salamandaRN

salamandaRN specializes in Pedi, LTC, Community Health.

salamandaRN's Latest Activity

1. 

   Feeling called to nursing...some questions

   salamandaRN replied to mgra328's topic in Nursing

   You remind me of how I felt when getting my first degree - in Sociology. I was always an English and history girl, too - and terrible at math (which intimidated the heck out of me)! About halfway through college I decided I wanted to be a nurse, and even applied for a program and was accepted, but I was intimidated by the field and not sure if I was making the right decision. So, I finished my Soc degree and worked for a few years. Well, needless to say, I went back to nursing and am now a RN! In many ways it was one of the best decisions I have made. I also didn't really want the nights, weekends, holidays hospital schedule, nor did I want to do Med-Surg. I am working at a homecare agency as a Community Health Nurse and spend half of my time out visiting clients and half at my desk doing mounds of paperwork. I love my job (even though I just started a month ago!) and work M-F 8:30-4:30 with no nights, weekends or holidays. If nursing is truly your calling then follow it - you'll be surprised where it takes you. Good luck!
2. 

   Good idea to take micro and anatomy together?

   salamandaRN replied to dangerkader08's topic in Nursing

   I know you said you made your decision, but I wanted to weigh in, too. I took A&P II, Micro and Pathopysiology together two years ago and it was a rough semester. I basically did nothing but write papers, make flashcards, study said flashcards, eat and sleep. It was all consuming and the hardest semester I had ever had up until that point (nursing school was harder!). BUT, it was doable and I managed to do well. Good luck in whatever decision you made.
3. 

   New Job Offer but bad situation with daycare (advice needed)

   salamandaRN replied to joyfulone84's topic in Nursing

   Just a suggestion, but are there any stay at home moms on bas who can help you out? It sounds like you really only need help two days - I'm sure one of the women on base would be willing to do that. Good luck and congrats!
4. 

   Only 10 more responses needed: 2 Minute Survey

   salamandaRN replied to jtboz's topic in Nursing

   Thanks so much for taking your valuable time to answer my questions! 1. What is your age? 28 2. How long have you been a nurse? 7 months 3. Did you work as a CNA before becoming a nurse? No 4. If yes to #3, how long did you work as a CNA before becoming a nurse? N/A 5. If no to #3, do you wish that you had? Yes 6. Regardless of whether you worked as a CNA prior to becoming a nurse, do you believe working as a CNA prior to nursing better prepares you to be a nurse? Sort of - I think working as a CNA before attending nursing school would have made me more comfortable in the clinical environment and more comfortable with patient interaction. This would have been a real advantage, especially in the beginning of nursing school. Plus, it would have been a lot easier to get a job if I had worked there previously as a CNA! Feel free to elaborate on your response.
5. 

   Short online interview help desired. Please read.

   salamandaRN replied to Mile21's topic in Geriatric

   Reply emailed to you.
6. 

   Best Public Nursing Schools in MA

   salamandaRN replied to kellyx218's topic in Massachusetts

   As another poster said, you can't go wrong with any of the state school programs in Mass for nursing; they are all quite good. But, here's my experience with the schools I attended. I did my BS in another subject at Worcester State and loved going to school there. I was impressed by all of the science courses I had there and heard that their nursing program is good. It's a relatively small school, which I liked, and you get to know the people in your major as well as your professors. I went to Salem State for nursing and loved it. My program was the DEP (for people who already have a Bachelors degree), so not what you're interested in, but a few professors overlap as do the facilities. We had access to a great nursing lab, had great clinical placements and fantastic professors. Also, my programs NCLEX pass rate is 100% - you can't beat that! I recommend either school highly, but you'll have to go check them out yourself to see what feels right to you.
7. 

   Finding a peds job as a new graduate

   salamandaRN replied to MachoNurse's topic in Pediatric

   Maybe consider working in a pediatric doctors office? I'm a new grad in Mass and recently started working part time in a pediatric office. It's a great start, and is easing me into the role of a peds nurse. I'm getting more comfortable with all of the basics and relating to the kids and their parents. A lot of days we're super busy, but I always get to take a lunch break (big perk!) and I love it so far. As I eventually want to pursue my PNP it's ideal for me right now. There really aren't hospital positions around here right now, and I was thrilled to get offered a nursing job in peds!
8. 

   Stressed R/T Needing a job AEB poor economy, lack of RN posistions

   salamandaRN replied to southernbelle4lu's topic in New Nurse

   Hi there. I got my RN in the beginning of September, and just got a job offer a few days ago. I have applied to jobs at every hospital within 50 miles, nursing homes, doctors offices, VNA's, hospice, clinics, etc. I also went to every job fair in my area, and all told have applied to over 200 jobs. I was offered a outpatient psych position back in October that I turned down mostly because it was 60 miles away and I feel the need to concentrate on more traditional bedside nursing for at least my first year of working as a RN. I didn't get another offer until a month and a half later, and it was rough wondering how long it would take before I'd start working. Anyway, the offer I just got and accepted is for a SNF in a sub-acute unit. I first heard of them at a job fair and spoke to the recruiter and staff educator while there. I was impressed with the fact that they seemed to concentrate on educating nursing staff throughout their employment with certification course, and that they offered several weeks of training with a preceptor on the unit (I had heard that in a lot of SNF's they throw you on the unit far too early). I drove to the facility that day to fill out an application and was interviewed by the DON. A week and a half later they called and offered me a job. The money isn't all that great and the hours stink (32 hrs, on 11-7), but it's experience and a paycheck, so I am taking it. I think the important thing in this economy is to adjust your expectations and realize that, as my Nana always used to say, "this too shall pass". Apply to every single place you can think of and take what you can get. I do not really want to work in a SNF but am willing to do so so that I can begin my career and maybe next November (at the magical one-year mark) I will be able to get a job in a hospital that I do want to work in. Hope this helps at all, and I do wish you the best of luck in your search. I know how awful it is out there right now.
9. 

