ZenStudent

Hello all! Looking for any thoughts or words of encouragement from some PACU nurses out there. I have been working in an ICU for almost 2 years now (1.5 years medsurg prior to that) and have just recently accepted a new position in another hospital in the PACU.But I am just nervous about taking the leap into the great unknown. In my current job I have a good manager and fantastic co-workers. I love the team work and I love flexibility of the schedule with working 12s. BUT…I hate nights. I do rotating nights and days and have been for years and I think it's killing me. While on days I feel fantastic and alive, and while on nights I feel like I am walking around with a sheet over my head. There is really no option to ever not be rotating either…at least not for 30 years. I have always thought PACU would be a good fit for me, so this is not just some leap to take anything that offers days. I Like a fast pace and I think I will enjoy not caring for the same patient for 12 hours day after day. The constant meds, bed changes, baths, and charting of ICU are what I don't like. I am nervous about being on call but was assured it isn't that likely to be called in overnight all the time. I also peaked at the schedule and it doesn't seem that people are on call all that much. I think I am just afraid of leaving something I am comfortable with (although not entirely a great fit for me). I think PACU will fit me better, but I am having doubts that I imagine have more to do with being faced with a major change. Any words of wisdom? ANyone make a similar switch and not regret it? Or regret it even? This is pre-op and post-op PACU and I can work 3 12 hour day shifts or 1 12hr and 3 8hr days. On call nights (although eventually you get only on call days with seniority) 1 weekend about every 6 weeks and a weeknight thrown in there occasionally. 1 on call holiday a year. Oh and 2 more dollars an hour than my current job. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Water, pen, stethoscope, scissors, chaptick, hair clip, tape, alcohol swaps

Thanks for the comments. They do try to match up 8s with 8s and 12s with 12s but there are just never enough people so we always have to pick people up. I am going to try to stick it out a year and it makes me feel better that some of you are saying this is not the norm. The turnover is insane and almost everyone I know right now is leaving within the next few months for new jobs. This place pulls in new grads and spits them out--almost no one has been here more than a year and there are few people to turn to for good advice.

I am a May 2011 grad who moved far far away from home for my first job on a med/surg floor. It will be my 6 month mark this April. I find I am really struggling with some things about the hospital, and I am trying not to convince myself that something better exists--but I am thinking it might. So here are some of the issues I am having...any thoughts? Scheduling: Most hospitals do 3 12s or 5 8s. This hospital does 2 8s and 2 12s which would be fine if they were blocked together, but instead your schedule has no rhyme or reason and you never know what you will get. I work nights and evenings, and often just have a day off inbetween shifts with no real chunks of time off. I feel like I live to work and spend these odd days off in a total mental fog because I am doing nights! Because we have people working 8s and 12s, the flow of this shift is non-existant. For example: I worked a 3-11:30 pm shift last evening and came on with only 2 patients! For the first four hours I was almost bored! Then at 7 when the other shift leaves, I had to pick up 2 patients and then ended up with two admits! So for the last four hours of my shift I am running around like a crazy person and never get out on time because I am still admitting/running around giving meds. This whole picking up of patients at shift change is one of my biggest complaints. The patients hate it because they now have a new nurse for just 4 hours who has to reassess them. I feel like I can barely do anything for the patient during that time and I have little time to get a picture for what is going on. Is this picking up patients thing normal?? I just hate it. We maybe have one CNA on for the entire floor of 40 patients--and I am just totally overwhelmed. I leave feeling frazzled and like I just did what I had to do to survive the shift with little ability to do much for the patients. I feel like no one ever knows what is going on with the patients, and there is poor (or no) communication between Drs and nurses. So is this just what most places are like? People leave the floor in droves and it makes me think I should just collect my experience and move on but I don't want to have some false hope that it will be different somewhere else. And I put money and a lot of effort into this move and don't want to just quit, but I am not happy. Any thoughts on this would be helpful!

