CleveRN2008

Thanks to everyone who posted a response to my original thread about the commonality of missing breaks as an RN. Quite honestly, I am disgusted at how it seems the profession of nursing is being treated out there in the real world. Almost every single person who responded to my thread expressed similar situations in finding it difficult to get breaks during 8 and 12 hour shifts. Personally speaking, I find that unacceptable. It makes sense that there would be occasional situations in which lunch was not possible due to work load or patient care situations. However, that should be the exception and certainly not the norm. I understand that we are in an economy that is experiencing a major recession and yes, I need to keep my job as well. However, I still think there is a right and wrong here and it seems obviously wrong to me that RNs should work under such conditions. I was struck by the comments made from those RNs who are unionized. It seems that this kind of treatment would be less tolerable in those type of environments. Interesting thought. Anyways, thanks to everyone who responded. I appreciate hearing the stories and knowing that it is not just where I work....it is more prevalent than that!

RNperdiem, I agree with you about unit culture. That is what it boils down to. I am happy and glad to hear that there are nursing units out there in which nurses are properly afforded breaks. My plan at this time is to work on my current unit for the one year required period of time and then bid on other RN positions throughout the hospital. However, this time, I will make sure that I understand the culture of the unit before joining it. Thank you for your response...I appreciate it!

Thanks for your thoughts, guys. Yeah, I definitely believe that this is a HUGE HUGE problem since the majority of my floor has to skip lunches due to patient volume and work load. I suppose that is why unions can positively impact nursing. If we swipe a "no lunch"... we often get a reprimanding about it. If they are so worried about us not having a lunch, who don't our charge nurses and managers come and relieve staff for lunches? Instead, they sit in their offices and do not get involved in hands on care. FRUSTRATING.

Hi everyone! This topic has been bothering me a lot lately. I would love to know your thoughts and experiences! I am a new RN working on a cardiac unit. Since I have been on this floor, I have observed and experienced first hand how many of the nurses do NOT get a break during their 8 and 12 hour shifts. If we do take a break, we have to find someone on the floor who can cover our typically 4-5 patients. Our charge nurses do NOT cover lunches and our parent shifters are not used for this, either. There have been many days when I went home after working 13 plus hours and not sitting down once or being able to use the bathroom. Is this COMMON in the nursing profession? According to wage and hour federal laws, we are entitled to a break. This frustrates me as I think we are all entitled to some time away and I do not feel it is our responsibility to find our own coverage. What are you guys finding out in the nursing community? Do you swipe a "no lunch?" Is this even SAFE? Technically, this employer is violating wage and hour laws by not freeing the nurses up for a break. Please share your thoughts and experiences with me. I think this practice is wrong and I would like to implement change...I just do not know how. Thanks for your thoughts.

Hi everyone, First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to read this posting. I came home from my second week of RN orientation and I was completely beside myself...in tears, uptight and just basically unhappy. I am a new grad RN who graduated in August from an accelerated nursing program (this in itself was a poor decision). I accepted a full-time RN position in a teaching hospital that I did my clinical rotations in. I actually did a clinical on this unit...so I thought I knew what I was signing up for! This is a cardiothoracic stepdown floor and I really enjoyed the patient population. In any event, I need your help and thoughts. Although this is only my second week, I feel like it is a mistake. I am struggling to get the material down and quite frankly, I just seem to feel "displaced" on the floor. Every day that I have been on the unit, they have put me with a DIFFERENT person. They still do not seem to know who my preceptor will be...this scares me. I am extremely organized and structured and I seem to be struggling with this style of orientation. I feel like I need to LEARN and I am afraid my learning is not going to occur on this unit based on what I am seeing. WHAT DO I DO? Since I have not really begun the main orientation...do I ask my NM about it and consider transferring to another unit? I worked way too hard in school to be placed on a floor in which I am miserable and most importantly, not fully trained. For those of you out there, what do you suggest? I really hate feeling this miserable every day, so I think something is wrong. Almost as if I am "being warned" to make the change now before I get too far along. Please help if you can. :) Thank you for listening as it seems like no one else understands this.

