jcaste

I am glad I am getting the opportunity to do a lot of clinical time. I get goosebumps just thinking about the minimal clinical exposure those students had.

It seems the nursing colleges in my area are varied in the amount of time they require their students to spend in the clinical setting. I am a 4th quarter student and I have all day clinicals 2 days a week. I must select 3 patients and provide care for them the entire shift. 5th quarter I will have clinical for 2 days but provide care for up to 4-5 patients. 6th quarter is the classic preceptorship before graduation. How does this compare with other schools? Is it not enough? Is it too much?

That is a fantastic example of what nurses need to do when this is happening in their facility. Who would take care of the patients if the nurses went on strike? It is also an insult to the new hires when they are offered more pay. At first glance, it might not seem like an insult, but the message is "We are only paying you this because we have too not because we think you are worth it. Stay with us 5, 10, 20 years and you will be the lowest on the pay scale."

I agree, you might need to work at a LTC facility for a while before a hospital might hire you. It is still worth applying to hospitals even if they state they want more experience than you have. I have heard of hospitals hiring new CNA grads. Assisted living centers are also another option for you to look into if your not interested in the classic LTC nursing home. Home health agencies usually require some experience, but again they are worth applying to. I don't know if you had to do CNA clinical hours at a facility before receiving your license. If so, that facility might like to hire you! Best of wishes to you!

I can understand the need to recruit new hires, but at the expense of creating heart burn or heart failure for the seasoned nurses.....it doesn't seem to be the right choice. Administration must be tough, but I do wonder if they employ the same practices for new administration hires as well...............

Do you have a state union for nurses over there? They might be able to help you form a union.

Your story is inspiring. Thank you

That sounds like a good system.

I am currently doing a clinical at a hospital where they have a history of paying their established nurses less than the new hire nurses. Their longtime nurses of many years are paid less than brand new RN graduates. Appearantly, this has been going on for years. I would like to know how common this is? I haven't heard of this issue at other hospitals that I have been at. Does this happen at your facililty? Are you paid less than you are worth?