Good advice from everyone. I appreciate it very much! I am feeling better about things and looking to my preceptor more as someone who is going to show me the ropes of working in this facility and not someone who is going to pass off a lot of knowledge. I am just going to focus on my patients and being positive for them. I will certainly come out of this a better nurse :) Thanks again

I graduated in May and finally just started working on a med/surg floor far far away from home. I took the job and moved across the county because it was the only job I could find. I am so very grateful to be working and I am making the best of living somewhere I never would have chosen to live otherwise. I am working at a hospital with very high turnover of nurses. I feel like all day long all anyone does is complain and talk about how they can't wait to leave. Every time something happens they complain and talk about how much they hate working there and can't wait till they can leave. Lots and lots of people are telling me they are putting in their notice and tell me that they just keep hiring and losing people. I can honestly say the hospital is not that bad and they are doing the absolute best they can do. The area is saturated with people because of the oil boom and the community is really having a hard time keeping up with the population explosion. I just felt so discouraged today to meet my preceptor only to hear about how much she hates working here and can't wait to leave. (she has only been a nurse for 6 months and also graduated this past spring and she is my preceptor--crazy I know.) So how does everyone cope with the negativity? I feel like no one is worried about the patients, and as a new nurse I feel like I have to rely on myself more than I should. I don't know if this is normal or if I am really in a place that is going to crumble with this kind of negative energy. I want to learn and grow and be a great nurse, and I don't know who is going to help me along. Can I do it on my own?

Hey I am also trying to find a place in Minot! Any luck?? I am starting Nov 7th and I am coming from New Jersey where housing is never an issue. So I finally get a job and now no where to live??? Yikes

I am going to be moving to minot from NJ...new grad starting november 7th. Anyone have luck with apartments?? It is hard for me to wrap my head around this concept of no housing!

I have one tomorrow and on friday! Before I had no choices and now I am trying to figure out the best one! I'm not an expert but I would think you need to just bring a few copies of your resume. Be sure to get a card from everyone who interviews you (if more than one) and email them a thank you when you get home and also send a handwritten one. That's what I have always done for past jobs and I think it adds a nice touch! Good luck!!!

thanks so much for the insight. It helps to hear from people with some experience! I actually went to speak with the school and they encouraged me to sign up for the rn-msn. It is a masters in education for nursing which just sounds strange to me as a new grad. What are your thoughts on this? I can't really imagine learning to be a nurse educator when i really need someone to be educating me still! Thanks again for the input. It really does help me a lot!

I just graduated from an ADN program and was so looking forward to just gettting a job and some real life experience. ( i also have a BA in english and have been in school for my entire life!) I have been working for a year as an aide at a really well respected rehab hospital and was certain I would just continue on as an RN. Turns out they are trying to get magnet status and are now only accepting BSN. I quickly applied to a program hoping that would make them consider me. I have been told over and over it doesnt really seem like they are going to be able to make any acceptions but my only shot is to have a very clear and quick plan for aquiring the BSN. What are peoples thoughts on this? I really really really don't want to be back in school. I dont have the money first of all, and i feel so utterly burnt out from being in school nonstop. I am a step away from going to them and saying this is what I have...take it or leave it. I am afraid to do that bc I am in a place where the new grad job market is so tight. Do i suck it up and get another bachelors just to appease this stupid system? It just feels like such a let down to have worked so hard at getting my RN...i passed the boards and was feeling like i finally reached the top of the mountain only to realize i have way more to climb. I am just ready to pull my hair out. I just want to work as a nurse and stop sitting in a class room. So go for the bsn and maybe get this job...or tell look elswhere in a ****** job market for someone who will take me as i am?

thanks for the reply. I am with you on not getting another bachelors...but I guess I am not sure it makes any sense to be a new fresh grad with no experience in a masters program for education. I feel like I have no clue what to do with that without years of working as a nurse. I feel like telling them to f themselves and finding somewhere who wants an RN aand get a masters when the time is right. Oy...hate these decisions