Hi all! Do any of you have any suggestions on which shoes are BEST for nurses? There are so many choices and price ranges out there. I am looking for the BEST shoe in terms of long term comfort. I am willing to pay good money for them because life is horrible when your feet hurt in the middle of your shift. :) Please, please send me your thoughts if you have any suggestions. Sadly enough, they have to be all white shoes, so I am somewhat limited. I heard that KLOGS are great? Thanks in advance for any help. :):nuke:

Hi there! I just graduated in August from an accelerated BSN program. Quite honestly, I would no worry too much about the math. The math that is required is something that you CAN learn. I am not the best in math either, but with extra practice and effort, you can do the math without a problem. I am assuming that you already have a bachelor's degree in something else. If so, then I would assume you will not need a special math class for your BSN. The math that nursing school requires is dosage calculations. You will be fine with those if you practice. :) Anyways, good luck to you! The accelerated programs are a TON of work and the pace is quite fast. Be prepared for a fast ride and just keep a positive attitude. Take care!

Hey, I would just study the classifications and know the side effects for each big class. If you start getting crazy over memorizing all meds, you will lose your mind and never remember them anyways. Try and buy the KAPLAN drug cards and stick with them...or just the drugs listed in the Saunders book. Best wishes to you!

Hi Serena, I read your message and wanted you to know that I hear you and am sending positive thoughts your way! I can understand why you are nervous, but try and think positive. I think it is VERY POSSIBLE that you PASSED. :) I felt the same way when I took mine last month as it shut off at 75 and I hated the majority of my questions. I cried the entire drive home! So...good can and does happen. Trust in yourself girlfriend! Heck...you made it through nursing school which is grueling...so you obviously are smart and courageous! Hang in there and stay positive. Let me know how it goes for you. Will keep you in prayers and thoughts!

Hey there! I just took the NCLEX in September and passed with 75 questions. I took the Kaplan review course (yes, it is expensive but WORTH it) and the NCSBN on line study tool as well. It was not cheap to do both, but I felt it was the reason I passed. To be honest with you, I would strongly encourage KAPLAN review class (don't just buy the book....pay for the review class and attend them). Kaplan helped me a TON and I would recommend it to anyone. It is much CHEAPER to pay the Kaplan rate and pass the NCLEX first time. Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I recommend the full Kaplan course. I have not heard of many people who were disappointed. Good luck to you and I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

hi everyone! :loveya: if anyone out there works at metrohealth medical center in cleveland, ohio, can you please share your thoughts on working there as a new graduate rn? i absolutely love the people i met during the interview process, but they do not offer the same tuition assistance that other area hospitals do. total bummer. however, from those of you who work there...what do you honestly think about it? any floors in particular that one should avoid or perhaps aim to work on? would love your input! :) thanks so much! clevern2008

Since it shut off at 75, I bet you passed this time. Seems to be what I hear most often is that people pass at 75....not always....but most commonly. In any event, good luck and I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you! :)

Hi, I just passed the NCLEX last week with 75 questions. I used the Kaplan complete review for the majority of my studying. I also did all of the questions in the SAUNDERS Comprehensive Review...very, very helpful. I suggest doing at least 150 questions a day and just going over each and every rationale. That will help you the MOST. Also, buy pharmacology NCLEX review study cards as pharm is highly tested on NCLEX. Hope this helps and best wishes to you! You will do GREAT!

Hi there! I actually took the KAPLAN complete course and spent four days in classroom review and had access to their question banks. I thought it was WORTHWHILE COMPLETELY. I also signed up for the NCSBN question bank, but did not use it very much. Based on my experience, I would pick KAPLAN review (pick the complete one though). IF you do not pass, they refund your money. I passed in 75 questions and believe it was directly related to my Kaplan prep. Just do it...you will not regret it! Good luck in whatever you decide. :)

Hi there! Yep, I agree with you...I had a bunch of SATA questions. The reality is that I thought FOR SURE that I failed because I stink at those questions. Thankfully, I passed! So...do not lose heart....you did great I bet! Not sure why we got so many SATA questions... yucky! Good luck to you!

Hi! Good question. I just took the NCLEX and passed last week. I DID use the NCSBN site and their questions. However, I found the KAPLAN review course to be a better overall review. In addition, I bought the Saunders Comprehensive Review and loved it. I also used the HESI NCLEX prep book, too....that was a must have! I am not sure that I think the NCSBN thing is worth it. HOWEVER, if IS worth it if you commit to doing all of the questions and review sections. I simply ran out of time. I passed in 75 questions by religiously using Kaplan and Saunders. Best of luck and I will be keeping my fingers crossed!

