MnemonicFanatic

I have a carry permit and I carry everywhere within my state. When I carry on my person. I have a holster that attaches to my bra and is basically out of the way, not visible and no one knows I have it unless I tell them. It can easily be gotten to, and no, it doesn't pinch the girls or poke anything uncomfortably. When at work, its in my bag, behind the desk, in a drawer. (I work in a SNF that has quite a few 24hr businesses within a block or two, and the homeless will bother you if you are walking in the parking lot.

Not sure about other states, Missouri issued me a temporary license (I finished my courses, passed the boards in January but the college I attended only 'graduated' one class a year. I had to wait until June to get my official diploma/transcripts) The temp was good for 6 months, but once I submitted my transcripts the permanent license was issued (backdated to original issue date of the temp license)

When I moved from NJ to Missouri, the TPP gave me about 6 months to work before I needed to get the endorsement. In my case, it gave me time to actually get the 'degree' from the college I attended. (I completed my nursing program in December, took the boards in January and passed, making me a NJRN. Problem was, the college I attended only graduated 'one' class per year, so I had to 'wait' until May to actually receive my official degree.) The TPP gave me the opportunity to work as an RN until I was able to elevate it to the Endorsement. I would imagine that it works in a similar fashion for PA. I'll be applying for my PA license in the spring, only this time I will most likely go right for the endorsement rather than the TPP/Endorsement. Good luck!

While it isn't necessarily the job you may want right away, taking a job at a nursing home isn't so bad if you keep in the back of your mind that it isn't your 'forever' job. Any experience is a bonus. Don't lose hope about getting into a hospital- just keep applying!

Thanks for the replies. It is about what I expected. I was hoping there was a limit written down somewhere in really really small print. The pt:nurse ratio on the unit I currently work on increases daily. (it is up to ten or eleven patients per nurse most shifts.) In addition to the stress levels rising, the age-old catch 22 presents itself. As more patients get added to the assignments, more staff quits or transfers to other units, forcing more patients to be added to the assignments, and so on. Of course, we are being told this is 'temporary' and the already exhausted staff is now being asked to pick up one or two more shifts per week to 'get us through this difficult time'. As a newer nurse (

I have been searching for information regarding patient to nurse ratios in Missouri and have so far haven't found anything. I quickly looked through the MO Board of Nursing website and turned up nothing. There usually are different ratios allowed for acute care facilities (and the individual units) as opposed to long term/skilled nursing facilities (or is it just my wishful thinking?) This is a subject that has recently been talked about quite a bit where I work, and no one seems to know exactly what the 'rules' are or even if anything exists formally or not. Any ideas on where to look, or even if such things exist? Thank you, everyone, in advance!:)

I am 5-10, and well over 300lbs. I found that the Dickies brand of plus sized unisex scrubs works the best for me, especially the pants. Awesome assortment of colors are available, and most will work if you have to wear something specific for your department. The only complaint I have with the pants is one pocket just doesn't help. Most online uniform stores will carry them. I would just shop around a little for the best prices- I've seen as much as a five or six dollar difference in price between the different sites. Some online stores with embroider for a fee (if you want to make them a little more 'girly'), or you can sew/iron embroidered patches on them yourself to personalize them.

I have been working nights for the last six months (it was five 8hr shifts a week, floating days off, every other weekend). I've always been a 'night-owl', even when I was an infant (much to my mother's chagrin ) I'm starting a new job this week and changing to three 12hr shifts and a longer commute. The advice about finding your own schedule is right on. There are some days I'll come home and go right to bed for 6hrs or so, and then get up to run errands, or socialize with roommates. Other days, I'll stay up until noon'ish to do what needs to be done, and then sleep until having to leave for the shift. I found that keeping my 'night' schedule on my days off wasn't much of a hassle- it's actually a benefit sometimes. I sleep when they are at work, and I am up when they are sleeping. (plus, when going out for an evening, I don't have to worry about being at work at 7 or 8am the next day...I'll get some sleep before my shift!) Your body will tell you what to do, you just have to pay attention to what it is saying. I don't have any kids of my own, but one of the roommates does- I think if you have school aged children, the best advice would be to stay up until they leave for school, and then try to get as much sleep as possible. Once they come home, all bets are off because they will need you for all sorts of things (snacks, projects needed to be done for school, shopping, events, sports, etc, regardless of their age) If you start relying on pharmaceuticals to aide in your sleep/awake patterns, it could be dangerous (accidents, sleep deprivation, etc) but everyone is different. You know your limitations the best. It's when one ignores your body's warnings and push beyond the limits that you run into trouble. Me, I find Mountain Dew to be the best Working nights will put some strain on your relationships. Spending a few minutes in the morning with your significant other before they leave for work, or the few minutes you have before leaving for your shift will help somewhat, but keep in mind that you aren't working every day of the week. You'll have a few days (nights ) where you'll be home when they are. The other thing would be to keep communication lines open and talk about when things need to be done and split up the responsibilities of the household (dinner, cleaning, laundry, shopping, kids, etc) And good luck!