So here is the quick story of my current dilema. Just graduated from an ADN program...(passed the boards last week :) I also have a previous BA in English. I am currently working at a great rehab facility that is going for Magnet and will ONLY take BSN grads. So despite the fact that I have been working there for one year as an aide and that I have a BA, they will not make any exceptions! I was told that my best bet for getting a job with them was to enroll in a BSN program and give them a plan/estimate for my completion. (yet this still does not gurantee me a spot) I went in to speak with the school today and the first thing out of the advisors mouth was, "why would you want another Bachelor's? Go get a masters." The school has a bridge RN-MSN program that is pretty reasonable. It is less credits than the BSN (but more expensive of course) My issue is this: I feel like I was doing the BSN only to satisfy my employers demands (and bc it seems every hospital is demanding this now) but somehow I feel like an MSN could be too much. I am totally new and the thought of getting a masters in nursing ed seems silly. No one else seems to think so but I am feeling very confused. I am also afraid that my current employer will still be like, "well we want a BSN floor nurse not an MSN." So what are people's thoughts/experiences with this? Should I go an get the MSN?

Only a little longer than a month into my first semester and I am getting my first really big blow to the ego--aka the start of Clinicals. I had my first clinicals this week and I felt like a total idiot! Is anyone else feeling a bit like a lost puppy? I am trying to keep in mind that this is normal and that my job as a nurse will not be the same as my experiences in clinicals--but it really shook me up! I felt like i had no direction and I felt helpless doing the simplest tasks. I couldn't even figure out how the patient's gown was supposed to be buttoned!:smackingf I am begining to worry that I am one of these people who is great with books and tests but not to great when it comes to acctually peforming skills--which is a all of what nursing is! I just felt like I was causing more work for the nurse I was supposed to be helping. My patient even asked if I would get someone else to make her bed because I was taking way to long and she was tired! On top of this...my instructor isn't horrible but she isn't exaclty warm and cuddley and ends up making me feel more upset. I am just curious about how everyone felt or is feeling now about their clinicals. Any words of encouragement from those who have been through it all?

Thank you so much for your reply! It is good to know others are thinking about the same things. I do think I will end up going ahead with the ADN program--you are right that it is a good background to have and will certainly give us more credibility in the future. I think for now I will continue to read up on Chinese medicine and other practices so that I can really decide what to pursue later on. Good luck! I am sure I'll be posting more ont his thread and hope to keep in touch as we both figure all this out :)

Hello all! I am currently finishing up my pre-reqs and am most likley going to begin a two year ADN program in the fall (already have a BA but the price is right for the ADN at this point) I am VERY interested in holsitic and alternative medicine and the more I am learning about nursing--the more I wonder if I will be headed in the wrong direction. At the same time I can see how having a nursing liscence will give me the chance to explore holistic medicine in the future--like all of you on this forum! I am wondering if I should maybe go to get my masters in TCM and go the accupuncture route instead of becoming an RN. ANy thoughts or experiences? I don't know too much about the job market for this kind of career so I am a bit nervous about it. I am positive health care is for me but I am much more interested in natural healing, nutrition, etc and I am realizing that as a RN I may not be involved in that at all. I just feel like my family and friends are kinda pushing me to just do the RN thing and think I am being totally insane for turning in a new direction after a year and half of pre-reqs and changing my life plans to become a nurse. I see their point--it makes sense to just go and get my RN degree and work. I have no money since I have been at school and am sick of awful waitressing jobs! They are also worried I will put money and time into a three year TCM program and have a tough time getting a job. I am trying to find info about what the job market is like but am having a tough time. Any of your thoughts on this subject would be so helpful to me! I am at a crossroads. I am having a hard time figuring out what my gut is telling me and I feel all this pressure to make a decision now before I go any further. Thank you so much!! -Zen Student :)

I am in a similar situation! I have decided to turn down the ABSN program I got into because I can't take out a loan for 60K at this point. I have been warned by many that you should do your best to remain debt free. I think it is one of these situations where there is no perfect option and each choice has its ups and downs. I am sticking with a two year ASN program at a CC which is not my top choice since I have a BA, but money is always an issue. Of course some have told me to just pay the money and get my BSN but I know that for me, I am not comfortable being in debt like that. Some people have no problem just buckling down, working overtime and paying it off--I am not like that! So whatever makes sense for you will be best. Good luck!

Well I am still waiting to hear from them about the fall--should be any day now. I'll let you know since it sounds like we have similar backgrounds. I had a 3.2 as an undergrad and also have lived in Morris County for years. I have kinda just been under the assumption I'll get in--could be wrong though! Just get good grades on the pre-reqs and you should be fine. I overhear people who got in who didn't do so great on the pre-reqs so if you do well you should be just fine.

