LPN he should know it is unethical to be calling himself an RN.... and it really makes me angry..... knowing how hard I am studying for NCLEX-RN, and this guy is walking around calling himself an RN. I don't work at that job anymore.... but I have alot of friends who are still there. So I casually mentioned this little tidbit to a few of them..... What a shame if word gets around........ :chuckle hehe

Angelina, first off...... CONGRATS!!!! You must be sooo relieved! I am very happy for you. My test is July 28 and I just finished Kaplan July 1. My test grades aren't great either..... from 58-68%. My anxiety level is going up daily and as someone else stated, I keep doing the tests but my scores don't go up! I guess I am just venting to try and release some of this anxiety, but thanks again for your post..... it makes me feel a little (just a little) bit better!! Oh boy....I can't wait til this is over!