cherick22

Try St. Lukes hospital in New Bedford. I was hired there as a new grad in 2008. I had to work nights for a year which was tough but most of my classmates did not get jobs in acute care so I feel very lucky. After that golden year I was able to get a job closer to home with better hours. PM me and I'll give you a name to call.

I turned down a job offer at a local hospital last May. Then I was hired by the same manager 5 months later...same floor different shift. In fact I didn't even have to go in for an interview. We spoke on the phone and she asked why I changed my mind so I simply explained how I wanted to work a different shift and be closer to home. In May the job was the same shift and closer to home. I decided to wait until two criteria were met before changing jobs. She understood and hired me on the spot!

I got the H1N1 yesterday..no problem no soreness. Nothing.

I turned down a med-surg position last April then was just hired same floor same NM different shift. In fact she remembered me from the previous sit down interview so didnt require me to come back in. Just a short chat on the phone and I got the job!

Do you still work with your preceptor? I relied heavily on my preceptor and co-workers once I was on my own...still do a year later...lol. I like to have my "ducks in a row" so to speak. Get organized and ask questions as they come up. If all your ducks are in a row before you leave for the day then there should be nothing to worry about or toss and turn about. Do you have any good shifts? If the answer is no then maybe you should think about making a change...maybe work less hours? Good Luck

No, don't put this on your resume. You dont have to include anything you don't want to.

I have yet to see a diabetic labeled as Type I or Type II. I was wondering that recently about one of my patients and was unable to find the answer, even the patient didnt know and couldn't tell me when they were diagnosed. Histories only report NIDDM or IDDM which still doesnt identify the types. Still think the OP did the right thing.

It all depends on your facilities protocols. We have list of steps to follow which includes giving snacks twice then notify the MD if the bs was still less than 70. If protocol was followed and this MD still has an issue with this then he needs to indicate that when he's writing his orders. If the patients bs was 127 when you left what was he so mad about? Did it go lower? Did she eat breakfast? Sounds like MD on a power trip:D

No holidays, no weekends? I'd do the 5 8's! However, I dont have children at home. Good luck with your decision, change is so hard

I have been on nights for 13 months and I never got used to it. It was the only job offer I got as a new grad so I took it. I feel like I've lost a year of my life however. I am happy to have my year of med-surg but it came with a big change in the quality of my life. You might get used to it eventually. I work with a dozen nurses who love nights. In my case I am thrilled to be starting a new job second shift at a hospital closer to home. Only two more nights for me!

Ugh this is so common. Where I work there are one or two nurses everyone hates to report off to. One in particular will nitpick about something unimportant and carry on and on. It happened this morning...a patients tube feed was changed. "who changed it" who cares...this does not matter in the least. I dont have the time to research the names of the Doctors (often many) who place orders in the patients charts. Now maybe if I had two or three patients I would be able to answer her question but normally I have 6 patients. It's hard to ignore these fools but you must be confident in your abilities and remember its their problem not yours. FYI: take note of who your reporting off to in the morning...maybe you wont get around to hanging extra IV bags and changing saline locks:icon_roll lol

I would start with your Doctor...see if you can go on medical leave. You might not be able to because you've only been there two months but this will get the ball rolling. It goes without saying that priority is the baby you are carrying. Honestly I dont know how you have hung in there so long. I was doing nights, not pregnant, children grown up and it was torture. As far as burning bridges dont assume this will happen. Its all in "how" you leave that determines the lasting impression that employer has of you. Get your Docs advice, then speak to your unit manager and most of all take care of that pregnancy.

I have a report sheet on each of my patients. They are stapled together. I set them up exactly the same. The upper right is where I put meds I will be giving and what time. Next to that I'll put foley, NGT, Neuro checks, PCA, ect...I draw a box next to each task I need to complete. When completed I put a checkmark in that box. Another thing I do is use a highlighter to draw my attention to things of importance...ie DNR status, NPO for OR ect.. You will find a system that works for you and it takes some time but it will happen. Everyone does it differently...I have even had people criticize my report sheets..I just laugh at them because when I leave at the end of my shift I never have to wonder what I forgot....

Aww sorry you're struggling but there are no shortcuts in nursing school. You have to do the work yourself otherwise how will you know how to find the answers once your out there working?

Every 8 hrs times 3. Massachusetts

This has happened a few times where I work. Each time I did report it to the Nurse manager. Her response was always a story about her experiences in a much more difficult incident than I experienced. Not much help but be aware that others are aware of this nurses attitude and I'm sure she is not well liked. Best thing to do is stand your ground, smile and say "have a nice day". These people are everywhere!!! Don't let it get to you.

