Piglet68

I start a one year long perioperative program at Reading Hospital tomorrow. I graduated from school last December (2011) and worked LTC for six months before I got the position at Reading. Keep looking.

I am getting excited. I am starting a one year long peri-operative training program at a level 2 trauma center on Sept. 10th. The first 10 weeks are classroom with lab. It's a class of 10 students and we will rotate through all of the specialities over the next year. At the end of the year we pick which we want to do. After working the first six months out of nursing school on third shift in a rehab center it will be nice to have one patient at a time instead of 24 patients to one nurse. I could not be more excited! Hopefully things will go well. I just can't believe I got this opportunity and have no intention of blowing it.

My family lived in Athens for a number of years....you should think about Northeast Georgia Health system in Gainesville it is not very far. Just out Rt. 129 and they have made that road dual lane so it's much faster now. It's not terribly far into Lawrenceville (Gwinnett Medical Center) via Rt.316.

I had twenty years in my prior field as an injury claim adjuster/manager/nationwide trainer...you name it I did it and I made really good money. Didn't work nights or weekends or Holidays. I hated it. Now I am a nurse. Went back to nursing school part time while working full time at the age of 39. I am 43 now and an OR nurse....there will be times that you think you have made the biggest mistake of your life.....My first job out of nursing school was longterm care 3rd shift. It is not for the weak. You will need to put time in and you should expect to feel like a novice and low man in the pecking order for a long time.....if these are not appealing then nursing school is not for you...if they are then you'll be fine.

What type of nursing experience do you have? My husband and I plan to move back in a year and I am hoping to be able to find a job then. I am an OR nurse.

Agree it has been probably the most humbling experience I have ever had....very good point.

Intense....its the best way to describe it....no make that emotional....no make that amazing....than again a little scary....than again a lot of work. It's actually all of these things and more. I have a four year degree and went back to nursing school part time till clinicals started, just this past September. I was so use to being an expert in my field of work for the past 17 years. The first semester was most CNA type of work...geriatrics and rehab facilities. There was a lot of complete care and changing bed linens as well as taking vitals and med administration. The first semester was not mentally challenging with regards to the test but was with getting use to being in a medical facility for clinical. Switching it up second semester was unbelievable difficult with regards to the test but amazing clinical experiences. I had labor and delivery, medical-surgical and pediatrics. I have grown much more comfortable in the clinical setting but the tests taking really challenged me and my ego (not an expert in this field at all). I questioned why I was doing this to myself a lot this semester after every test and than I would go to clinical and come home and tell my husband..."This is exactly why I have returned to school for an RN". I have two semesters left (hopefully) I will graduate in December. It is no joke how difficult it is. Many of my classmates did not make it through this last semester. It is known as the toughest of the four clinical semester for my schools nursing program. It is often the make or break you semester. Classmates can be challenging....instructors are definitely challenging...and you may even find yourself to be your own worst enemy. However, when I am at that clinical site and I am helping my patients get better...feel more comfortable...or just listening to their concerns I know I have choosen the right field for me. Good luck and congrats!

I don't want to fail by any means. I have a prior 4 year degree....a B.A. and lots of business experience. I gave up a job making more money than I will as an R.N. because I want it.....I want it bad. The test are no joke. They are difficult and I am trying hard to change how I think. It really is about re-training how you take test and how you think. I will walk away knowing that the nurses that take care of me in the future are brillant....no doubt!

It is definitely a different way of thinking. I have a good friend who is a CNA and has been for 12 years and is truly struggling with the test but is amazing in clinical

Its applied....so no like A&P which is memory based. Honestly I am struggling this second semester of clincials but now that I am at the final and had clinical experience I "GET IT" more than in the beginning of the semester. Hoping to pass this second semester.....it is not for the meek.

You may want to consider Grandview which is in Buck's county....a little south of Allentown. Small community hospital but awesome! They have L&D as well as Peds.

You should look at Lehigh Valley Medical Center as they are a level 1 trauma center located in Allentown which is about 20 minutes from Quakertown. The plus is no city wage tax like Philly and much...much...much closer.

Do you know anyone in claims? My background is claims before nursing and we used nurse reviewers all the time. Its a really nice way to make some extra money. You do not need to travel. The files should come to you electronically. My suggestion would be to contact any local claims operations in the area and see if they are looking for a reviewer....also do not discount attorneys. They are always looking for a less expensive way to get a review. Doctors are very expensive. Do you have an LLC set up? Do you have letter head you can send out?

