AnaLVN

Hi! I was wondering if you're still working there and whether they still take new grads in ED? If so, what was your experience like?

Yes, our system equips us with a triage tool but we can't just rely on it. We need to use our nursing judgement to adequately triage. I can see how this would be hard for a new grad without experience but hopefully if you've made the most out of your 3 years in nursing school and your preceptorship by taking every opportunity possible then you'll be in a better spot. Having urgent care background as an LVN helps, too! I am personally still going to seek out my "one year on the floor" once I'm done with my program but that's because I personally feel it would benefit ME to become a better nurse. I work with plenty of RN's, however, who have never worked at the hospital and they are amazing nurses with top notch triage skills! Some people just have it and apply themselves through continuous education and learning experiences I suppose! 😂

What state do you live in? I got into a new grad ambulatory program at Kaiser Permanente in California and the training is extensive! We are training in family, peds, nurse clinic, urgent care and specialties for 6 months with a preceptor, weekly classroom training and after our 6 months we continue with monthly classroom training. We are even being floated to GI lab and ED during our training. I worked as an LVN in ambulatory for 5 years prior to transitioning into an RN role and it's definitely not a job for the lazy haha so ignore anyone who calls you lazy. Personally, I wish I would have gone to the hospital because I'm craving that acute care experience but if ambulatory is what you want definitely pursue it!! The RN role is extensive in ambulatory and often times I've seen inpatient nurses transition to ambulatory thinking it'll be a vacation and a place to retire but they end up going right back. We possess a different type of skill... We triage not only in person but over the phone without the ability to see, listen or feel. We care for patients of every age at every stage in their disease process, we educate, and we are seeing more and more acute patients in clinic! Don't let anyone tell you that you won't be a "well rounded nurse" if you don't work bedside! I used to beat myself down over this and now realize it's not true. The future of nursing is changing and the ambulatory care setting is growing day by day. We are even providing phone and video chat appointments/treatment for our patients which is revolutionizing the way we look at healthcare. It's also dependent on how much you apply yourself. I stay up to date with my education (ACLS, PALS, NIHSS, EKG certs, etc) and love being able to pick the providers' brains right then and there while the patient is being treated. Our doctors are all so nice and love providing education because they depend on us and often times even ask for our input for treatment and management. Our nurse clinic is completely independently ran by us (with a provider in clinic available in case we need to consult) so the level of responsibility, time management, triage skills and clinical skills is high. We provide diabetic teaching to all our newly diagnosed and chronic diabetics (insulin, diet, glucometer, lifestyle). We're even taking on home health patients who no longer qualify as being "home bound" and come to us for infusions. As far as wound care, we see everything! Even wound vacs, post op care (including drains), diabetic ulcers requiring unna boot compression, and it's up to US to decide the treatment and assess progression of the wound process. We see the usual immunization update so we have extensive knowledge of immunization schedules for both the pediatric and adult population. Additionally, we have a travel clinic so we are also expected to be knowledgable on travel vaccines and medication needed for travel. I'm even doing port and PICC line care as well as removing PICCs in clinic, taking care and managing complex wounds and managing my staff (LVN's, MA's), back office intake, interdisciplinary collaboration with specialty departments and scheduling, etc. Want to call us lazy? We do our own EKG's, breathing treatments, back office tests, assist in minor surgical procedures, perform our own ortho supply fitting and even do our own splints. We have so much autonomy that often times it's even us placing the orders for the providers. It's great experience so don't let anybody discourage you from it if you're passionate about it!!! If it wasn't for the fact that I'm truly passionate about trauma and hope to eventually land there some day, I'd gladly stay in my position because of the fact I have the ability to float around from so many departments so the exposure and experience is excellent!! P.S. Choose wisely and don't let people on here discourage you because of "the crappy pay." I'm making a 6 figure income as a NEW GRAD without working any OT so the pay can indeed be extremely rewarding! Fully paid for medical benefits for myself and my family and did I mention I get a pension, too?

