jla623

That's about how many points I had! You have NOTHING to worry about.

That should be a good enough score to get in. Especially if you have all of your support courses done and you get your 3 points for reapplying. I graduated in May. It's a great program! Brookhaven has a great reputation. Good luck!

I think I got a 95 when I took it. I would say to aim anywhere above an 85. The higher your score, the better your chances. There is a HESI study guide you can get at the bookstore (the off-campus one is where I found it) that is really good.

We had several people in our program (ADN) receive offers for new grad internships at Methodist.

Not exactly true. I was offered several ICU positions (where there were only 1 or 2 spots available) over BSN graduates, and I have an ADN. One of them was a magnet hospital. It's all very competitive whether you have an ADN or BSN. Of course, I'm sure it would be a different story if I were not planning on continuing my education at all. You also have to take into account that many ADN graduates already hold bachelors degrees in other fields.

This is true, I made about the same (if not more) bartending and working 20 hours a week.

Baylor, UTSW, Medical City, Presby, Parkland, etc.

I would steer clear of Presby Denton.

I would take the job offer and still interview for the ICU position. I'm probably going against what everyone else will say, but I was in this position a few months ago. I accepted the job that I was offered first, then I kept interviewing and ended up securing an ICU spot that I really wanted. Yes, I did have to call the other hospital and told them that I received another offer in the ICU that suited me better. Of course I was afraid of burning my bridges, but the first hospital actually ended up calling me a few weeks later with another ICU offer (that I didn't take), and even told me that they would love to have me in the future. I would rather be safe than sorry. I would take the job and still try for the ICU job that you really want. If you turn this one down, what happens if you don't get the ICU job? I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world, but you may have to wait until the next round of internships. Good luck!

You would probably get into Brookhaven without a problem (if you do really well on HESI) since they go by points. Your HESI score is the bulk of your points, so that is more important than your GPA. Your HESI score + support courses + GPA is how they decide. Just go to the website and check it out. I would shoot for a HESI score in the 90s.

I thought OB was a nightmare.

Hmm, I don't exactly agree with you there. The majority of the people in my class have not been able to find jobs yet. Some of them may have lost the battle for the most competitive spots and are being too picky, but quite a few have been trying to get jobs in med/surg from the beginning. I have friends from other nursing programs that say the exact same thing. People that graduated last May did not have as much trouble finding a job as this year's May graduates. The fact is that there are hiring freezes and there are a lot of nurses returning to the field after not working. The job openings are limited.

I just recently narrowed it down between all of my offers to one in CVICU. I live in Dallas and it pays 24/hr with great shift diffs. I am very excited!

This is true, a lot of people in my class haven't gotten jobs yet (about 75%). It's more competitive than ever. I would absolutely take the ER position. It will be much easier to get into ICU after you have worked in the ER since in some places they consider it critical care. I was told that Presby doesn't have a contract by the way. Good luck!

I would absolutely go. They will most likely be choosing their favorites out of the people that showed up to the open house and interviewed. If you really can't go, I would try to set up an interview on another day. If you don't interview, you probably won't get the job. Since they do the interviews on the spot at most of these, it would probably be in your benefit to go.

I think it's absolutely ok to do as long as you do it right. It is very common to accept several job offers and then decide which one fits you the best. I wouldn't actually START all of the jobs and then decide. Definitely do it as soon as you can (if the jobs start in June, try to decide by April). I think it is very smart to accept several offers and have back up plans incase you don't get the offer that you really want. Don't put all of your eggs in one basket. You might end up jobless and disappointed (or maybe not that extreme, but maybe stuck somewhere you would prefer not to be). Don't feel bad because there are probably a ton of people that would love to take the job that you turned down. You will probably make someone's day!

That is so ridiculous. I got a C in Chemistry and I am about to graduate nursing school with almost all A's and a few B's. I would try a different school! Good luck! They aren't all like that.

I have gotten a few offers, but I sitll have one interview left tomorrow. If I get that offer then I will narrow it down between the 2 best ones. I'm looking at 2 different types of ICUs. Not sure which one is going to be the best fit for me.

Congrats!

That is nice that you get a choice of when to start! All of the ones here start in June. I graduate in May too, and I think a month off in between is sufficient to take the NCLEX and have a nice vacation. I would say June or July, but to me, September is so far away. I would be afraid that I would forget how to be a nurse or something. I am trying not to worry about NCLEX. I am thinking positive. They say that your HESI score is usually a pretty good indicator of how you will do on NCLEX, so if you did well on that I wouldn't worry. :)

I think it depends on the hospital. I work as a tech on an intermediate unit and it's more like med/surg with telemetery in my opninion. Not really any drips or anything. Plus the nurse to patient ratio is like 1:5.

Never talk money or benefits in an interview. Refer those questions to HR.

I need a little bit of help with this. I am very familiar with the ins and outs of the CVICU, but can someone tell me a little bit more about SICU? Based on a hospital that has a CVICU already (so no hearts in the SICU), what kinds of things am I going to see? Will the patients be on vents, lots of drips, art lines, etc? I am absolutely fascinated with CV, but I'm wondering if I will get atleast SOME cardiac exposure in the SICU. I would really like to be comfortable with a variety of things, but I would still love to have some cardiac involved. What are some examples of different types of patients you would see? What does the typical patient look like? Will SICU prepare you enough to eventually move to CVICU? Which one do you think is a better starting place for a new grad? Sorry, I know I have lots of questions! I just have a big decision to make in the near future. Thanks!

I usually have anywhere from 8 to 15.

Excellent post! I wish I could give you like 20 thankyous. You have no idea how much this helps me. I was just worried about either being too vague or rambling on so much that they think I am a cocky, know-it-all new grad (which I am not!). As long as I can get it all out without getting too nervous and stumbling on my words, I think I'll be okay.