The "Group Dynamics Stuff" is part of nursing school. Its not enough just to do well on your exams......you need to do well in the group setting too. When you are working in the acute care setting with a team of doctors and nurses you will need to know how to function within the group....hence the reason for the group dynamics. Not sure about your school but mine requires group projects just about every semester. This semesters is a teaching learning group project. Part of the grade is how we work as a group. We have to grade each other as participants and others will grade us as a group on our presentation. Isolation will not work in my school and it will not work in the healthcare setting.

Anything that isn't nailed down. I am stress eater. Clearly working up to a test I bing....I'd like to say I was so stressed I forgot to eat but that is not my MO. So far I have gained weight. I attempted to give up caffeine but that lasted only four weeks till I had to get up at 4am for clinical.....right back to full strength.

My school only allows solid bands. I have a solid gold wedding band and I do wear it. I do not wear my engagement rink which is a three stone setting. Even if my school allowed it I would not wear it because of the chance that it may pierce the gloves resulting in exposure to all kinds of pathogens.

My school does not offer a preceptorship either. We have a very similar situation in that we spend a lot more time in different specialities. The lack of a preceptorship is difficult but as TIWRN explained above, does not mean you won't get a job. Look for nurse externships during school at local hospitals. That can give you the same exposure a preceptorship would have given you. Thanks TIWRN for the wording above. Really good way to look at the nursing school experience.

Nursing school can bring out the best in people and the worst in people. It's very stressful. It was nice of you to help when asked. Putting yourself out there is what we do as nurses. Think of it as a way of practicing your teaching skills. Nurses spend a lot of time with patient teaching and this is not unlike that. Although it would have been nice for them to say thank you, not everyone is going to do that....including the patients and families that you teach. Some people may need the help but see it as a sign of weakness and don't want to be reminded that they needed help to do better in class. Chalk it up as a practice session for you in your teaching skills and don't shut down. As a nurse we can't afford to shut ourselves off from those we help and for those we work with.

I am in my second semester of clinicals with two more to go to graduate in December. I have only found two helpful instructors. The rest are very condescending to students, to other nurses and to each other. I ask myself all the time if I want to be associated with a profession that seems to be hell bent on bring each other down. Its so cut throat among the students as well. If this is what the nursing field is all about I think I may have made a big mistake.

It is a self-help group for alcoholics.

I am taking a medical terminology class online to keep me busy. I am just anxious to know.....all the hard work that went into the pre-reqs for the past two years....I am just hoping it pays off

I think the moral of the stories is....watch what you do cause it could come back to bite you. By no means am I saying give up your dream, your career etc.....just go in with eyes wide open that it may cost you a friend....especially if like SC RNDude said, you didn't know about it till she told you. My friend didn't know about it till I told her and I got squeezed out of the job. It was very painful. Even worse she quite the job not longer after taking the position. Watch what is motivating you......is it to beat her out or is it to move forward with your career.

After two years of pre-reqs I have finally petitioned for clinicals.....and now the real waiting begins. We will be notified by July1st if we got in for fall clinicals. Anyone else waiting and how are you doing with the stress? Jen

nursing school is very competitive. if you get offered the spot you should take it. however, you need to be realistic in that your friend may not be happy or supportive of you initially. you also need to think about how you will fee and behave should she be the one that receives the spot and not you. will you be happy and supportive? i am not saying that over time this will not pass cause it will. i had an experience 14 years ago with my best friend. i posted for a job that she had not considered until she found out that i had and my reason for doing so. our company was going through a reorganization and to guarantee myself a spot in the new organization i posted for a job. when i told her this she posted for the job for the same reasons. we both were new mothers and wanted to be able to provide for our families. she got the job and i didn't. to say that things were strained would be an understatement. however, in time and not a lot of time we were able to move past this issue....today we are still best friends. i started back to nursing school part time in may 2008 and she also started back to nursing school in may 2009. i would be lying if i did not say that i was glad that we would not be going for the same spot in clinicals. i am ahead of her by almost a year and for that i am thankful. just being realistic....there will be hurt feelings and their will be pain....you just don't know whether it will be her feelings or yours.

Tomorrow is my final for Micro. 6 week condensed class. I have really enjoyed it though as we do real stuff in lab. As of today I only need a 57 on the final to get a B but I really want an A. I worried about this class too but I think in the end it was just so interesting that I got into quickly. Good luck