JenRN30

They’re going to burn their nurses out quickly, and will probably have a mass exodus at some point. Sounds like you should find something new, no work/life balance at all.

If I were you, I'd listen carefully to the advice of those who are doing, or did, what I wanted to do. Whether or not you take the advice is your choice, but calling people that are trying to help you ignorant is probably not the best decision.

Yep, Banner is infamous for this. They put up a job listing with no specific information about the job, just the generic crap that was in the job you were interested in. I don't know how they get people to apply without even a short summary of the open position. Not a Banner fan, if you couldn't tell...

I'm so glad to hear that your son is doing well, and of your great experiences during a difficult time! Good luck with your studies, and keep us updated...

This. Possibly a hiring freeze altogether since there is no positions listed. I'd apply to other positions as they come up, but if you see the same ED position posted again in a few weeks, I'd apply again and see what happens...

This is very accurate. I think your problem is a mixture of both being a new grad, and the acuity level. I have gone through the same feelings that you are and almost gave up altogether. Your feelings are normal, and you'd have many of the same feelings no matter where you were working. The feelings of anxiety will pass once you start feeling more comfortable. When you have a situation come up (code, procedure, etc.) that you haven't dealt with before, you need to rely on coworkers to show you how to handle it correctly. Hopefully you have strong coworkers/charge nurses that assist you when they see that you're in over your head. If they're not recognizing that you're having a hard time, you need to speak up. If they still aren't willing or able to help, then you need to get out of there. New ICU nurses need to be able to rely heavily on their experienced coworkers. Once you've seen how situations should be handled, you'll know what to do the next time you see it happening. Looking from the outside in, I think you should try to stick it out for a year, or until you can get an ICU or NICU job in your hometown (if you want to move back). Try to get into a large facility, because there should be more opportunity to transfer between units. Hang in there. It WILL get better :)

So, are you saying that they make someone triple with a post-code? Wrong, if that's the case. I work at a large hospital with neuro, cv, surgical, medical, and trauma icu's, so we usually have a few beds open. If we didn't and had someone that needed to come to the unit, we'd try to see if any of our patients could be transferred to the floor. If not, and we had no beds, they'd have to go to the ED to be held until a bed opened. ETA: just reread your post. If we had an admit that needed to come to our unit, we'd send a patient to one of the other units to make room.

Try states where the economy is good, low unemployment, etc. Think places like North Dakota and Oklahoma.

Oh Adam, very unfortunate.As well as applying locally, you need to start applying out of state, as others have mentioned. Try places where there still is a nursing shortage, especially for specialties like ED. A few places come to mind (middle of the country). Make sure and look at smaller, community hospitals. Hopefully they'll be willing to overlook your mistakes, and gossip won't follow you. Good luck, I hope you find something quickly.

This seriously makes me sick to my stomach. That poor woman. The family probably feels so guilty, even though they couldn't have known.

It's extremely difficult. I have a 5, 3, and 10 month old. One of the things that makes it work for us is me working night shift. Everyone likes this better because I wake up @ 1430, get the kids from school/daycare, and have a few hours to spend with them and make dinner before I go back to work. If I worked dayshift, I'd leave before they got up and get home after they went to bed. You'll figure out a system that works best for your family, but it'll be a big adjustment. By the way, my first job was in Tulsa :)

How about Thurs - Tues? 6 in a row, then 8 off. Those 6 shifts are hard, but the 8 off is so nice. You have time to be a normal person.

Not to discourage, but I would never be able to do it without my husband. We have a 5 yr old, 2 yr old, and 5 month old. I work nights, and he works from home and travels 2-3 days per week. I'm able to self schedule, and he travels on my days off. They go to daycare 3 days per week. It's very difficult because there are many hours working shifts in a hospital that most daycare hours do not cover. Nannies are great, but you're right, they are very expensive. And as a personal preference, I would not want anyone except my husband or a family member to be with my kids overnight. I hope that your friend can get something worked out, but it will be extremely difficult without a lot of family support. Especially on a new grad budget.

You will most likely qualify for pell grants/subsidized student loans. I think you should go for the cheapest, quickest option ($40k?).

I would definitely take the job. The hardest part about night shift and being married for me is not sleeping in bed next to my husband 3 nights per week. But, as others have said, we spend time in the afternoon before work. in my experience though, once you get your foot in the door of a unit and make a good impression, day shift positions open up pretty quickly. I think you should try it and see how it works out.