   PASSED!

   salamandaRN replied to nonenino's topic in NCLEX

   Just wanted to jump in and say that I used Kaplan and feel that's what helped me to pass. The book really taught me to take tests better and to think about the questions differently. I highly recommend it!
10. 

    Pearsonvue "Trick". Is this TRUE? Does it Work Every Time?

    salamandaRN replied to brichielpn08's topic in NCLEX

    Hi SusanneCollins13. I live in Massachusetts. My license was posted almost exactly 24 hours from when I tested. The Pearson website actually still has my results as "not available at this time", which is really odd considering the fact that my license has already been posted. I'm thinking that the reason it was posted so quickly probably has a lot to do with the fact that there aren't too many people taking the NCLEX right now (as compared to in May/June or Dec/January).
11. 

    Pearsonvue "Trick". Is this TRUE? Does it Work Every Time?

    salamandaRN replied to brichielpn08's topic in NCLEX

    Hi all! Just wanted to let you know that I took the NCLEX yesterday at 2:00. It shut me off at about 115 questions and I left feeling like I was going to throw up - I was positive I failed it. I had a TON of med question, lots of infection ctrl, and delegation. I came home and did the PVT and got the infamous pop-up screen. That's the only thing that gave me any hope at all that I may have passed. Today I checked the BON's website and did a search for myself and there I was with my RN license! I was still a little nervous as Pearson still didn't have my results available so I actually called and asked them to verify a license by using a social security number, and they verified that I indeed am now an RN! I couldn't be more surprised or happy if I tried. So my vote is that the PVT works! Good luck to everyone! ~Salamanda, RN
12. 

    Moving out, nursing school, & working. HELP

    salamandaRN replied to JustKeepSmiling's topic in General Students

    I have to agree. You do sound responsible, and mature enough to handle moving in with your boyfriend while going to school. It sounds as though you have a pretty good handle on the financial part of things, as well. I would also suggest moving in with him sooner rather than later. It can be quite an adjustment living with a significant other, especially when you have never done so before. There are a lot of issues that create friction, and stress - something you will not want to deal with when you start your nursing classes. As far as living with your boyfriend goes, just make sure that you sit down and have a long talk about it. By this I mean how bills will be divided, who is responsible for what chores, and how much alone time you each need. These are probably the biggest issues that cause problems between couples living together. So, if I were you I would try to move in together as soon as possible and save up as much money as you can for next year. Hope this helps, and good luck!
13. 

    anyone else hating NS right now?

    salamandaRN replied to fiveofpeep's topic in General Students

    I am hating it right now, too. I'm in a DEMSN and just finished 1st semester, with 2nd starting next week. The accelerated pace is crazy, and most of us are wondering how we'll make it another year w/o burning out completely. I am hoping the regular semesters are less stressful than these 6 week summer ones... We just had our first HESI, which counted for 15% of our grade, and 2/3 of our class failed and now have to go through mediation. It sucks. Our required passing score was a 900, and many of us got above the usual 850 most schools require but missed the 900 mark by only a few points. Off to remediation we go....
14. 

    clinical hours

    salamandaRN replied to tiggerdagibit's topic in General Students

    I'm in an accelerated program, and we're about to end our first semester. We had 12 hours a week for six weeks, and will have the same the next half of summer. We have not been told about the number of hours in the fall or spring yet, but I know next summer we have about 250 clinical hours to complete for our externship.
15. 

    How many students did your nursing program accept for your class?

    salamandaRN replied to anna19's topic in Pre-Nursing

    24 students a year for a direct entry MSN. I seriously still can't believe I'm one of the 24 lucky ones!
16. 

    Quarter Life Crisis

    salamandaRN replied to hrabell's topic in General Students

    My husband is 19 years older than me - hence my rush, too. He will already be 47 when we start trying for a baby in 16 months. Everyone in his family starts having kids late, his brother-in-law and eldest sister were 50 and 47 respectively when they had their first (and only) child. So, he's not opposed to waiting a little longer, thank goodness. My MSN program is pretty much all on campus, and the first 15 months are just the same as any other accelerated RN program - classes, clinicals, etc. The MSN portion, involves clinicals and normal graduate level classes, too, but is referred to as non-clinical because you do not become a nurse practitioner, but a nurse educator. During the last year of my program (which is the second year) I will have more flexibility. We are allowed to go part time or full time, and you are allowed to take a semester off if you want to. So if, god forbid, it is a hard pregnancy or something else happens, I will be able to take some time off. I hope I don't need to, but having that flexibility is very comforting. I have weighed the pro's and con's and for us it is the best way to go about things. I am not willing to wait several more years to pursue my dream of going to school for nursing (and having all of my pre req's start to expire), and I also want to have a baby while my husband is able to play with him/her, teach them sports, and just be active. He is in phenomenal shape now and no one believes how old he really is, but eventually he will age and creating a family sooner than later is worth it to me. Sorry for another super long post! I guess it's obvious I have thought a lot about this. :imbar