MintyKorn

The subject I absolutely hated with a passion was Psych Nursing ....bleh! :barf01: The care plans are like a million pages long and in the end you start feeling a bit loopy too like the patients you encounter lolz. :rotfl: I'll never forget the look on everybody's faces after we read the initial rules before going into the psychiatric hospital to do our clinicals. - try not to stand out, look as plain as possible so patients won't focus on you or single you out. - don't wear necklaces or long earrings that patients can grab or use to choke you with - and my all time favorite....wear good-fitting shoes with rubber soles in case you have need to run :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle My first thought was, "Yikes! What am I getting myself into?!?!?!"

Ugh your posts are bringing back horrible memories lolz . There's a light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah towards the last year, you will notice people dropping like flies and your class getting smaller and smaller. In my class alone we started with about 150 students, but in the end only 10 of us were able to complete the program and graduate. It's quite literally "survival of the fittest." The last 2 semesters just seemed to drag. So don't worry, everybody who has survived nursing school has felt the same, exact thing. I know you feel worn out right now, but all that will feel worth all the blood, sweat and tears you've endured (that's not an exaggeration folks! lolz) once you graduate. You're gonna feel like a million bucks, believe me :wink2: Hang in there! :pumpiron:

Congrats! Bet you're excited to start working. Night shift isn't so bad. I started nights as well after graduating, and I actually prefer it now. Day shift there's too much people (students, other staff, visitors) that take up your time. Personally, I learned more during nights because my preceptor was able to spend more time with me one on one since it's more quiet...no distractions like with the day shift. I admit it does take a while to get used to, but in order to survive, you have to really make sure you get enough sleep during the day. I learned that coffee has no effect on me whatsoever . You'll still feel sleepy no matter how many cups of coffee you drink, so I give more importance on getting a good "day's" sleep. Pretty soon I'm sure you'll be buying some "black out" curtains and you'll be referring to your bedroom as "the cave" lolz. Good luck!:monkeydance:

I'm in San Diego, about to start at Kaiser so I can't really say if I like it there or not....I have yet to see! Can't beat the distance though! I live only a block away from the hospital so it's perfect! I don't even have to drive I'll be in their mother/baby unit...but if a chance opens up I'm hoping to work in their NICU. The thing is they go by seniority in this hospital so the nurses who have been there longer get first dibs on any new positions or shifts that open up....bummer! I'm at the bottom of the totem pole since I'm new. Oh well! I'll find a way to get there! Good luck to you! Why don't you ask around in the California nurses section about your two choices? Maybe someone can help you there.

I just took a trip out here to San Diego and decided i really liked it so here I am! Lolz I'm renting right now since housing here is quite steep, but I still have dreams of buying a house here (crossing fingers) since I've decided this is where I'm planning to stay. Apartments here are more expensive, but you can still find some decent ones for $1000-$1,500 (and believe me, that's cheap around here lolz). The prices here used to shock me everytime I went to pump gas or even at the supermarket, but now I guess I'm used to it. But despite the high prices the weather is what sold me. I love it and I don't ever wanna go back to Hot, Humid, sauna-like Houston :smilecoffeecup: (God bless Texas) There's several hospitals here that are pretty good, but I chose Kaiser since I'm only a block away and I'm not too keen on driving thru traffic going to work since I did plenty of that back in Houston - ugh! I'm still getting used to that separate state income tax since we don't have that back in Texas. It's just another headache,but luckily I only have to deal with it once a year. I hope you like it out here! The pay for nurses out here has me "all smiles" lolz.

I used to live in Houston (now Cali). The starting pay for new grads when I left was around $21-$22 (although that was 2 yrs ago so it might be higher now. If you want emergency room experience then either Ben Taub or Hermann Hospital is the best choice since they are a level 1 trauma center.....and believe me, you will DEFINITELY get experience there! Ben Taub hires new grads all the time and internships there are very flexible. The suburbs used to be nice especially Sugarland/First Colony area, but now it's getting overcrowded. Perhaps try the Katy area. Houston has plenty of master-planned community in the outskirts of the city. It's just a matter of if you like the cooler, pine tree scenario of North Houston or the Sunny, hot burbs in South Houston. The only thing living out in the burbs is the traffic you have to drive through going to work in the medical center. I guess the only good thing in Houston is that there are sooo many ways to get to one place, so if one option has traffic, you can use alternate routes. Also there is definitely NOT a shortage of restaurants or stores. Everywhere u turn, it seems theres a grocery store, restaurant, gas station or Walmart Housing is cheaper, but property taxes will kill ya :chuckle Good luck & hope u like hot, humid weather! lolz

LoL...oh the horrors of nursing school! Let me tell you, I cried literally every day of nursing school. Especially the first day of clinicals when the instructor singled me out and made an example of me. I had a simple white hair ribbon to match with my immaculately clean, white uniform. She said my ribbon or any other hair accesory was inappropriate and went on a lecture about how it can harbor bacteria and germs. Funny thing is she didn't tell us how are we then suppossed to put up our hair if we are not allowed to use hair accessories. (mastisol and transpore tape????) It's not a cake-walk, that's for sure....but because of that, you have every right to feel proud and hold your head up high once you graduate. It's survival of the fittest and rightfully so. I agree though with everyone here that has said...."It is sooooo worth it in the end!" :cheers:

I agree...the interviewer will ask you questions pertinent to the specific unit you are applying for, however, the basic interview questions will be... 1. Why did you choose this hospital? 2. What qualities do you possess that you think would make us want to hire you? 3. How do you handle a stressful situation? Give an example of one and how you were able to handle it. etc.... Most importantly what they look for is not only what answers you give, but how you give it as well. Don't be afraid to show your personality. I've had interviewers tell me, it was my bubbly personality that won them over, as well as my very candid answers tee hee. Hope this helps...Good luck!

Silly1982 I feel your pain. I've had issues with the California BRN as well...and I was just transferring from another state! Getting through on the phone is sometimes like winning the lottery, and sometimes the person answering the phone isn't very nice or, in my case, gave me the wrong information. I've had to make a trip to Sacramento personally in order to straighten things out. Thankfully the personal counselor assigned to me was able to fix things and even apologized for the rudeness and misinformation given to me by the staff working the phones.

Kaiser is hiring for for their mother/baby unit...try there! I'll be starting there pretty soon & I'm hoping things work out (crossing fingers).

Oh my goodness...why is it so bad at Kaiser? I'm about to start there soon, and now after reading all these comments about Kaiser....I'm starting to get nervous. :uhoh21:

Hi I'm a recent Texas transplant myself (from Houston as well), and currently in San Diego. I never thought I'd leave Texas (ahem...the "Mother-land"), but now I'm totally sold on California! The weather and scenery is second to none. Yes, it's a bit hard in the beginning with all the adjustments, but you get used to it. At first, I couldn't believe the outrageous prices out here in Cali, but the higher pay does help compensate for that. Tax time was an "experience" as well. This was my first time filling out a separate form for California since Texas has no state income tax. Despite that, I am loving my "adopted" state.