Evalina

Good morning! I looked over your old resume and letter, and your update. The update is much improved. Honestly, I'd trim it more. I used to participate in interviewing and hiring, and we looked at each resume for about 30 seconds. That's it. You need to grab attention quickly, and give them a reason to bring you in for an interview. Then you can give them the details. This next section will sound like I'm picking you apart, and I hope you can overlook that. You have several things that jump out at me, but your resume doesn't highlight them in particular. I'd lose the objective completely. Your objective is to get a job. We know this. Much more interesting is a short (5, maybe 6 items) bulleted list of qualities. HR folks like bullets, they're easy and fast to read. Your bullets need to include your: GPA, Current Licensure, ACLS and BLS (in a single bullet), linguistic skills, and maybe one more, such as a statement on the breadth of your experience in clinicals. It should read like this: [*=2]Achieved BSN with GPA of 3.5[*=2]Certified in ACLS and BLS[*=2]Licensed RN in California[*=2]Experienced in broad range of patient care This gives your resume punch, and immediately grabs attention. Use a strong, large graphic dot or square for your bullet to grab more attention. I'd suggest you keep your current format, but trim all unneccesary words. List jobs and clinical rotations next. Keep it short, and I wouldn't mention how long the clinicals were. You can discuss that in an interview, but it just isn't necessary. I'd just say clinicals here, this department. Then move on to education. Keep it brief, reiterate your high GPA and that you graduated. After education, move into your certifications. In certifications, don't mention the expiration dates. That's just a distraction. If they're current, you're good. Skills looks pretty good. I wouldn't even bother with previous work experience. Not that it wasn't important to you, but nursing work is so different from other types of work that it doesn't help you much. If it's necessary to you, only mention skills you acquired that will help you as a RN, such as customer service and organization. Honestly, you could skip over this and only bring it up in an interview. Memberships are good, and can surprisingly help you get jobs. You never know where a sorority sister might pop up. I'd drop the committee member bullet, though. It takes up space, and won't help. Again, you can talk about it in the interview. Volunteerism looks good. I'd just drop the details. The point of a resume is to give them a snapshot of you and want to know more, not to share all of your details. You have good stuff to work with, but it needs to be trimmed up so an HR person will pick out your great qualities during a quick glance. Your new cover letter is much better, but still needs a little oomph. It's too long, and it soft sells you and your resume. You need to puff up your self esteem, then write the cover letter. Think about how awesome you are, what you excel at (difficult IV starts, foreign languages, admits and discharges) and highlight those in your cover letter. Own your strengths. I suggest you look online for strong vs weak verbs, and focus on using stronger verbs, both in your resume and cover letter. A cover letter is also a good place to display your passion for nursing, especially if there is a specialty you are interested in. A statement like "I have a passion for helping mothers give birth, and I plan to eventually become a charge nurse in Labor and Delivery." Oh, and I wouldn't thank them for their patience. It sounds like you're apologizing for applying. In resume writing, I think of it as "Thinking Like A Man". Men generally are much more comfortable talking about their accomplishments, and some of the ones I know are very proud of everything they do (even the questionable things). But I believe that it's that pride in accomplishment that puts more men than women in management. So claim your accomplishments. Although I'm terribly blunt at times, I hope I've given you some advice you can use. I've been able to resume and interview my way into jobs I shouldn't have (on paper) even been interviewed for, and have been able to push my career plan ahead 5 years as a consequence. A strong resume and cover letter make a huge difference. By the way, slight exaggeration is good. Lying doesn't work well in nursing.

I have a lifetime of experience with DD, as I have an older brother with Down's. That was what led me into DD nursing. This thing that can seem so odd to others, so uncomfortable or unfortunate, is life as I and my family have always known it. Pre-nursing, I worked in a group home with the severely impaired. Some were non-verbal, none were ambulatory. I remember walking in the first day thinking "I know what to say to people who can talk, but what am I supposed to do with this?" I quickly learned that sincerity and unfailing politeness and respect are the real keys. As someone pointed out, humor also counts for a lot. It's difficult to take yourself so seriously when you work with people who often don't take you seriously at all. If you're still at this job, you should be a few months in. I hope you've found your way. I love my clients, I love the weirdness of the job, and the way it highlights how human all of us are. Please, tell us how it's going if you get a chance.

