eliselu2

Did they give you a specific reason why you can't sit for the NCLEX-RN? I did the program here in CO and had no issues. I had to wait for my transcripts to get my ATT; finished Sept.....took the NCLEX in Oct. Did you check w/ the BON to find out if there's a conflict w/ the program in CA?

Any feedback on the med test? I have an interview there for an inpt floor. Any other tips you can give about the interview process? Thank so much -

Interviewed in November for job and was asked how soon I could start, to which I gave a date in December. Was told they'd call back the next week with a date for orientation. Never heard back so I called HR. HR told me "We're still waiting on funding approval for that position." Basically, I was being interviewed for a job that hadn't actually been approved. They finally called me in January to make the job offer and acted like it was no big deal that they'd taken so long. I went to 2 days of orientation and decided that it was not a place where I truly wanted to be for many red flag reasons.

I live 5 minutes south of Buckely. My kids went to Rangeview HS, Columbia MS and Vassar Elem - all part of Aurora schools. We live in a nice neighborhood and it is culturally diverse. Aurora, as with any city, has it's good and bad areas. If you drive another 10 minutes south, that starts Cherry Creek schools. While it is a larger district and is well known for their academics, sports, etc., they are facing big budget cuts. Centennial is south of the base - 10-15 minutes. Just be aware that not all school districts fund each school equally, meaning, even though it's in a particular district, the same resources are not available at all schools and the test scores may reflect that. There are good schools in Aurora ISD so dont' mark it off of your list. Good luck with your move and getting the family settled!

It is absolutely normal to feel how you did. I believe it's as much an honor and privilege to be with a person at their time of death as it is to be with someone during a birth. Crying shows that you are a human and care about the person who you have been providing care for. As a family member, I'd rather see my nurse cry than be stoic. Hugs for you.

A small notepad or a few sheets of folded plain paper - something that will fit in your pocket. I use it for writing down report, labs, dx, hx, meds, questions that I had or wanted to look up later, door codes., etc. Oh, and a tape measure might be nice to keep handy. Working on a medical floor, it always seemed like I had at least one pt that need something measured daily. I didn't always have it in my pocket, but it was in my locker. I also have a small magnifier card for those hard to read labels on tiny little vials. They are about the size of a business cad and you can get them at most bookstores for a couple of dollars. Congrats and best wishes for your new job!

I definitely pick the 3-12's. I did 3-12s, nights, and then switched to a clinic position that was M-F 8-5. I was bored to tears, felt like I was losing my nursing skills, it was monotonous, and hated not having time off during the week to get errands done and make appts. Not only that, I hated the office politics; there was no where to go to hide when the sparks started to fly. In the hospital setting, there's not much time to get caught up in the drama and when it starts, you can always spend extra time w/ your patients. My dream job.... not sure yet!

I was fortunate to be a LPN for 3 years on a hospital medical floor prior to becoming an RN. I know what you mean about not being challenged. Although my goal was to become an RN on that same floor, because I love the nurses I worked with, I also wondered if I would be missing out on more learning opportunities. With regard to acute care, if that's what you utimately want to do then don't give up applying. I submitted over 300 apps before getting any interview offers and ultimately had 3 job offers. You're right about the automatic rejection emails. I swore my name had a preassigned "decline" button attached to it. Have you looked into LTAC's? They are a transition between inpt acute care and a SNF or LTC; just something to consider. There are 2 questions that were posed in each interview I had - "Why should I hire you?" and "If hired, what would you bring to our team?" Take the experience you have as an LPN, vents, trachs, etc and try to use it to your advantage. Apply for the job that you want and use those questions to write a cover letter. Tell them what job you want and why you think you'd be a good fit. Most of all, don't give up.

Did you actually get paid the $ and cash the check? If not, I'd say no. You didn't start working for them, there was no exchange of $ so what's to pay back? Outside of the interview time, HR screening, and final offer, they didn't make a financial investment with you that would have started with your 1st day of residency program. You need to read the contract and talk w/ HR.

