Dalla

So, I want to buy a house in a different town, but in order to close on the mortgage, I have to have a job in the new location. I drove there today with my resume and a plan to stop at every place I could think of and shake hands with anyone in HR and leave them my resume. First place I stop at is a rehab/LTC facility (this is what my experience has been in as a floor nurse). I meet the DON and the Administrator. They ask me if I want to remain a floor nurse or am I interested in other areas. Of course, I was open to any position they needed filled - how can I help you? They need a MDS coordinator for the LTC unit. I admit, I didn't even know what MDS stands for or what they really do. I am quickly finding out! The interview and tour went well, I think. They are willing to train. I would love to do something other than insert suppositories and give pain pills! And honestly, I am almost 50 years old and my knees are killing me after an 8 hour shift on the floor. Ibuprofen has been a good friend. The idea of a job that is mostly at a desk and attending meetings is really appealing. Only about a mile from the house I want to buy. And here I thought that careplans I learned about in nursing school were so out of date and I'd never have to do them! But they do look a bit different now! I will be reading all of these old posts over the next few days in order to learn more of what I may be getting into. Any help from everyone would be greatly appreciated! Cheat sheets, tips and tricks, daily chore lists, etc. We didn't really talk about money. Just hours, schedules, call schedule, etc. I just hope the hourly pay (not salary at this place) is what I need to close on my mortgage! Anyone willing to share what they make to give me an idea what to expect? I know that it varies by area, but doesn't it pay more than a floor nurse in LTC?

My first job as a new grad was in SNF rehab/LTC. I got about 5 days orientation with a seasoned LPN and then was a PM nurse for about 8-10 patients with 2 aides. My current job at another SNF rehab facility gave me 3 weeks orientation, which was used mostly to learn the facility/computer/paperwork part. Very little patient care or assessments during that time, but it was the NOC shift, and another nurse tech, LPN, or RN did the medications (mostly pain pills!)

It has been my experience that most rehab facilities do run on 8 hour shifts. AM is 6-2:30, PM is 2-10:30, and NOC is 10:00-6:30. I am sure that some facilities have differing shifts, so it will be necessary for you to check with your local ones before making this decision.

I know this thread is a bit old, but I wanted to chime in on my last experience with an Admissions nurse. The floor nurses never saw her. She went to the hospitals and found the patients to be admitted. I am sure she did some paperwork in getting them into the facility and perhaps with Medicare/Medicaid, but a really big gripe of the floor nurses was that she never did the "admission" onto the floor. Everything from welcoming the patient, to processing the orders, verifying the orders with the MD, ordering meds from pharmacy, filling out all the papers concerning ADLs/skin check/diet preferences/etc. When a PM floor nurse has to care for all the other patients, pass meds twice, do treatments, process pharmacy deliveries, process new orders, deal with suddenly acute patients, . . . , doing all the admission on one or two new patients is extremely time consuming.

Totally agree with last poster. Nurses in rehab don't get to do those "fun" sort of things. They are too busy passing pain pills, changing dressings, suctioning, changing colostomies, helping patients on/off the potty because the CNAs are swamped.

Like the OP, I graduated from nursing school in 2008. But not until December. I passed NCLEX in February 2009. I could not find a job in the hospitals. At that time, they were not even hiring experienced nurses. I had to do time in subacute rehab and long-term care. Not at all the type of nursing that I wanted to do. I eventually finished my BSN and am now working on my MSN. I hope to find a job after I graduate from that program, or I will be more than $100,000 in debt and working at Starbucks.

Exactly.

I would rather not say what state I live in. Let's just say that I live in a rural area - one CNM in the town I live, with a handful of CNMs 2-3 hours away in 3 of 4 directions. But it seems that Frontier students are everywhere! But I did tell GU that I would be willing to move to the DC/Baltimore area for clinicals - was told that that area was saturated with "local/campus" placements. That seems to be the case with metro areas, especially if they have universities with nursing programs.