We don't use Therap, and the MD orders aren't available in home. Our MAR lists the med, dose, time, and indication, which the DSP check three times against the med cards (blister packs) which list all of the same information except the indication. Two nurses check the meds in and compare MAR, label, and orders prior to meds being sent to homes. It's pretty straightforward, and works well for us. Virtually all of our errors are of the "Whoops forgot to sign" variety. We also create our own MAR, so they're quite customized. BTW, we stock one calendar month at a time. We also re-cert them annually, and do Q6 month med passes, as well as in-person error counseling. And we pound into their heads that they should call with any questions, or if they find any mistakes.

I'm a part-time RN in a DD group residential/dayhab organization, 20 hours a week, and trying to figure out what to do. I work with a full time LPN, who's now our Acting Director, and was recently informed that for the purposes of day to day business, as well as annual meeting and support team meetings, that I'm not only qualified to be a QDDP, but will be acting as QDDP. But I'm not qualified!!!! I hate this. I'm supposed to chair meetings and knowledgeably discuss matters I know nothing about, and make notes so that when the contract Q picks them up, he can develop a plan around them. Honestly, I spend a lot of these meetings feeling like a complete doofus. Prior to this pronouncement, I was already working 10-15 hours a week off the clock to complete my giant workload, but the conversation that contained this new assignment also included an admonition to "find a way to get it all done in 20 hours". Sigh. Not to mention that at this point, though 2 nurses work a total of 60 hours a week, with the increased responsibilities they only spend a total of maybe 30 hours a week on nursing. I'm feeling completely overwhelmed, and carry a constant feeling of dread. Anyone else been put in a similar position? Any ideas? I don't want to jump ship, and I don't want to 'splode, but something's gotta give.

Truffles, nursing is a big field, and there's sooo much more to it than what you've seen thus far. I've felt the same way, and still occasionally wonder what I was thinking when I signed up for this. I even considered walking away from nursing altogether, being a bank teller or something. I'm glad I didn't. Somewhere, there's something that will suit you, that will click. My M-I-L is a career surgical nurse, and she was telling about retching while cleaning a lady's dentures as a student, and knowing she just wouldn't make it on a floor. I hope you keep looking for your spot, and I hope you get some relief. MJB, I had a couple of nurses make faces at me, and I talked to them. I pulled them aside, and asked if they had any suggestions for me, or if they would tell me if they knew an easier or better way to do something, because I didn't want to be awkward forever. It worked, but if it hadn't, I was ready to pull them aside again and call them on the non-productive attitude. Being new shouldn't make you a target. This time, as hard as it is, is when you learn to make judgments, this is when you learn enough to judge anything. And you will be so amazed the day you realize that you are competent, that you actually, truly for once know exactly what you're doing. It will come, and it will be great! Wherever you find yourself, keep learning, soak it all up, and keep an eye open for the next opportunity. BTW, I changed jobs in the midst of a recession, hiring freezes, and while 7 months pregnant. When it's your time, it will happen. Until then, I hope you find a way to breathe easier, and that you find nurses to support and guide you. Hugs and good thoughts! :hug:

I stayed on the floor until October 2009, when I was offered another job doing Developmental Disability nursing for an agency. 30% raise!!!! I was also 8 months pregnant, so it was AWESOME to get to sit down . In all, I worked the floor for 18 months, and left on wonderful terms. I even have a PRN slot waiting if I ever want to go back. But I'm much happier with what I'm doing now. I always felt like a mouse in a maze in the hospital, just run run run and no rest for 12 hours. Still, it was worth doing, absolutely. You have to push yourself to find yourself. The floor will do that. Oh, I'm no longer so gung-ho for NP school. I'm actually leaning toward either business or informatics/perhaps library science.

Hi all! I'm in need of any ideas or assistance anyone can toss me. I'm with a fairly small agency, 15 people, 5 homes and a day program, and about 35 employees. When I was hired (RN) 7 months ago, we had 60 hrs a week of nursing, and I worked with an LPN. It's now just me, and about 20 hours a week. I'm gonna have to shift quite a few responsibilities, and turn several things over to the direct care staff. First, I'd like to know how other agencies do things. As nurses, what are your responsibilities? Do you manage Dr appts? What training do you handle? Do you maintain the charts? Second, what resources do you have in the houses? I'm looking at creating a decision tree, compatible with ARC guidelines and our company P&P to address emergent and non-emergent medical events. Does anyone have or use one of these? On what topics do you educate your staff? Third, are you on "Perma-call?" It seems I'm now the only one on call, for all eternity. I average 30 or so calls a week. Is this typical? This is a HUGE transition for this organization, and I'm trying to make it as smooth and positive as I can. I'd really appreciate comparing notes and methods with anyone who'd like to share. Thanks!

