shiamay

I DID IT!!!! I Passed....This is a dream come true for me. I would like to share my jorney in becoming an RN I am 42 years old. Since the age of 7 I have known I wanted to be a nurse. For those of you who remember , I would sit and watch "Adam 12" every day. I can still see "Dixie" the nurse on the show and remember how stong and knowledgable she was...I wanted to be just like her. When I graduated from highshcool, I did not have the money or grades to go to college for nursing. So, I did the next best thing, I joined the Army. I let a recruiter talk me into becoming a Military Policewoman. My plan was to serve three years, get out, and go to nursing school. Boy was I wrong. I ended up meeting my husband who I swear bleeds green and together we stayed in the Army and retired. For six years after I retired from the Army I pondered going back to school for nursing. By this time I owned a thriving family restaurant and had three kids, the youngest of which was 2 years old. With my VA benifits close to running out I decided to go for it and enroll in nursing school. The past four years I have communited one hour each way to school, ran a restaurant, and remained a mom and wife to my kids and husband. It has been a hard road, but I DID IT!!! I found out today I passed NCLEX. I took my test in 1:10 minutes with 75 questions. Believe me, if I can do it anyone else out there can do it...it's just how bad you want it!!!! Believe me I have wanted it for 24 years and now I am an RN. Thank you LORD!!!

I really enjoy reading all you post. I took my test on Saturday and got shut down at 75 questions. I cried all the way home (hour drive). I sure hope I passed.

lilbug i know a few classmates who went to work at good sam. i know they were just looked at for magnet status and were denied. this dosen't mean much! considering you want nicu have you looked into childrens or the shriners hospital, which are very close to university. as far as places to live, the eastside of ciny is booming...kenwood and the norwood are are very trendy and forward. also, across the river in covington, ky is a nice place to consider. traffic in the ciny area is not that bad. i moved to the area from washington, dc so compared to the traffic there anyplace else is sweet. there are many great hospitals in cincinnati and kentucky. i am sure you will find one that is right for you.

I'm a new nursing grad who just started working this week at University Hospital in Cincinnati. I can assure you that $21/hr is the going rate in this area. University is part of the "Health Alliance" which consist of over six major hospitals (University, Christ, Jewish, St Luke East and West, Fort Hamilton, and Drake). So far my experience with the organization has been favorable. University offers many perks such as excellent continuing education programs, $5,000 sign on, reimbursement for tuition and the fact it is the only Trauma 1 hospital in the area with a great deal of experience to offer.