Hi there! I actually took the Kaplan review course in August of this year. I took the full course and had four days of classroom instruction and then access to their Qbank and on-line content review. To be honest with you, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE anyone to take the course. IF you follow the study plan that they suggest and IF you do all of the questions they give you, it will help immensely. It is NOT a waste of money in the least. It is worth it. Plus, if you do not pass, they will give your money back IF you did what they advised you to do. I took the NCLEX one week ago and passed in 75 questions. I sincerely believe that my passing was due to my practice with Kaplan. On that note, SIGN UP! Good luck to you. You will do great...just do a ton of practice questions before the exam and be positive.

Thank you for the encouragement. I appreciate it more than I can say. I debated about which job to take...but I ended up taking a cardiothoracic stepdown unit since it would give me more exposure than the other offer. I realize that I will learn a lot and get to do a lot of IV meds, IV insertions, caths, EKG interpretation, etc. Again, thanks for your encouragement! It helps to know that others have felt the same and have overcome.

Hey all -- I am a new grad starting my first RN job in November. I am extremely nervous and keep wondering if I picked the right job. I suppose I am second guessing my decision due to my nerves. In any event, any suggestions for me in fighting this nervousness? Does everyone feel this way before starting their first nursing job? Would love some thoughts and encouragement from those of you who have been there. My friends and family think I should be excited...LOLOL.... little do they know that I am freaked out! What if I fail? What if I cannot get it right? Those are the ridiculous thoughts bombarding me! HELP!

What did you end up doing? I am in a similar situation!!! Would love your thoughts! THANKS!

Hi everyone! I am a new grad and need your help! I have been offered RN positions at both the Clinic main campus and University Hospitals. The RN position at the Clinic is in their HEART CENTER and is HOURLY. The RN position at UH is in pediatrics and is SALARY. The question is which place is the BEST for a new grad? Each place has their merit, but I am uncertain as to which is BEST for me. Clinic will give me 10K to work for them and UH will NOT. This is huge. Furthermore, I am worried about being salaried at UH. Any thoughts or suggestions from anyone out there? If you prefer to PM me, that is okay with me. Looking forward to getting some advice!

Hi! I just took my NCLEX on Monday and passed. I would be glad to share my thoughts with you about preparation. For me, I needed a review class that was organized and structured. That being said, I chose to take Kaplan. I went to Kaplan classes and used their online resources as well. I also purchased the Saunders Comprehensive Review book and went through each chapter and did each quiz. I recommend that you do a minimum of 125 practice questions per day. I also suggest you buy the Kaplan Medication cards and just memorize the drug information on the cards. I believe that the best thing you can do is practice questions. Read the rationale for every question, EVEN IF you got it right! The more questions you do, the better! I would study each day for a couple of hours. If you overdue it, you will get bored and will not be able to focus. Hope this helps! GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!!!

Hi! I just graduated from an accelerated nursing program and will be starting at the Clinic as a new grad. I did NOT take the money in advance. What I did was take the position once I graduated...and they are STILL offering the 10K in loan reimbursement. It is a better deal to WAIT and take the money when you start with them. What they do is pay you over two years for the total of 10K. It is in each pay check. If you do NOT take the money in advance, they do NOT require you to pay it back if you leave prior to two years. So...it is better to just take the money when you start...not in advance. Hope this helps!

I absolutely know where you are coming from. I took the NCLEX on the same day as you and mine shut off at 75. I had a TON of math and SATA questions...both of which I stink at. To make a long story short, I passed. That being said, DO NOT WORRY until you get your score. I am sure you did much better than you thought!!! Best wishes to you in your career :)

I understand exactly what you are feeling. I honestly think that is a normal response. Just hang in there and take one day at a time. Worry about life after graduation once you hit that point. :) I graduated in August and just passed my boards. I am actively interviewing and I am nervous, too. However, I try to remember that we were all new at some point. It is okay to admit that you need to learn! Don't be so hard on yourself. The fact that you graduated from nursing school tells me that you are smart and can do this! Hope this helps. Just know that you are never alone in feeling scared as a new nurse!