Hi everyone, I've come across this question on several forums and thought I'd share my experience of passing the NCLEX without having studied. I've been an LVN for 6 years so I have some experience in the field (I work outpatient at an urgent care, not inpatient at a hospital). Graduated valedictorian from California State University of Long Beach's BSN program in May of 2015 and I kind of had already decided that I wouldn't spend too much time worrying or stressing over the NCLEX since, afterall, I had just graduated from a well known and highly praised nursing program. We took an ATI predictor exit exam May 14th and I scored a 99.9% chance of passing NCLEX on my first try so I felt confident n my ability. I went on vacation for some time after graduation, worked part time, enjoyed my time at the pool, and from time to time in between watching my son swim and tanning, I'd scroll through a few ATI questions here and there on my smart phone. When it came time to schedule my test, I told myself I'd study! I had this whole routine set up in my head... but I just never really seemed to get around to it. Mostly because I kept hearing from my classmates and co-workers who had recently tested that studying hadn't helped them at all. Well.... woke up the morning of my NCLEX exam, and I PANICKED. I frantically accessed my friend's Kaplan course and took 2 of the Q-bank tests trying to CRAM and see where I stood performance wise. I was a crying disaster, I was begging for prayers from everyone and couldn't believe how arrogant I was thinking that just because I had done well in school that I could somehow show up to the NCLEX and think I'd pass without any trouble. Tried rescheduling last minute but nope... 24 hour notice was needed. So I tucked my tail in-between my legs and off I went to the testing center. I was so over the exam the entire time I was taking it because I got drilled on OB and simply felt like I knew almost nothing of the material (but I did keep tally of my SATA and felt good that I counted 18 of them). Test shut off at 75 at exactly 60 minutes and I recall my last 2 questions being SATA so I felt a little relieved. However, on my drive home, I lost it. I started recalling all the questions I had answered wrong and was convinced I had failed because I kept getting the same OB questions over and over again but in different formats. Decided against doing the Pearson Vue Trick and just waited it out... The waiting was tedious, I kept going back and forth between thinking I failed and how embarrassing it'd be that the valedictorian failed the NCLEX at 75 questions and then I'd snap out of it and say I probably didn't fail at 75. Less than 48 hours after having taken my exam (and after refreshing the CA BRN board more than 1,000,000,000 times) THERE IT WAS!!! MY NAME WAS UP!!! Cried tears of joy, called everyone in my family and close friends to thank them for having stuck by me along this nightmare of a journey nursing school had been (working two jobs and having a young child during nursing school is HIGHLY not recommended to anyone). So lesson of the story is... Just do yourself a favor and study, prepare, and practice. I'm sure nursing school definitely prepared us for this exam, and for the most part I don't think studying would have helped me for the type of teaching questions I got, but it would have definitely set my mind more at ease. Also, if you're not a strong test taker, PRACTICE A LOT and just go with your gut feeling. Mind you, I was a strong test taker all along nursing school and I was never much of a studier, so that's what worked for me. Don't dwell on the answers. Just click it and click next. STOP SECOND GUESSING YOURSELF. That's how I managed to finish quickly, didn't beat myself up if I didn't know something, and made it through in one piece. I've heard from all my classmates that U-World has been great and the closest to the NCLEX they've had for practice, so that's a great free online resource to access (it's 1 week free trial if I remember hearing correctly). Best of luck to everyone out there. Have confidence in yourself, keep your support close by and KEEP BUSY after you test so you don't rip all your hair out while you wait for those results!!! P.S. That 35 page study guide that's floating around did help, I glanced over it quickly and was able to recall some things thanks to it. Wish I would have spent a bit more time looking at it! Let me know if you're interested in it. I still have it along with a lab value sheet And if there's one thing I saw almost word by word from my Kaplan tests to the NCLEX was: Spinal cord injury is to autonomic dysreflexia (ALWAYS SIT THEM UP, don't bother answering anything with assessment when it comes to the spinal cord patient sweating, flushing, feverish, headache, nasal congestion, nausea) as brain injury is to diabetes insipidus.

Hi everyone, just got my results and found out I passed too!!! I tested July 7th at 2pm and woke up this morning and saw my name on the California BRN website (so less than 48 hours, which is great for CA!) Definitely don't recommend sitting for the NCLEX without studying haha I nearly had a panic attack when I left my house en route to test center and thought to myself ARE YOU INSANE?!?! YOU SHOULD HAVE STUDIED!!! But apparently what they taught us in school was enough, and I'm kinda glad I didn't spend money or my time I have spent vacationing since I graduated May 22nd studying for hours instead. But HUGE PROPS to all of you that were dedicated enough to do so!! My test stopped at 75, finished in 60 minutes, and left feeling confident that I FAILED because I got drilled on tough OB questions and about 18 SATA. No med calculations but DON'T FORGET YOUR 24 HOUR FLUID INTAKE CALCULATION (mine was tricky and had tricky liquid/foods in it!!) Anyway, congratulations to everyone!! Hard work pays off!! Congrats fellow RN's!!! Ana Maria Duarte, RN, BSN (haha sorry, I had to!!)

