gitanagirl

Thank you all for the time you took to reply. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do yet, but you've got me thinking!

Hello friends, I'm hoping someone can offer me some advice/encouragement. I am a new nurse, I've been at my current (first) nursing job for almost a year and a half now and I'm tired of it. I work in a very stressful NICU and I've given it my best shot. I just don't like going to work. I find myself looking forward to my sick days. I have so much anxiety related to my job and I feel that it's a generally negative environment. Not because I don't have support, but because I don't like being there. I don't like critical care. I like working with the babies, but the parents are too much to handle. The technical stuff is too much to handle. So, I know this is not the area of nursing for me. I would like to use my degree for something else, but I'm not sure what. Should I stay until I reach 1 1/2 years? Or should I try to stick it out to make it to 2 years? I've thought about psych and CD. I love working with developmentally disabled kiddos too.I just don't want to deal with vents, lines, IVs and all that other critical care stuff. What are my other options?

Hey guys I feel for you! I graduated around a year and a half ago and also wanted to move to the bay area to work. I fortunately got a job offer before I graduated, but the competition was fierce. I remember I heard there were over 100 applicants for a 4 spots. On my unit there are some new grads starting soon, but the competition was even tougher this year! I had a backup plan to apply to a couple of hospitals in central California (where I knew I could get a job with much more ease) and then transfer with a year experience. I know it's not the best alternative, but if you have to start making money right away (like I did), then it's an option to consider. I wish you all the best of luck!!!

Keep your head up! Surely there must be a solution for this. Maybe you can finish the theory part and then finish the clinical part at a later date. Or maybe you can finish it in the lab? Or maybe on another floor where they will allow you to have a cast? I'm so sorry that you are hurt Keep us updated.

I hope it goes well for you! I also am very interested in going into psych. I have over a year of hospital experience (although it is pediatric critical care). Like SMC9, I am based in California. How do you get started in psych? I too, would love to do 12's or 16's. Please keep us updated on how you like it!

Frankly I don't know why everybody gets all worked up over the prices in SF. I guess it all depends on where you're coming from and and how you are comfortable living, if you're single, etc.. Yes, it is expensive to live here - so, don't buy a house here. But to me, rent is perfectly reasonable for the amount of money you make. Don't let people scare you away if it's where you want to be. I moved to SF over a year ago as a new grad. I make around $4500 (take home/net) a month. I live in a studio which I pay just under $1000 for. The studio is nice inside, though it is not big. Although my neighborhood is not glamorous, I have always felt safe there and it is close to everything! My friend, who lives in a NICE neighborhood in a very nice large studio pays $1500 a month. However, I'm sure she makes at least $500/month more than me. I don't own a car, and I find the MUNI to be VERY accessible. I can get around easily anywhere I want to within San Francisco. If you need a car from time to time there are many great services available like: citycarshare, zipcar, and flexcar. Look into it!