DukeNurse86

it's kinda funny... i was into finance before i was into nursing. rich dad, poor dad is another wonderful book. also, be sure to check out the millionaire next door. these are extremely motivational books as far as making our hard-earned money work for us. a great website to check out is www.clarkhoward.com. he's the man.

to be completely honest, you're posting for advice from a somewhat biased population. the starting pay of $18 does not sound accurate. most of the jobs i applied to offered at least $20, with excellent benefits. but remember, this is a starting salary, and nurses quickly move up the ladder the more experience they have. and who said you have to work only nights? yes, that is a possibility, but i'm sure your preference will be recognized upon obtaining a full time nursing job. imo, nursing offers job security unlike any other profession. there is an overwhelming demand in most parts of this country. look things over a little closer, and i'm sure you'll come up with something. best of luck to you.

fyi, even though i didn't take a review course-- i went to a ncans convention in my state and there were many companies there, including kaplan. ati was there, and they claimed to have the highest pass rate of any company: 98%. again, this is just fyi! good luck in deciding. you'll do great!

working the night shift at first is a great idea. it will be quieter, less chaotic, and will give you more time to focus on your duties. in order to get your *much needed* sleep during the day, equip your room with the essentials: window coverings-they sell blackout window shades at many stores (most are vinyl and work much better than fabric); a fan for white noise & drowning out any noises that may be in your house. turn off your phone(s) during the day, and let people know not to pester you. don't drink coffee excessively at night, or else you may have trouble sleeping during the day. there are a few threads that answer your questions with much detail, here's one: https://allnurses.com/forums/f224/night-shift-advice-new-grads-going-work-3-12s-week-312137.html plus, most hospitals pay more for night shifts! you can do it.. again, it's a great idea

ron- med-surg floors vary greatly, depending on the organization and what types of patients that floor usually sees. most of those nurses you speak of quit because they are overwhelmed with patient load. ratios are as high as 1:10 in some places--> talk about burnout. find out what kind of patient population you might see. interview on those floors and check out the morale, even try to ask some floor nurses a few questions. most people i've talked to start in ms and then move to a more acute floor with fewer patient loads after they get enough experience. you will always have options as an rn, no matter which floor you decide to work on. also, many hospitals will allow you to switch floors (within the organization, of course) if you find you can't handle the floor you're on. best of luck to you!

silly question, i'm probably thinking too hard: on the paper brain sheet, "bg" is in the time chart, as well as treatments/ current status. are they both "blood gases?" if not, please correct me. also, what is "l/m"? that is all!

it looks like you're in a tight spot. what i'd like to know is why you think you don't qualify for financial aid? clearly, if your parents don't support you, and you're struggling as you say you are, you're entitled to many need-based grants and scholarships. i got myself through nursing school with no job and no help from my parents. if i can do it, anyone can. but seriously, even if you don't qualify due to your dependency on your parents (and for some reason they're not helping you out) you can take out student loans, in which repayment doesn't kick in until 6 months after you graduate from the program (at least most are like that). use your resources! i'm not here to judge whether or not you should/shouldn't get help from your bf. but-- it's advisable to be self-sufficient. use a college foundation website or your school's financial aid office. your bf can help you by taking you out to a nice dinner every now and then! :chuckle

hello, my fellow north carolinians! i am a native to nc, particularly the raleigh/"triangle" area. it's a wonderful state, happy to be here. i just graduated from ecu, over in greenville, nc and will be starting my job at duke in july! if anyone ever has any questions about general nc info, let me know, i can probably answer your ?s

sata are ridiculous--you miss it if you don't check just one box or you check too many. all i can say is try not to let it overwhelm you. and one sata can have just one thing that applies, so don't think you have to check a certain amount of boxes. only check boxes that you are sure of. best of luck to you!-- 100 practice questions a day until your test and you should be good to go!

75 questions broken down: at least 10 select all that apply ?s -->these usually were selecting s/s of dz processes/illnesses 10-15 medication calculation ?s -->mostly iv pump rates. know your conversions. the rest (multiple choice) were mostly: *delegation: know what patients to assign aides/lpns *isolation: differences between airborne, droplet, contact *priority: which patient to see first at the beginning of the shift. i used the saunders book/cd-rom to do practice questions. there aren't many available online i found. :yeah:yay i'm an rn!!