Sep 4 by Dalla "For all those considering applying to Georgetown, go for it! You never know until you try. I am currently a Georgetown student. When I applied, my GPA was 3.459. I never worked in L&D. I only worked for 1.5 years in rehab and LTC. I shadowed a CNM for a few days and got a recommendation from her. I also got a recommendation from a clinical preceptor from my bachelors program. I dreaded the video, but got through it. I had my ex-mother-in-law (English degree) proofread my statement of purpose. Yes, it is very expensive. Yes, it is not easy. Yes, clinical preceptors are supposed to be found by the school, but it is not easy and they may ask you for help. And if they fail, you have to temporarily be put on hold and take a term off while they continue to find a clinical site for you. You may need to move, or drive several hours each way. While you are waiting to see if you are accepted into the program, your admissions counselor is wonderful. And once you get in, the student support team is even better. And with a lot of hard work, you'll get through.'" Again, what I said earlier still applies, but I admit I am frustrated and scared. If I had to do it over again, would I? Probably not. My house has been up for sale for two weeks now, and I just accepted an offer today. It looks like I will be moving in order to find a clinical placement. Now, Georgetown just needs to tell me where to move to. I do have a few leads, but nothing solid yet. Am still terrified that I will have to take a leave of absence from school until March, and yet find a new place to live in a month. Many of my classmates are in the same boat. Nothing for sure lined up yet for clinicals/term that starts next month. We are all sweating bullets and worried. One classmate already had to sit out a 4-month term and may have to sit one out again. The general consensus is, if Georgetown can't have clinical sites lined up in advance, they should stop accepting students into their program. I am about $50,000 in student loan debt and not sure if/when I will be able to finish. Starting to wish I had just moved to a school with a campus program - they always get the preference for clinical preceptors, over an online program. Be warned!

For all those considering applying to Georgetown, go for it! You never know until you try. I am currently a Georgetown student. When I applied, my GPA was 3.459. I never worked in L&D. I only worked for 1.5 years in rehab and LTC. I shadowed a CNM for a few days and got a recommendation from her. I also got a recommendation from a clinical preceptor from my bachelors program. I dreaded the video, but got through it. I had my ex-mother-in-law (English degree) proofread my statement of purpose. Yes, it is very expensive. Yes, it is not easy. Yes, clinical preceptors are supposed to be found by the school, but it is not easy and they may ask you for help. And if they fail, you have to temporarily be put on hold and take a term off while they continue to find a clinical site for you. You may need to move, or drive several hours each way. While you are waiting to see if you are accepted into the program, your admissions counselor is wonderful. And once you get in, the student support team is even better. And with a lot of hard work, you'll get through it!

Check with your school to make sure what requirements there are for your preceptor. Mine requires so many deliveries in a year. Home birth CNMS may not attend enough to qualify.

I am currently a NP student. I was surprised when given a tour of my clinical site, I was shown the Physician's Lounge and told that I could use it whenever I had spare time and to help myself to coffee, snacks, sodas, etc. free of charge. I know that "nurses" are not invited in there and introduced to the doctors.

With a student loan that I will be paying for the rest of my life! I am expecting about $130,000 total, with my BSN. Hopefully, I will get one of those under-served area jobs where they pay a portion of it off for you!

There are 6 schools that have midwifery online, some with campus visits required. 1. East Caroline University - approximately $39,600 for the 2 year program - ranked #26 2. Frontier Nursing University - $29,700 - 2 years - ranked #13 3. Georgetown University - $79,000 - 18 months - ranked #19 - 3 visits required 4. Philadelphia University - $45,694 - 2 years - ranked #29 5. Stony Brook University - $34,290 - 2 years - ranked #24 6. Univ. of Cincinnati - $41,289 - 2 years - ranked #35 This list will significantly lower your search. Check out each of them and see what their requirements are, if they require a BSN already, or have RN - CNM programs. Some will require L&D experience, others just general nursing experience. I am just starting at Georgetown this week, so can't really comment on it too much yet. Good luck in deciding!