Hi everyone! I'm testing tomorrow at 2pm as well but unlike you all, I haven't studied at all. I graduated May 22nd with a 4.0 GPA and I felt I was pretty strong test taker throughout the entire nursing program so I feel like I'll either know the content tomorrow or not. We took a comprehensive ATI predictor as our exit exam which said I had a 99.9% chance of passing NCLEX on my first try so I'm hoping the knowledge from back in May is still there. I did the same thing when I graduated LVN school, took 6 months off, didn't study, and when I sat in for the NCLEX PN I passed at 75 questions without a problem. I actually took 2 Kaplan q bank tests yesterday that my friend let me have access to under his account and scored a 69% and a 65% without any studying so I'm hoping those scores are high enough to pass tomorrow. Anywho, good luck to everyone! And send your good luck my way in case I need it haha. I'm really not too worried if I have to re-test since the worst is over with (nursing school). Worst that can happen now is just paying again and studying next time around:D

If you don't mind me asking, what is the hourly pay for RN's in SD at Kaiser?

I guess the scheduling issues were out of their hands and seemed to be more of a clinical facility issue. I wrote the department an e-mail and they seem to be taking my concern seriously so I'm content with that at least. Best of luck to you!

Actually, on second thought, I would hoenstly discourage you from attending CSULB. The way they have managed this program since the beginning has been a disaster. They change classes and times at their leisure without any regards to the lives of people (some of us actually have to work and have to care for our kids). Classes start again on Monday and they just e-mailed us completely rearranging our schedule. I am HIGHLY dissappointed with this program, and had I known this I honestly would have invested my time, hard work, and money elsewhere.

Hey, I'm currently a 2nd semester student, mommy of a 2 year old, and I also work. I currently live in Laguna Hills and the drive hasn't been too bad so far. If you don't have Patho, Pharm, and Nutrition out of the way you're going to have an insanely busy schedule first semester. The students who were taking all those PLUS the nursing classes were at school like 5 days a week it seemed like. I had all those classes out of the way before starting the program and I was at school twice a week, and clinical once a week (but had to be at the hospital the day before to pick my patients for about 30-50 minutes). I managed to squeeze in a capstone as well. This semester I'll be at school twice a week, and we have clinical once a week but sometimes clinical twice a week. It's definitely incredibly busy trying to manage everything but doable as long as you take it day by day :)

1. LVN 2. California 3. "LVN I" at Kaiser Permanente; I have been working for a year and a half 4. $23.76 plus $1.00/hour when working after 1800 and plus .55/hour for being bilingual 5. Made 44K last year working anywhere from 20-40+ hours per week (it really varied greatly from week to week) 6. Love the hour flexibility, fully paid benefits, we get a lot of sick hours, vacation time, AND even have "personal time off," 2 annual raises (one through our union and another through the company), double and a half time pay when working holidays (yes, that's DOUBLE AND A HALF), love that I can float from department to department, tuition reimbursement, late night/weekend shifts available which works perfect for me since I am currently in school obtaining my BSN, overtime opportunities (especially during flu season), co-workers are so helpful, and they offer a "new-grad RN program" which really coaches you and helps you transition into the RN world. Kaiser is the greatest company and I could never see myself working for anyone else, enough said. 7. I feel somewhat limited as to what I can and can't do. Kaiser really places a restraint as far as LVN's scope of practice goes, but in ways I can appreciate this because it places us at less of a liability risk. Also, I currently work at a big medical office (with sub-specialities and an Urgent Care) so there is a lot of "back office" work such as messages and picking up the phones so at times I feel as if I am more of a call center operator than a nurse. But still, can't complain too much because I LOVE my job!:heartbeat

Nursing patches were $6 each and ID was $2 if I remember correctly

We don't need books for Monday. I'm waiting until the shipment comes in next week. I'm sure if there's anything we need in class as far as books we'll be able to share or something during this first week.

I was at the bookstore yesterday buying the nursing patches and they said they MIGHT have the books sometime next week. Considering the fact we start class next week I was really annoyed that they still haven't gotten any of the new boxes... Not to mention the fact I've been calling every day since last week and they keep telling me the box should be there in 2 days:banghead:

2 transcripts; one for admissions and 2 for the nx department. I wasn't told a deadline for them but I'd turn them in as soon as possible.