Selene006

"Got room for one more?"

I know a BSN-prepared nurse who worked for four years as a CNA. She used to work for an agency that floated her to various hospitals within the Boston area (as a CNA). Now she has been working as an RN in a nursing home for the past two years in the Hudson/ Sudbury area (out of desperation). She has applied to countless hospitals and nursing homes located on the outskirts of Boston, as well as within the Boston area. Even with her BSN and CNA experience, she still hasn't landed a hospital position. Even nursing homes outside of the Boston area aren't hiring. Some of my BSN classmates relocated out of Massachusetts to secure work and some currently work in LTC (as a last resort). I hope you have better luck closer to the Worcester area.

I work for two different agencies and one agency requires us to use the telephony system. I always have to use my own cell phone though because the client's family doesn't have a land line. I'm always reminding myself to keep my phone charged at all times! The system requires us to use an access code that changes every 30 seconds and is only available in the client's home.

I'm interested in the program as well! Is there any feedback that you could provide? Pros, cons, etc.?

Centrus homecare has private duty extended care clients as well as skilled visits. They have an office in Needham and Plymouth.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

hi ameliaok. how's the np program at mcphs?

I never worked at any of the Kindred hospitals, but every time I get tempted to apply to one of their hospitals (for driving conveniences only), I'll have to find this thread and review it consistently!

Hi katex03! I sent you a PM :)

That's awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep up the good works!

I stayed at that facility for almost three years. It was a learning experience--I wouldn't categorize it as a "good learning experience." But I did learn about what kind of nurse I wanted to be and what kind of facility I wanted to work at the next time around... :)

I applied to every facility that I could find (even those with poor reputations) and finally got a job after three months...at one of the facilities that had a poor reputation!

I've taken the LPN Board once and the RN Board once. I prepared more for the LPN exam because I was anxious and wanted to do well. I didn't prepare very much for the RN exam, probably because I was already a practicing nurse and was mentally tired from being in nursing school!

thanks mama.rn

I did a search within allnurse's private duty forums to find out more about Family Lives, but I didn't find anything. Is this a reputable agency?

Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side! That said, if you're bored, keep an eye out for other opportunities that may be appealing to you. I've tried multiple environments after feeling burned out in LTC/Rehab, and I'm glad that I made the decision to try other options. It has diversified my skill set and has made me confident with adjusting to change. Good luck with your decision!

I worked as an LPN before getting my BSN, and in my my area, the oncology field demands RN's. Working as an LPN made the format of RN school easier to manage, but ultimately, I have WAY more career aspects now than I did before. As an LPN, I was limited to working in a nursing home or homecare--even MD offices were hiring MA's to cut costs. But now, I can CHOOSE to work in a nursing home or hospital, or VNA--wherever I'm in need. The RN education has benefitted me tremendously. All the school loans that I'm currently paying back...that's another story!

I applied into a BSN program after completing the LPN program. It took me 2 years (starting off part-time before transitioning to full-time status) to complete the BSN program. I'm not sure what state you're in, but going straight into a BSN program while working as an LPN worked wonderfully for me! There's also alot of competition for nursing jobs within the region that I work/ live in, and most employers (hospital-based ones) are specifically requesting BSN applicants only. My school has an LPN-BSN bridge, but due to the high number of applicants, all nursing prereqs are required prior to applying into the program. Hope this helps!

Are students responsible for finding their own preceptors? I'm curious about their program as well.

I graduated from Blue Hills in '08! That program was awesome!

(Why would you put a nurse with less than 3 years experience to precept? Like really? ) I was precepted by two nurses who graduated 3 months before I did. We were all working on the subacute rehab unit and there was a high staffing turnover rate. Half the time, I felt like neither women wanted to precept me because they both complained about how much they hated the facility and hated precepting every single person who was hired. Those nurses stayed for about a year, and then I continued the trend of precepting others, even at a moment's notice from the DON. I think we were all burned out after a year, but it certainly taught me that (some of) the administrations we work for couldn't care less about what happens on the nursing units. All that matters is that there is a warm body passing meds and completing the paperwork...

I took Public Health and Critical Care in my last semester and it was sheer torture because I was tired of jumping through hoops and being broke! On top of that, a 25-page research paper was due and I couldn't wait to collect my degree!

I hate to say that I didn't study for the NCLEX-RN because I feel like it belittles the hardship of others who have sacrificed the time to prepare...but 7 months after graduation, I was more focused on relocating, finding housing, finding a job, and dealing with my family's medical issues, etc. By the time I got to the site to take the exam, I was okay with however I performed because I was just tired. I hadn't studied or done anything related to preparing so I wasn't anxious or nervous--I think I was just numb from everything going on in my life, actually. My nursing school had evoked a HESI exam at the end of each course, an "entrance" HESI half-way through the curriculum, and an EXIT HESI before final exams...AND I PASSED the NCLEX-RN board!

Ouch!

Eastern MA LPN subacute care per diem $27.50/hr (+ shift differentials) 3 yrs as an LPN Eastern MA Private duty nursing $30.25/hr (nights) New grad RN with BSN + history as an LPN Eastern MA Hospital in Boston area $29.50 ( + shift differentials) New grad RN with BSN + history as an LPN