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The Massachusetts Hospital Association publishes stats on ratios on their web site: http://www.patientcarelink.org/ The reporting is voluntary, but should give you a good sense of what things are like at different hospitals on different units.

No, I hadn't worked as a CNA before school, but after two clinical rotations, you can apply without having CNA certification.

I have had three job offers since graduating in May 2010, and THE most important thing was to work per diem as a CNA at a major Boston hospital while I was in school. I also had a 3.9 GPA, Sigma Theta Tau, excellent references, 2nd degree program, etc. etc. BUT what it came down to was that I had that extra exposure to the hospital environment and patient care. I know that two of the three job offers (both acute care) were directly a result of that experience, even though neither one was from the hospital where I worked as a CNA (hiring freeze). Yes, there was barely any time to work while I was in an accelerated program with two little kids, and I wondered what the hell I was thinking since the pay was so low and my exhaustion level was so high... but it was TOTALLY worth it! Best of luck!!

I asked at both places and this was not an option at either (or with my husband's company) unfortunately!

Boston area new grads, if lucky enough to find a job, are making between $25-29/hr. Shift differentials vary greatly--I just left a position where I got $27 base, plus $1.75 for nights, $1.25 for weekends. My new employer offers $29.28 per hour base pay for new grads off orientation. Differential is $4 for weekends, $5 for evenings, $7 for nights. Remember to take benefits into account when you're looking at job offers. I'll be saving $700/month for health insurance for my family of 4 at my new job. That's like a $8,000 raise--not a small amount of $$. And of course, the COL is on the high side in eastern MA...

MA grads are moving out of state to find jobs--this is one of the worst places in the country to come. Nationwide the vacancy rate is 4%, but here in MA it is only 1%. Try and get hospital experience anywhere but here in MA first, then you might have a chance of breaking into the local hospital scene ... it's beyond grim here right now. Classmates who graduated in May have been looking for a year, did clinicals in the Boston hospitals, have great resumes and great LOCAL references, but still can't break in. I got really, really lucky, had worked as a CNA in an ICU at one of the Boston teaching hospitals, and that opened a few doors for me. If there's anywhere else you can move to, try there first...

April, RN, could you elaborate on how the two programs differ? I am starting the new program on Monday. I am familiar with the previous program (there was a great story in the Globe about an RN going thru the program back in 2005--try and Google "MGH Critical Care Boston Globe" to get it to come up). Which ICU are you in? Might be meeting you soon--thanks!

At the interviews, I asked how the RNs who went through the program in the past transitioned into their role as ICU nurses, and the two interviewers chuckled and said, "The ones who have stayed have done really well." They have had a number of people complete the 6 month residency only to relocate to be closer to boyfriends, etc. I can see how the hospital cannot afford to spend $30,000+ ($30/hr x 40hrs/wk x 26 wks) on 6 months of training for a nurse only to lose them within the first year. Something had to give. Another possible option for the hospital would be to require the RN residents to sign a 2 yr commitment, but honestly, do they want an unhappy employee who is only there to finish out the time on their contract? Personally, I would never take a position that required a time commitment on the other end, not because I am a job hopper (in my previous career I stayed with both my employers 7+ yrs), but because I know that life can throw curve balls at you without warning--husbands can lose jobs, aging parents can get sick--things happen that are beyond your control. I am currently working permanent nights in a LTAC an hour away from my house where I was only given 4 wks of training before being set on my own with 6-8 pts (most of whom are trached/vented). Yes, the money is good (about $30/hr with differentials), but compared to a position in the residency program? Six months of training at the #3 hospital in the country is a dream come true for me. I know there are kinks in the program that need to be worked out, but with MGH's strong reputation for education, training and support of its nurses, I am confident they will iron them out and give us the tools we need to be great ICU nurses.

hi all, Thanks--that's what I suspected. I have a packet of information with benefits, salary, hours and a start date that I got when I interviewed, along with a verbal offer over the phone from HR. I was emailed a link to a reference check web site and an educational background check site along with CORI info to complete and send back to them. When I touched base last week, HR said they had received everything they needed from me and were waiting on the CORI results (which will certainly be fine). I'm only a little over a month away from the start date right now, so I am just getting antsy--would like to take a week off between the two jobs if I can, so would prefer to let my current employer know soon. I've found nothing in my employment info that states what kind of notice I should give, but since I have 2 wks vacation, I'd like to at least give that. Hopefully will hear something early this week--thanks for the replies!

