Coletrane1988

I am in the Fort Smith area and starting pay for new grads is $17/$17.55 per hour plus shift differentials. This area has not really felt the crunch of the shortage of nurses nationwide but the time is coming. I am making the same as the job I left to go back to college to get my RN but the rewards are so much better and the options in my career now is 100 times more. Some things are the same costs but when you figure in commute time is less which adds up in lower fuel costs, entertainment costs less, you get more square footage in housing for the money, ect. there is a difference in wages then. Like someone said earlier, the average income in the Fort Smith/Fayetteville area is barely above poverty, 17.00 an hour is a goldmine for a new grad. Your pay can only go up from there, it is only temporary and also again if you have experience they pay you for that too. My student loans are through the hospital I work for and as long as I work for them I do not have to pay back my loan and I get a $100 credit per month of employment with them towards the loan. So in less than 3 years post graduation I will have paid off my loan for my education and on top of that employees can get education expenses paid back for higher degree achievement at the end of each completed semester. It does add up and actually I am doing as well here as my sis in Cincinnati who makes wayyy more than me.

Staffing is bad where I work. Some nights we have plently of staff to cover 2:1 but that is in the SICU, MICU, and the CCU but when they have to open the IICU ( which it is no longer that and is now considered the "Overflow" Unit ) we end up having to triple-up. And this happens very regularly. Maybe we have 1 or 2 PCAs and never a overnight secretary and the charge nurse must take full patient loads also. I am currently the only "newbie" on nights (7P to 7A) but the unit mgr says there are new grads hired for nights but they will be 6 to 8 weeks on days before they will begin preceptorship at night for another 6 to 8 weeks and will not count in staffing until they are done with orientation. Everyone is stressed and me being new I get to be the "whipping boy". No one is happy in my unit and it doesn't look like it will be getting any better. I may be new but I am not young and I am now looking around for other options. It is too dangerous to staff like this and I am too new to be left to the wolves.

Congrats Flamenco!!!!!!!!!! WTG!!!!!!!! Karen

Found out yesterday morning that I passed the NCLEX. How did the rest of us that tested on the 21st do? Karen

Thanks everyone! Yes thanks be to God that once you pass it is all over!!!! Now on to enjoy my calling in life.:w00t: Karen

Thank you! It was among the hardest tests I have ever taken too. The 48 hour wait nearly killed me and I just KNEW I had failed. So far all my classmates have passed. All of us felt like we had failed afterwards. I guess this is a mutual feeling for most who take the NCLEX. Karen

Took the NCLEX Wednesday morning and had all 265 questions. I just had a terrible feeling inside. Called my employer at 9:30 this morning and found out I PASSED!!!!!! WOOHOOOOOOOOO Karen

Found out at 9:30 this morning! I passed!!!!!!!!!!!!! :roll

I too had all 265. I left the test feeling all confused and not sure of myself at all. I just hate this wait.

Took mine today @ 9 am. Had all 265 questions. I left feeling hopeless. I think I knew the answers but now I am not so sure. I think I feel worse now than ever. All of my classmates have passed so far and some have even had 265 questions but in the pit of my stomach I feel just sick. I am going to check tomorrow if I passed, most have had to wait until 2 days after the test to know the results. Why can't they post right away if you passed or not???? I had TONS of priority questions and about half the meds I have never heard of before. Is it common to leave this test feeling just downright awful??? Karen