Of course you're overwhelmed! You're doing something very new, and very involved, and nursing is hard work. REALLY hard sometimes. One of the things that I did, from the very beginning, was to pick my shift apart on the 1 hour ride home from work. I'd analyze what I did well, what could have been better, and what I should never do again. And I'd come up with ideas to try and improve the way I worked, be more efficient, etc. It helped me a lot. Just keep breathing, and keep working. Try to stay as levelheaded as possible. It will get better, bit by bit. Meanwhile, HollyHobby is spot on. Best wishes, and happy thoughts to you!

I was the original poster of this message, and just wanted to give an update on my situation. A year and a half later, I'm no longer a floor nurse (got an awesome administrative nursing job!) and happy not to be on the floor. Thanks to all who replied and had words of advice and encouragement! Funny thing was, even when I wrote the first post, I was the one the other new grads looked up to. Yeah, that was nothing but game face :). I was an anxious, miserable girl on the inside. I'd even have panic attacks the nights before my shifts, and leave work scared that I'd missed something that would kill someone. It took several months to get the worst of the "new nurse" learning curve behind me, but once I did, man was it better! I learned more efficient ways of doing things, became much more confident and comfortable with my responsibilities and liabilities, and didn't feel so lost. It really did just take some time. Looking back, I do see how valuable my time on the floor really was. I'm a better nurse for it, even though I never wanted to do floor nursing in the first place. I knew, even while a student, that my temperament wasn't suited to that environment. But as I said, I learned a lot, grew a lot as a nurse and as a person, and am grateful for the experience. So, to any new grads reading this: Yes, the experience makes a difference. Yes, it really does get better! Just keep going.

Well, I went to a different school, one that DID frequently (and on a whim) change out schedules, and I did it with 2 toddlers. It's hard. The best way I found to do kids and school was to have a core group of people that I could count on to help. My mom, my ex m-i-l, and a few friends. And I would pass around a schedule and get people to sign up for times. I would also call frantically to find help when things changed. It worked beautifully for the most part. Nursing school is hard. Raising kids is hard. Together, whew! But it's doable. Plan ahead as best you can, be flexible, and be creative. Best of luck!

Thank you both for your advice! I spent the afternoon thinking and praying, crying a little, and eating chocolate. I think I do need to stay where I am until I feel competent, and then decide if and/or where I need to move. At least that way, I'm choosing from a position of strength. And that means at least several more months, probably a year or more. Your replies were a great help in my thinking! Thanks again, I appreciate the encouragement and the words of wisdom. I'm glad to have discovered this forum, and the people who use it. Hopefully, I'll one day be able to offer the same thoughts to another scared and flipped out new nurse. :loveya:

I'm with you. The dread, the scary and overwhelmed, all of it. I guess we just keep going. I pray on my way to work, and listen to loud music on my way home. And from now on, I'll be hanging out in this forum more often, the support is fantastic! Best wishes to you, and all my empathy.

Let me say first, I love my co-workers, I love the type of pts I have (Oncology, lots of neutropenics, lots of hospice), and I love my facility. I think I hate acute care! I hired on in June, took boards the same week. I've been in Oncology for 3 weeks, and when I'm at work, I'm tense but mostly okay. I have great support from co-workers, but I'm still (of course) having all that new nurse awkwardness and goofiness. Nothing too awful, but I'm a perfectionist and very hard on myself. I'm always a complete goober until I feel confident in a new situation. I guess I'm trying to find out if anyone else has had similar feelings, I'm sure lots of nurses have, and how you handled them. Does sticking it out for 6 months or a year really make a huge difference? If I do genuinely dislike acute care, do I really need the experience (as several people have told me)? Or can I just call acute care "not my thing" and defect to an office setting, which is where I think I'd like to be? I plan to continue to NP school as soon as eligible, and a 5 day a week clinic setting. Any opinions or personal experiences would be appreciated. :wink2: Thanks for anything you'd like to share.