On the one hand, you may be in "school mode" and best to keep on chugging through it all. But, are you really sure you want to be a NP? If you haven't had any time as a nurse, you may not be really certain about what area you want to go into. And finally, I am starting a grad program next week. I believe it was a requirement to get accepted that you have at least one year of experience as an RN. Maybe most/all schools require this?

Georgetown says they only accept about 35% of those who apply. I did not have L&D experience - just a final clinical for my BSN for about 8 weeks on L&D. Not sure what my references said about me. And only 1.5 years nursing experience in rehab and LTC. I think that my essay was pretty solid. The admissions counselor seemed to really like what I had submitted. I have attended a slew of schools in the past (BA in business management and BSN), but none were prestigious. My video was okay, I think, but nothing special. Got in by the grace of God, maybe? This was why I became a nurse in the first place. NEVER wanted to work LTC or even ICU or surgery. Only wanted to be a midwife. So thankful I am getting my chance after so many years (I am turning 45 soon!).

Personally, I love the white dresses and white caps. Even been known to wear the white pantyhose. And of course, shoes not sneakers. Everyone knows you're a nurse and don't confuse you with housekeeping, kitchen staff, CNAs and everyone else in scrubs. Heck, I even own a royal blue wool cape to wear in the wintertime, rather than a coat. Just call me Florance. . .

Agree with previous post. Even to practice as a CNA, you must be certified in your state after passing a written and a skills test. To work as a LPN you must pass a test -the NCLEX, but for LPN instead of RNs. Does not matter what type of college degree you have.

Hopefully, it will continue with Obama, or whoever else goes in, and we won't have to jump through too many hoops that are nearly impossible!

I am hoping for NHSC! I really don't care where I have to go - I can hold my breath for 5 years to pay off student loans - I hope my children will think the same thing, though they may be of age before I get to that point!

I just quit an agency job because I could not deal with it. Yeah, the pay of $35 an hour was great ($10 more than a regular LTC care in my area), but after 10.5 hours with no break at all (I know it is the law, and of course, the agency totally offers it, I did not feel like I could take one!), giving morphine doses to a HOSPICE patient with tons of family in the room, having LTC residents say they should have been in bed 2 hours ago instead of waiting for their HS pills, and having to process a new admit (really? couldn't someone else have asked him the same questions? Does it have to be an RN? Some of it, yes, but not everything!) - I wasn't willing to risk my nursing license and my future nursing goals for working a temporary, part-time agency job in LTC. I am on my way to being a midwife (what I have always wanted!) and am not going to lose the opportunity to a stupid med error in LTC. But, while I was there, what I really wanted to know was how their took their meds (whole, with sauce, crushed in sauce, etc.), who needs accu checks before dinner and insulin, and what strange personality quirks to look out for (i.e.: who want their HS meds by 7pm, who gets a cocktail each evening and how to prepare it, and who will refuse everything no matter what I try?). Good luck to you. I think LTC, and especially agency work, is harder than ICU and hospital units!

Oh Lord, just got a look at my bill for this first term. I pray that financial aid is in my future! And then a way to pay off the student loan!

From my brief time spent with a CNM, she does a homebirth business in the suburbs of a large metro area, has office visits in her home about 3-4 days a week, maybe a home visit each week where she makes sure the home is safe and the supplies are ready, a homebirth each week (if all goes to schedule), and a couple of postpartum visits each week. Last year, she cleared about $100,000 after expenses (she has several part-time employees). This is what I am aiming for after clearing off my student loan debt and gaining about 5 years experience.

Just decided to quite my job at the agency yesterday. Had worked a 10.5 hour PM shift the night before with no break at all. Had a new admit and a HOSPICE patient with lots of family (and a dog) waiting for it to end. Was scared to death I would do something stupid, or more likely, forget to do something important, and risk my license. Just found out a few hours ago that I was accepted into the masters midwife program that I had applied to. Prayers are answered. Just wish I could win the lottery (even a small one!) so I could pay off some bills!

Thank you! You will be in my thoughts and prayers the next few week also. I was a Navy wife for 15 years and used to have a APO address. Is your "APO525" something significant?