I have been finishing up my pre-reqs at ccm. Dr. Hunter is AWSOME for A and P. He is hard but he makes the material understandable and you leave his class feeling like you know your stuff. I had Crabbe for lab and he was just OK but a good guy. I applied to a few ABSN programs but I am sticking with CCM because it is the cheapest way to go right now. I can't be taking out loans for thoasands and thoasands of dollars! Good luck with everything!

dig--yea my Dad says these are good problems to have too :) I keep reminding myself that! I was admitted into the bsn accelerated program--even already put down a deposit but have been totally uneasy about it the entire time. I suppose I can still think about it. I used to think you just get gut feelings about things and you would know what to do--but this time I reallllly don't know and everyone I know says something different! Thanks for the advice everyone! It has been helpful to hear what others have to say!

I believe they do--good thought :) thanks!

Hello all! So I have three very different paths to choose from on my journey to becoming an RN and I am having a very hard time deciding what is best! Any thoughts on the matter will be helpful to me so please do share if you can! Background--I graduated with a BA over a year ago but decided to go the nursing route soon after graduating. I have been taking pre-reqs at a CC for about a year and a half (ug) and I am living with my parents (bigger ug) but staying out of debt and not worrying about rent. I was accepted into three programs (yay!) but all of them come with major pros and cons and I am basically back and forth going insane. Choice one: An accelerated BSN (under a year!) in another state but at a HUGE cost. I already have about 5,500 in loan debt and this program, which is private, will run me about at least another 55K--possible even more. So lets be safe and say 60K at least. So while it will give me a BS in a short time--I will have a huge elephant ready to sit on my head when i graduate. Also--I worry about having a program be so condensed. I want to be a great nurse and really absorb all that I am learning. Choice two: BSN at a well known state school (Rutgers in NJ) that will take me a whopping three years. I still have a year of pre-reqs to go before I start the clinical rotation so they tell me it will be three years before I am done. Tuition isnt too bad but could end up costing me just as much in the end and will take me soooooooo long! But the school has a good name and I could potentially work a bit and use some money of my own rather than rely fully on loans. Choice three: ASN at the local community college which will cost peanuts (well not really but it will be much much cheaper than the above choises.) It is a two year program and has a good reputation and is about 6 minutes from my home. Not thrilled about living with my parents for this long but the rent is free and my mom is a fab cook :) So this choice is financially a great one--socially not so much but who has a great social life during nursing school anyways??? I worry about this choice because so many hospitals are saying they want BSN only. I do want to get my MSN at some point too and feel like if I spend 60K plus for the BSN I will be too far in debt to think about getting a masters. But I also want to get a job when I graduate and be able to leave my poor parents in peace and get my own place and worry all the hospitals will want a BSN. I am having such a hard time because I get such mixed advice. Some people (nurses included) are like just go get your BSN at whatever cost and others are telling me I'll be crushed with debt and will regret it (my father he he he). I am back and forth all the time and could use some outside guidance! Thanks so much!!!

I did not apply for the accelerated--just traditional. I wish I could help but I don't know anything about the program really! I called and was told that even if I finished my remaining pre-reqs this summer, I will not be able to start the nursing program for another year! So I am going to go somewhere else because I can't be in school for three more years! Good luck--try calling them--they were very helpful when I called!

Hey all! I have been trying to find some info on Rutgers and I am having some trouble. I applied to the traditional program for second degree students and can't figure out how the program works. Anyone have any info? I don't have all of the pre-reqs done (they have way more than the other schools I applied to) and figure I will need to take yet another semester of pre-reqs in the fall before I am able to register for the acctual nursing classes. Do the classes start in the fall only? Or can I begin next spring after finishing my last pre-reqs? Or just any thoughts on the program? I also got into an accelerated program somewhere else but it is soooo exmemberve that Rutgers is looking enticing!

I'm not sure how they decide...i got accepted but I have most of the pre-reqs done. Do any of you know if you can begin the nursing classes while still taking the remaining pre-reqs? I don't think I can stand another semester of just pre-reqs without seeing a nursing class!