I am a newish grad and have a verbal offer for a hospital RN position, contingent on references, educational background check and the CORI. I got everything in to them, and right now they're just waiting for the CORI results. At what point is the job offer "official"? I am wondering about when to give notice to my current employer--is 2 wks standard in nursing, or should I give them more notice so they can start looking for a replacement? Also, I'm about to burst wanting to tell family and friends, but don't want to jump the gun until I'm sure the position is mine... is it?? thanks!

The job market here for new grads is horrible... even for ones who have connections, even for ones who have worked as CNAs ... Many from my class who graduated in May 2010 still don't have jobs, and a whole new crop are due to graduate in just a few short months. Stay put!

I'm having the same problem--can you help me figure out how to open the links? Seems like they were working before...

OMG, I thought I was reading one of my own posts when I read yours! I'm also a new grad, two little ones in school, working 4 eights a week, every other weekend! I had a really hard time sleeping during the day initially--I would sleep for about 2 hrs, then I would wake up and not be able to get back to sleep. Now I take half a Unisom when I get home and I'm able to sleep until 2:25, when I have to go get my kids. I wish I could sleep until 4pm! I end up napping from 8-10pm also on work nites. I find the first night on to be the hardest, because usually I'm not able to nap going into it (I lay down, but am not able to drift off). I don't mind 3 in a row because by the third night, I'm fully into my sleep routine. I also have to flip back to a day schedule when I'm off to be with family, but have no problem sleeping at night when I get the chance. It's tough, but I'm able to spend the most time with my kids this way--my poor hubby suffers a bit, though!

I'm still feeling this way a month and a half off orientation, but already things are starting to get a little more routine. I'm getting better at remembering to bring everything I need into the room with me, prioritizing, planning what I need to get done on my shift. Almost always something unexpected comes up and the plan gets shot to h*ll, but I usually can get back on track and finish everything up--not always on time, but I try to cut myself some slack (even if coworkers do not). Hang in there--I hear with time and experience it really DOES get better!!

i love them! i use them on the treadmill for pharmacology review as I'll need to take the NLN test to go back to school for my BSN. I plan on using them for other classes too

I'm heading into my first acute care position in two weeks, and I REALLY hope that if I do something offensive or rude that someone will take me aside and explain it to me. In my clinicals, we student RNs were always jumping in and helping each other with patient care--it was part of the "teamwork" that my clinical instructors encouraged. If we had down time we'd tag along with another classmate to see what was going on with their patients and see what we could learn. We were always bouncing ideas off of each other, too. I wonder if maybe this new grad is still in "clinical mode" and doesn't understand the boundaries she needs to keep now that she is an RN? Her eagerness and enthusiasm to sign up for new things are probably what got her high grades in school (and possibly the job on your unit). She may have no clue how the way she's acting is being perceived now that she is in the real nursing world, and would be very greatful for the advice of a more experienced nurse.

I graduated this past May with my BSN, Sigma Theta Tau, 3.94 GPA, excellent references, yadda, yadda. I worked as a student nurse/aid at one of the big teaching hospitals, but alas, they have no new grad positions, even for internal applicants. I applied to hundreds of jobs, including community hospitals, rehabs, nursing homes, flu clinics, doctors offices... I managed to land a school nurse job at a local small parochial elementary school thru the help of a friend, and have been basically been doing band-aids and ice packs, with a little bit of trauma to keep things interesting, since August. I'm out in time to pick my kids up from school, have all the same holidays, weekends, vacations, etc. But the pay is about 1/2 the typical new grad salary, and I'm not getting any kind of acute care experience that I can use to apply for "experienced" RN jobs. I was just offered a job at a long term acute care/rehab hospital that is 45 mins from my house. Permanent nights. E/O weekend, E/O holiday. Pay is good, but they only have 8 hr shifts, so I would only do 32 hrs (4 nights) instead of 40 (5 nights). I could get home and go to sleep while my kids are in school and still be there to pick them up afterwards. Plus, I'd be getting acute care experience that I can use to move forward in my career... I'm leaning toward taking it... even though it means leaving the cushy job close to my house. Am I nuts?? Is this the right decision??