I remember feeling the same way you do at 4 months. I was frustrated because it felt like I never had the time to fully understand what was going on with my patient. I needed time to look at reason for admission. history, labs,consults, report of operation ect... The other nurses seemed so relaxed. I must say time made it better. Its been 13 months since I started and while I still have so much more to learn I do have a handle on the big picture now. I was working 5 eight hour shifts too and I did cut back to 32 hours which made a huge difference. Maybe you could look into reducing your hours a bit. Another thing I have noticed is the 12 hr people do have a lot more free time and this is because they have already had these patients for 4 hrs before I even arrived so they are done with assessments, flow sheets. ect.. Hang in there, give it more time, maybe take a long weekend off. We get so burned out the first year. I found that my first week off really made a huge difference..I did go on a cruise so that helped. Stick it out for a year, you'll be happy you did!

I resigned from my job 2 days ago. Co-workers and other nurses told me you give notice based on how many weeks of vacation to are entitled to that year. In my case that was two weeks but when I spoke with my nurse manager I asked her first what was required. She said "2 weeks". You don't want to burn any bridges...so just ask. And good luck in your position!

As I read your post theres one glaring thing that came to mind. Is there a co-worker who knows your history? Maybe someone figured they would point the finger at you because of your past? Take a hard look around you. Find out if there is a voice recording that can be reviewed. Good luck and most of all congrats on your clean time!

You sound like me...I like to have my "ducks in a row", my favorite saying at work. In nursing school you will learn two very important things ( and a million others) but these two things you can do now. They are: Critical thinking and prioritizing. I will guess that in your situation it would be taking care of your children and paying your mortgage. Ask yourself " will I be able to fullfill those obligations"? Only you will know that. Here's the thing.... your life will change, your house wont be as clean, you will miss some events ( cookouts, weekend events, ect) but all that will be worth it IF you really want to be a nurse. Time flies in this life and we have to be brave enough to make changes and take the leap or else you'll be at the end of your life full of regrets! Have you thought about a part-time program? Good luck with your decision!

The test I took was about 50 questions. They provided a calculator, drug book, paper and pencil. It was multiple choice. The first ten questions were drug related, not calculations so all answers were in the drug book. As long as you know your dimensional analysis you're all set. Put it this way...they have already hired you...they want you to pass! No worries.

Hi I was unable to PM you havent posted enough I suppose. Wondering what your doing now that summer camp is over? Have you relocated? I just accepted a position at Cape Cod Hospital...wondering who is there that I will know. Cheryl

I know exactly how you feel. I took the only Med-surg job I could find as a new grad 13 months ago. I would have taken anything just to get that experience. Most of my classmates have yet to find a med-surg position so I was very lucky. I love my co-workers and love my hospital. I HATE working nights! It's never going to be ok with me...never. I get enough sleep, children are all grown but its just brutal. I started working 40 hours...5 eight hour shifts then decreased to 32 hrs but that hasn't helped. The worst thing is my commute is 45 minutes of highway driving and I have literally fallen asleep at the wheel. So that was the last straw. I am thrilled to say I just accepted a job offer much closer to home working 2nd shift. I hate the thought of leaving all my friends and a place I love but it really comes down to this: I am not a night shift person. Period. Bottom line here too is its just not healthy to work nights and you hate nights. Your body is telling you this, listen to your body. :redpinkhe Find a way to get off nights....you deserve it!

Hi I think we went to school together at 4C's. I have been working med-surg for 8 months at St. Lukes hospital in NB Mass. I was just offered a job at Cape Cod Hospital med-surg on Mugar 3. There are several openings there. I will be turning down the job offer because it would be a significant pay cut for me. Try calling human resources ask for Sarah....if you want med-surg.... I'm not exactly loving it myself and plan on getting out in 4 months after that golden year is over! Good luck Cheryl....back row next to Yancey...LPN transition student.

Hi I found out on Monday that I passed the NCLEX-RN. I had 105-110 questions. At least 15 SATA and 8 drug calculations. Lots of infection control and teaching and prioritizing. I did not take Kaplan since the ATI predictor indicated I had a 97% chance of passing the NCLEX. I did use an NCLEX study guide and with another student we went through the questions including rationale for wrong answers. I also looked at a list of 25 most commonly used drugs. You should also look at ECG strips and be able to recognize the most common abnormalities. You can't really study for SATA or prioritizing. This test is testing your critical thinking skills. When you are done with the test you will probably have no clue if you passed. This is for most people I have spoken with including me. Do not re-schedule your test. Take it with confidence and you will pass.