Kookubear

Actually, the title RN refers to registered nurse. You do not graduate in registered nursing. You graduate either with a BSN, an ADN or with a diploma in nursing and then have to take your boards. Only once you successfully pass the NCLEX are you an RN. Except at the VA, all new grads are hired in hospitals at Staff I positions, regardless of degree and do the same work, therefore earn the same pay. It is when you want to go into management that the degree becomes more important. And charge nurse is not managment. Nursing manager or administration is. And most of those are going to require or at least prefer MSN prepared nurses. And you can go into an MSN, depending on the program, with either an ADN or BSN. The ADN to MSN will just usually take a little longer. If you want to go in community or HH, you need a BSN at this point. Yes, there are HH with 2yr, but they have experience and will be grandfathered in. New grads need BSNs for that. What hospitals hire is the best candidate for the job. Now if you have two people who have the same skill set, interview well and are a good fit, the BSN will usually get the job simply because it is a higher degree. But obviously if someone with an ADN is a better fit for the unit than the BSN, the ADN will get the job. However, the future of nursing is changing. Many nurse practioner programs are starting to change it from a masters level to a DNP level. And I have been told by nurse managers (who do the hiring) at 2 difference hospitals, that the shift has already started towards solely BSN trained staff, although again, existing ADNs will be grandfathered in.

Magnolia, as 2bnursestef said, there really are not that many open. There may be a list, but when you start looking at it closely, you will they are mostly part-time, CRNP, NNP, tech and secretarial or are Staff II or III which require 2-5yrs experience. Also, when you think that in May there will be over 100 new BSNs from UAB alone, plus UA, Auburn, JVS and a whole bunch of 2yr programs...

I know there are slim pickings for new grads in Birmingham right now. With Carraway closing, there was a sudden influx of nurses and with the economy, the hospitals are trying to wait and see...

Out of curiosity, why do you have to provide your job with a copy of your car insurance?

You need an overall 2.75 to be considered, but obviously everyone has that who applies. Beyond that, the only grades that matter are for your foundation classes (anatomy, phys, stats, chem, nutrition, mcbio, math). The cut off for the semester before last admitted (so Fa 07) was about 3.2. However, they strongly advise that you don't have more than 1 repeated course. Unlike all the community colleges, grades aren't going to get you in automtically or exclude you unless they're really low. (Prob not going to get in below 3.0) They want experience in the health care setting and the essay is important. They really want to know WHY you want to be a nurse and not just "cuz I wanna help people!" Most people I've talked to in my class had 3.3-3.5 GPA. I had a 3.19 and got in, but I also have 5 yrs working fulltime in healthcare, a previous degree and wrote a really great essay. (Not bragging, I was just really proud if it!)

Hey I'm a Hodgkin's survivor, too! That's one of the main reasons I decided to go back to school to become a nurse. Since I already have a few degrees, I realized that once I did my pre-reqs the accelerated BSN was 5 semesters-same as ADN. And as other posters have said, a lot of schools are now starting direct-to-MSN for people with previous degrees. Of course the one at my school started AFTER I started the BSN... Definitely look into those! Good luck! (oh, and I think what the other poster meant about "You had a funny sentence in your last quote 'I like coding' ROTFL...when you are a nurse you will see that in a whole 'nother light " is that "coding" for nurses refers to a patient going into cardiac arrest-- not usually what nurses like! )

Ok, so I'm sure everyone is sick of pay questions but I am confused. Let's say you're a new grad at UAB working 7a-7p shift with one weekend night every other week. I know base rate is 19.85. And then there is something like 15% for evening and 20% for nights. So does that mean from 7a-3p you would make about 19.85 and from 3p-7p you would make 22.82? And then if there is a weekend shift diff would you make base+evening+weekend from 3-7p? And if you're working 3 12 hours (36) does OT start at 36 hrs or do you still have to work more than 40 for OT? And then (sorry) if you work OT, do you get your base rate time and a half or would you get base+shift diffs then time and a half? Hope that makes sense! Also, what is mandated OT? You have to work more than your shift? You still get paid overtime pay right? I mean, at least time and a half? Thanks!

As a member, you also can go to the NSNA conventions held yearly. (Members holding office go for free as do a lottery-selected group of others at my school). These are not only a lot of fun, but you can network and build up contacts. There are reps from all sorts of areas of nursing. They have seminars on nursing issues and an 8-hr NCLEX review. The SNA, like many school organizations, is also good experience for future involvement in professional organizations. As they keep drilling into us in class, nurses are the most numerous group in healthcare. If we want positive changes, we need to organize and support groups like the ANA who are trying to improve the nursing field. It's also good leadership experience and beyond bakesales, there are service projects you can do such as organizing groups for things like Race for the Cure, Relay for Life; getting people to donate supplies to send to nurses/medical facilities in war-torn areas, volunteering...

I find it interesting in a reply about not stereotyping, you automatically assume the "racist" patients were white...

I'm so sorry your day was horrible. I have a question though. Do you get paid overtime (time and a half or double) for that extra shift? I'm still trying to understand the ridiculously complicated nursing pay.

It's not just the equipment. When rolling patients or taking vitals they frequently come into contact with your own clothing. Obviously you're supposed to be wearing a gown in contact-precautions, but even with regular patients, whatever they have could be on you and when yuo go to the next room...but I don't suppose it's practical to shower and change uniforms between rooms... It also occured to me after my first time with a patient with MRSA; I was so careful to drop my uniform in the washer with bleach and jump in the shower right when I came home. It didn't occur to me til several days later that I wore my coat home over my uniform...sat in my car.... Now the chances of any virus surviving long without a host are slim but it does make you stop and think...

As of 3/08, for new RNs, Baptist Hospital System (around the B'ham area) start at $19.45 and UAB starts at $19.85. Both with $3-4 for shift diff. COL might be the same as AZ and ATL for people living in apartments (as some posters have said) but if you buy a house, they are MUCH more expensive. Around Bham (not downtown or in Hoover/Mnt Brook, obviously) you can find a fairly nice 3/2 in a good neighborhood for 160-170K. The same around ATL will be twice that unless you want an hour commute. And in Phoenix at LEAST twice that. Plus Alabama property taxes are about as cheap as possible. (Funny aside: when we were first looking at houses here, I got worried seeing the $345 property tax. "I can't afford another 345 on top of my mortgage payment every month!" The real estate agent looked at me strangely and said, "That's per YEAR." Coming from a small central Illinois city where property taxes on the same size house/neighborhood topped $3000.... I mean come on!)