To that list of meds, you can add: Protonix Levothyroxine Vancomycin Rocephin Bactrim Levaquin Solumedrol Reglan Zofran narcotics - especially Dilaudid, Morphine and Fentanyl Hope that helps -

I can say that it appeared the facility I worked at hired more younger nurses than "mature" nurses but it I'm not sure that it was anything more than just the ages of people who applied for the jobs. The ages of the new grads ranged from early 20's to mid-40's. As a "mature" new grad, I've had offers from more facilities out of state than in state. I don't take it as an age thing but believe that it's the number of new grad positions just arent' out there for any of us. When doing interviews, I have been able to discuss how I found myself in the helper/doer roles in my past careers, while raising my children and learning teamwork and communication skills while volunteering, and talking about how I was committed to, and ultimately achieved, my goal of a BSN. Ironically, two job offers came from mgrs, who like myself, were late starters in the nursing world.

I did UOP but it was all classroom for 26 months. Team projects are just the way it is and each class had participation points that could make/break your grade. I've also done online classes for my prereqs and found the required postings a struggle at times. While the team projects make you crazy, there are valuable lessons learned from doing them - teamwork, flexibility, communication, active listening, and always have a back-up plan. I can honestly say that I did not adore everyone on every team that I was part of and I'm sure the feeling was mutual. We did, however, learn to get the job done even when our schedules totally conflicted. There were times when classroom participation was a struggle, especially when I was exhausted or couldn't think of anything to say or ask. When I did online classes, it was the same - what do you say when you really don't care or get what the posting is supposed to be about, or it's late and you just want to go to bed. There's only so much interaction you can expect from online classes and self-discipline and self-teaching is key. Perhaps you would do better in a classroom setting.

The facility I work at requires you to be on the floor w/in 1 hr of being called. Depending on the time of day, it can take at least 30-45 mins to get there. I make sure that the person who is calling me in is aware of the timeframe. I'm on the opposite side of town from the hospital and must be realistic when saying "I'll be there asap." If the weather is crummy, or there is major construction zones (that's what happened this past Summer), saying I'll be there in 30 minutes isn't realistic. Most of the time, the off-going nurse left report for me or if the charge nurse watched my patients until I got there.

LPNs are not used in hospitals r/t scope of practice (can't do 1st assessment, no IV, no delegation, etc.) Kaiser hires hundreds of LPNs although the application and interview process is lenghty. They do pay well and have good benefits, if you are okay w/ a union environment. Otherwise, I wouldn't move here unless you have a job offer in hand. I am one of those new grad RNs who will be moving out of state for a new grad program. I have 5+ years of healthcare experience (CNA/LPN) and still can't find a job as a new grad RN. The facility I worked at had a miniscule new grad class (6 total) and if you didnt' do a sr practicum there or have the CNS as your instructor, you didn't get hired as a new grad... seriously none, of the new grads were employees. (Totally frustrating!) I know nurses who have been out of a school for almost a year and have yet to get a nibble here in CO. That being said, I'm headed out of state as well for a year or so but the family is staying here. Good Luck! :-)

I did the Univ of Phoenix LPN-BSN program and contrary to popular belief, it's not an online program and I earned my degree. Classroom every week for 26 months, more papers and presentations than I can count, quizzes and HESI tests, and clinical hours wearing scrubs that made me crazy, intermittent crying and freaking out, not enough sleep and no time for my family/friends... just like a "traditional" program. As with my LPN year, I worked full time through the whole program. I studied my tail off for the NCLEX.. 75 questions in 90 minutes and passed the first time. The nurses who I've worked with for the past few years don't consider me a lesser nurse because of the program I went through. To them, I'm a nurse who was limited by scope but I'm their resource on the floor. When doing interviews for new grad positions, I've had to do some education about the nursing program I completed but I think it was helpful for those soon to graduate. Hold your head high and know that you are a nurse!:)