RI Hospital in Providence has one. MGH only takes internal apps from coop and students currently in the ICUs, or at least that's all they've done the past few yrs.

It worked for me!! Computer shut off at 75 at 9am yesterday morning, check the PVT at 11am and got the "good popup"... my lic# appeared on the BON web site at 2PM today. I am an RN!!

3 weeks is about the amount of time that I had to prepare. Did you take the HESI and how did you do? I think that if you can get your % correct rate up to 70-80% range, then you probably can do it. I'd hold off rescheduling and see if you can bring your average up, doing 100-200 practice questions a day. If you're not at that level by the time you are scheduled to test, then reschedule for a later date.

hi all, I'm back from the testing center--75 questions, then the computer screen went blue! I had 10 SATA, no med math, no "fun" pictures or sounds (was kinda looking forward to those). DEFINITELY know your prioritization--most were focused on who you, as the RN, would see first in X situation (the community, coming on shift at 7am, etc.). In order to do prioritization, you need to be able to a) recognize the disease, b) recognize if the pt's condition/lab values are serious, and c) decide which is the most serious situation. So, even though the questions are about prioritization, answering them correctly means you have to know the basics, too! There were lots of med questions--drug interactions (if a pt with X disease was put on new medication Y, which current med they're on (A, B, C, or D) would you question), adverse reactions/side effects, etc. Infection control was huge--I got about 5-7 questions just about infection control. KNOW IT COLD--which diseases require which type of precautions, etc. I only had to pull up the calculator once, for a burn victim question (rule of 9's). That was it for calculations. Oh, and I checked the PearsonVue web site, and got the good pop-up! :) Will be watching the BON web site for my license # (not going to pay for quick results--the PVT is good enough for me!). Good luck to you all!!

OK, step 1 accomplished... managed to have a good night's sleep. Now off to the exam center--wish me luck!!!!!

Crossing my fingers you all get good results--I'm testing at 8AM tomorrow morning... wish me luck!

OK, so I visited the test center today--so glad I did, as it's located in an ENORMOUS office complex and I would have had trouble finding it... As I went inside the main doors and wound through the maze of corridors, my heart started beating out of control!! By the time I found the test center I felt my chest tightening, and needed to close my eyes and focus on breathing... My reaction took me complete by surprise--I didn't think I was that stressed out about the exam. I didn't have trouble w/test anxiety all through nursing school... what was going on? I otherwise spent today relaxing, playing a round of golf and going out to lunch, chatting with friends, etc. Any suggestions on what I can do tonight and in the morning to keep me calm as I head in for the real deal at 8AM tomorrow??

Like I said, I don't think I'll ever feel like I'll be truly ready (having ALL the info I learned in nursing school on perfect recall). Also, I've read stories on here about people here who have felt ready and charged into the exam only to have been stopped cold, so that can go both ways as well. I'm awful when it comes to straight memorization--lab values, adverse effects, etc. Cramming facts just doesn't work for me--I can only keep so many in my head at a time! I am more of a problem solver, and usually think about the mechanism of action of a drug or a disease process and then use deductive reasoning to come to the correct answer. I got a 1056 on the exit HESI when I graduated in May, and I probably have been a little less diligent than I should have been in prepping. I've averaged about 100 questions of either Saunders or NCLEX 4000 a night for the past 3 weeks... I feel like I've got the "feel" of the questions down... 75% of the time! Just hoping that's enough!