Paleobug

Thanks caliotter3. I did happen to ask about personal safety during the initial interview and the manager said that she fully understands my concern. She said to just leave if I don't feel safe and to get ask for a police escort if I need to. She did also say that she felt threatened once during her nine years doing home health and she left the situation before anything bad happened to her. Other than that, she said she enjoyed doing home health vs working in a hospital.

Hi, I haven't posted on this site for a while. I've been a med/surg nurse for 4 years in a hospital. I've always been interested in doing home health. I wouldn't mind the driving or the paperwork involved. The working climate at my hospital has become increasingly hostile do to managment coming down on the nurses because of the hospitals' HCAP scores. I've been offered offered a job as a home health RN working weekends fulltime on call. It seems that it would be less stressful than working on a med/surg. My concern is that I am a little leary going into peoples' homes and not knowing if there could be potential danger from someone living there. I have heard a few stories from talking to other nurses that it can happen but generally doesn't happen. Thanks for any feedback.

I did the adopt a student program with VHS. They paid my tuition and other expenses for nursing school. It really helped me out a lot. I've been working at Spring Valley since last November, and it has been a very positive experience. However, I wouldn't recommend working at Valley hospital. I've heard too many negative things about them. I also heard that St. Rose has a similar program.

After 5 months working as a nurse in med/surg, I want to work where the patient's don't give you a hard time.

I've noticed at my hospital when we transfer patients to the ICU floor. The nurses there seem to be rather snobbish and unapproachable with the med/surg nurses. I've heard interesting things about them if they happen to float on our floor. The med/surg nurses on our floor have said that these same nurses who snubbed us, can't seem to handle a 6 or 7 patient load.

Nursing school is so much different than working in the real world as a nurse. I was so glad when it was finally over. I was also fortunate enough to go to work on a floor where there is much teamwork and no "nurse eating". The most terrible time that I went through during school was during my preceptorship. I was put with a nurse who shouldn't have been with students. She expected that my level of skill be that of an experienced nurse. I ended up switching preceptors, so the witch wouldn't fail me.

I didn't get one because the hospital chain that I went to work for paid my school expenses. I can say that I so far, I am very pleased with my facility despite the obligation of 2 years of work.

Before I graduated last May, I already had a job lined up. In my state, upon graduation, you're issued a temporary license for three months. However, I couldn't start working until I passed NCLEX and got my license. So, after I graduated, I prepared for NCLEX, finally passed, and went to work. Most places will give you a 3 months preceptorship with another nurse.

I've been working on a med/surg floor since Nov. I think that it is a good foundation before going into any type of specialty. There's a lot of variety. My patient load is usually about 6.

I also got my own insurance even though my employer says that they cover the nurse in any lawsuits where the nurse is named. All it takes to get sued over is things like having an elderly patient that gets out of bed, falls and is injured. The nurse will get blamed. Mine is included in my homeowners policy.

I work for the Valley Health System because of my scholarship commitment. It depends on which Valley Health System hospital that you work for. I heard that Valley Hospital is the worst because their nurse to patient ratio is bad, and they were trying to go on strike. I've always heard great things about St. Rose's 2 hospitals. UMC is in the middle of a major money handling scandal involving the CEO.

You finally did it girl! I knew your day would come. Congratulations!

I graduated last May, and I started working last month on a med/surg floor. So far, the management is supportive and most of the other nurses are too. I have a great preceptor. That makes a big difference. I have to do 2 years with this hospital because they paid my nursing school tuition and other fees. I don't know if I want to stay with this type of nursing, but it is a good foundation.

I started a month ago in Vegas. My starting salary is 23.38/hr. There is also shift differentials. If you work nights, it's an extra $2.00, weekends is an extra $1.00. If you work all three weekend days, you get paid for 40 hours. I wouldn't advise working at Valley or Desert Springs. The nurses there were trying to strike, and I've heard terrible things from agency nurses who have worked at Valley.

Don't give up.

Congratulations! I graduated last May.

The hospital where I work here in Vegas is 23.38/hr for new grads with a 2.10 shift differential for nights and 1.00 for weekends.

I remember my asking my med/surg clinical instructor what she believes causes the nursing shortage. She just replied "You'll see".

I would enjoy the holidays, catch up on reading, and rest up because those 12 hour shifts will come too soon. Actually, I like working 3 days a week because I have a lot of hobbies that need time also.

I just started working as a new grad a month ago on a med/surg floor. I have a two year commitment with the hospital because of the scholarship they gave me. I think that it depends on the hospital that you work at. My hospital floor is a good teaching floor. The nurses don't get more than 7 patients and the everyday average is 6. I really like working there. Other hospitals here in town are owned by the same company, and I would never work at one of them. At that hospital, the nurses are getting around 10 on day shift with no LPN. This why they are trying to strike. I think that a med/surg floor is a good foundation before going into other types of nursing. I might go into home health or the OR.

Congratulations! A lot of people believe that the Saunders book is good for content review and Kaplan is great for critical thinking like the actual test except harder.

I thought I was the only one stressed on orientation. Tomorrow is my second day.

One good thing about clinicals is that you can find out which hospitals you don't want to work at. I did my clinicals at many of my town's hospitals. I know basically which ones or floors I would never work at. The hospitlal that I work now seems very supported of it's staff and they don't tolerate any staff members "eating the young" so to speak.

I just started working as a new grad. I know that many of us are oeverwhelmed in the beginning and things get better as the weeks of our preceptorship go by. I was just wondering if, for some reason, what happens by the end of your preceptorship you don't meet your facility's standards and they let you go? Is it then hard to get another job? Does it make you look incompetent to other employers?

I just started my first shift yesterday. I work on a med/surg floor. Everyone I've met seems nice. The hospital even has a no tolerance of mistreatment of nurses by doctors or anyone else. I Just felt very awkward on my first day. I did feel overwhelmed. My preceptor said that I need to pick up speed and to manage my time more efficiently, but also it's normal to be slow in the beginning. I'll admit that it is hard and I am stressed, even though this hospital isn't overcrowed with patients like the others that I've been at. I haven't been around patients since last April when I was still in school. I want very much to make a good impression to my preceptor and my floor nurse manager. I'm still in the process of learning and jugling the million things that go into care of one patient x 6 or 7. I don't think that I want to stay with type of nursing. I'm also interested in OR, home health, case management (I have an MBA) and possibly psych nursing.