Well, I've been here in Missouri for six months now, and I must say I absolutely love it. It is definitely culture shock for me, but I am experiencing St Louis to the utmost! :clpty: I had applied to as many hospitals in the area as I could find job listings for, and unfortunately, it seemed as though none would hire me without experience. I am currently working in an LTC facility, getting the experience I need to eventually get hired in a hospital. While its not the job I wanted, it IS a job, and you can't beat getting a paycheck!

I currently work in an LTC facility (in the midwest, not California). During the day/evening shifts, a unit will have one nurse (RN or LPN), one med-tech, and up to six nurses aides to care for approx. 35 residents. For the overnight, however, the staff on the same unit will consist of one nurse (either RN or LPN), and three aides to care for what sometimes can number up to 58 or so residents (some units are 'combined' for the overnight shift- one unit is regularly divided between two other units) Pulling the meds, passing them in the morning, checking blood sugars, flushing g-tubes, and the multitude of other procedures and treatments that need to be done can sometimes take three hours. Just don't add an emergency, or a fall, or any such other unplanned situation...and this isn't just when they are understaffed, this is a regular situation. The reason (excuse?) that's given is the standard "we aren't budgeted for more nurses/staff". I'm sure this isn't the only LTC facility where this occurs, and unfortunately unless there are ratios set forth, it won't be the last. As michelle126 mentioned, acuity isn't taken into consideration. In theory, 35 residents may not be a problem to cover with only one nurse and three aides, but when you have three that are call bell happy and on a first name basis with the head-honcho, four that are high risk falls (and they will fall, guaranteed, just as you start the med pass:chuckle) several total cares, and a few hospice residents, and those 35 will suddenly seem more like 60 or seventy. Unfortunately, the only ones who ultimately suffer are the residents.

I took the NCLEX back in January, 2009. The terminal I was using sometimes had a lag between questions (okay, it seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few hundredths of a second longer than usual) I attributed it to the time needed to search for the next question as the level of difficulty increased. The first time it happened, I was only on question 35, about 40 minutes into the test. Okay, about a minute or so for each question, I felt I was doing okay. Second time, it happened at question 59. Questions 65 and 70 also had those pauses. Just as I was resigning myself to the pauses, it happened where the one second lag became two seconds, then three, and then a message popped up saying to not touch the keyboard, test is processing...the test was over at 75 questions, and suddenly I wanted to vomit all over the keyboard. No, it couldn't be over! Where were all the med calc questions? What happened to all the multiple-multiple answered questions, or the ones about putting everything in order of priority? Three days later I found out I passed. One of my friends who took the test the same day went to the very last question possible...and three days later found out she passed as well. Although all of the NCLEX tests are the 'same', each experience is different!

I was an EMT for many years before becoming a nurse, and I was adamant about never working in an LTC facility. I had seen too much and decided it was not for me. I graduated the nursing program, and where am I working? Yup, LTC. No, it wasn't my first choice. In fact, it wasn't even my last choice. However, after recently moving to a state where the job prospects seemed to be more abundant, it turns out the hospitals are not as new nurse friendly as they first appeared. I was told repeatedly that without at least a year's experience, they don't hire 'new' nurses. So, here I am, working at an extended care facility, gaining that year's experience. I have found that although LTC still isn't the field I want to be in, it is giving me a good experience to start my career with. It is a different kind of nursing, and while you don't use your skills as extensively as you would in a hospital, you are still assessing, making nursing decisions, charting, handing out meds, dealing with doctors and families at all hours of the day and night, doing admissions, discharges and transfers, putting up with administration, and being part of a team where not everyone may be a team player. Just like in a hospital, but without the mad rush and hectic pace...but, there are shifts that you'll have to stay the extra hour or so to finish charting because the residents kept you hopping from the time you walked on the floor to the time you reported off to the next shift. My feet hurt just as much at the end of my shift here in LTC as I'm sure they would in any hospital. And, the call bells work the same no matter where you go...and its like a universal language- all the residents or patients know how to speak 'call bell'!:chuckle No, I don't think that LTC is the 'end' for anyone's career, especially if you want to be in a different field. Keep it in the back of your mind that you are using it as a learning experience, take from it all that you can, and just keep telling yourself that its a stepping stone to get you where you want to be. Something more to your liking will turn up, just keep looking.

:snowflake::snowflake::house::snowflake: :wink2: There is definitely more snow during the winter in MO than here in NJ -snowfall on the Jersey Shore usually amounts to a dusting, and some ice, nothing noteworthy! And, Thank You! I'm so excited to start my nursing career! It was a long, difficult journey, and I can't wait to take the next step.

I will be moving to the snowy and cold state of Missouri this April from NJ. I am really looking forward to it. I plan on being in the Chesterfield area to begin with, and who knows where I'll end up once I'm established. I just passed the NCLEX (I just got the "Pass" status today, as a matter of fact!) and as soon as I have the NJ license in hand, I'm applying for the endorsement license. Really excited about the whole move!

moving out of state will just give you a degree from the college/university you attend. When it comes time to apply for a license and take the Boards, you can elect to take them/apply for it from your home state instead of the state you attended school.