TamrRN07

All in all, i'm an optimist. Egos shouldn't get in the way of patient care. An understatement of the year. My brother is a paramedic. He tested for his license the same week I tested for my RN. We both busted our butts through school and have always appreciated eachother's career route. One of our favorite things is to get together and talk about our experience. We both learn from eachother. He has listened to me vent about incompetent nurses, just like I have heard him blast his coworkers.... Education doesn't stop after we get that shiny license!!! If I am uncomfortable with something, I ask, take a class on it, and buy the book... my brother does the same. Some people are just in these professions for the adrenaline rush or the money... and those are the ones I am terrified of b/c they don't give a *( I'm sorry for the dissapointments you have encountered, but try and change it and not just feed into the complaints.

rumors... what a kill joy. I'm definetly relieved:uhoh3:

I am gleaning from your posts. Thank you all for responding and really offering advice that comes from experience... i think this community is a jewel. Well, I started orientation at this level II trauma center. I am extremely happy with the administration there actually and the nurses that I have spoken with sincerely love the environment there, which is a big plus to me. The teamwork is amazing. It looks like 42nd street times square with everyone moving around, but it is organized chaos. Everyone knows thier part. The managers are already encouraging myself and two other new hirers about getting our CEN next year... I definitely want to go back to school and get my masters which they are supportive of as well. Full tuition reimbursment :) whoo hoo. The ER is broken into 3 teams. On each team there are 2 RNs and a tech and they can have 8 to 10 pts. There is also an asthma room that is seperate with an RN and a tech holding up to 10 pts. The trauma bay consists of 2 code rooms and 4 beds for critical pts and that has two RNs and a tech. 9 RN's on a shift looks pretty good to me...We also have a fast track available. While we will still recieve traumas, 90% will go to either one of the two level 1 trauma centers that are within 15 mins of us. I think this is a great place to get started. It's going to be crazy, but it wouldn't be fun if it wasn't a little frayed around the edges... I know my shifts will fly by. I'm glad you guys are able to vent. I'm learning how to stick to my standards and protect my license as well. peace

That is awesome. Very encouraging to me as a new grad as well! Way to go!

1) Roper is downtown charleston and St francis is in west ashley. They are sister hospitals with the same policys ect. 2) CNA/PCA is the same. That position requires experience or your first semester of nursing school (fundamentals) which covers ADLs. 3) I personally went for RN. That was my goal so I didn't procrastinate. Trident has their program set up in a way that if you want to take the LPN exam while completing the RN program, you may do so when you finish the required classes. I didn't do that. I saved my money and took the time off for summer/christmas breaks when they were around instead of working:) I was blessed to have a husband to help share the financial responsibilites. We both went to school full time and worked part time. Just enough to pay bills basically. We were poor and hardly ever saw eachother, but it was just for a season. We knew school wasn't going to last forever... I only worked 16 hours a week through most of the program. When I was in RN part of the program I cut back to 8 hr/week. I knew people who worked 3 12 hr shifts a week and had a family and they passed, but were very stressed all the time. I remember people who didn't work at all and failed. It's up you how much you want it. You might find more suggestions in the Students forum. peace

Why bennys? Ditto on the heat. I thought by moving away from SC to NY I would get some relief... WRONG.

I'm sorry about how frustrating this is. Even though I am a new grad and "should?" have some difficulty getting work, it still sucked. I applied to 9 hospitals (since june) and when it was all said and done, the one who gave me a call back and offered me a job did so because I met one of the nursing recruiters randomly in public. I was happy about getting the interview, but a little put off because my acheivements like getting through nursing school, passing nclex, volunteering yada yada yada really didn't matter because to all of those other hospitals, I was just a peice of paper amist the hundreds. As nurses we go through so much red tape and monumental achievements in our careers.... and it seems when it should matter the most, sometimes it doesn't. I had such good references and an amazing GPA and I never heard anything from those 9 hospitals.. even with follow up via phone, fax, and visiting in person. These months have been tough to say the least. Especially since my husband and I just moved here to NYC 3 months ago. I looked at it as a character building process.. All that to say, I really feel for your situation and wish you the best. Don't give up, and when you get discouraged remember that you are valuable! Don't let the silence of recruiters make you doubt yourself or your goals. tammy.

Yep. I like thin ankle socks so I definitely put a beating on them. When I show them to my husband he starts singing "another one bites the dust"

I did get my RN at Trident. I loved the program there and the instructors are phenomenal. CNAs get paid bt 8.75-9 bucks an hour in charleston. Duties are ADLs only! Cooking meals?! I hardly do that for my husband.. haha. Shifts are flexible. I worked prn two 8s per week because of nursing school. If you do prn, you don't get benefits at the reduced cost. There were cnas that did three 12s as there were crazy ppl that did 16s like 3 days a week. Anyway. I loved charleston. A lot of things to do. If you have anymore questions, just let me know:)

I was at a camp in upstate new york for one week. Only 66 campers ages 8-18. Five ER visits! Broken arm, sprained knee, lacerated eyelid that needed stitches, head injury (nothing major after all, but the camper was so sore he couldn't move his neck!), and an asthma attack by an 8 year old who gets asthma "sometimes". Of course her mom didn't pack her inhaler... All in all, it was a great week though. Of course there were the bumps and bruises, bug bites, and the like. I loved making "it all better". It reminded about how some kids come from such horrible backgrounds and all they really want is someone to give them a kind, compassionate ear.

Hi there! I was a tech at Roper Hospital downtown. It was a great facility. On a good day I would have 6 patients. A bad day would be 10, but all in all the staff is great. I worked on a surgical step down floor. The hospital is in the middle of going for magnet status and has great facilities. All new. The best nursing college is Trident Technical College. It's nclex pass rate is the best at 98 %. Waiting list about 2 years. Room and board... look in west ashley. That's kind of in b/t the two.

How do you describe critical thinking and give an example when you applied it last. Seriously. I was asked that. Good luck! You will do great!

and that's all that matters

Hello~ I just graduated in April and I start orientation at a level II trauma center on the 10th. I am stoked about it! This is exactly where I want to be. I don't see why any new graduate should have to "suck it up" and do med-surg if that is not where thier particular passion lies. I personally feel that in the ER I will see and do so much more to really help my skills evolve. I wouldn't suggest doing it if the preceptorship is short though.... I will have two weeks of classroom then 6months with a mentor. Good luck