sugarbush

I feel your pain... I am an experienced RN and can't get a job in CT. Thankfully I am employed in KY, but my wife's job transfered to CT. So Now we are living 700 miles apart and making frequent trips back and forth. The nurse recruiters I am speaking with are saying to give it a year and things will start to turn around. Hospitals in CT are receiving 100s of applicants for every position they have open. I have been told that if you don't have a family member employed at the hospital, to put down as a referral, to forget about even getting an interview. I am also trying to be creative and seek out any and all job opportunities.... been looking for almost 3 months now.

Hospitals have never liked hiring new grads. It usually is expected when you enter nursing school that when you get out you will have to work in a nursing home for a few years. The new grad thing isn't about the nursing shortage... Job openings in hospitals are mostly filling previously filled position, not a new position. So the area has a set number of experienced nurses and they move around positions. There is a shortage, My average pt load is 7 pts... We don't even have time to take breaks and it often takes 1-1.5 hrs after the end of our shift to finish our work. Hospitals usually go a few years when they don't hire new grads until they get to a point that they have to to fill positions... then they do for a few years. As far as applying for 500 positions and not getting a job? My guess would be that they are applying to the same places over and over again... After a while HR gets sick of seeing your name.

I don't think the "trick" is valid. You can't retake the exam for six weeks if you don't pass, so it isn't going to let you register anyway. You also already used your ATT when you registered the first time so it isn't going to be valid for a second time. You can probably log onto your board of nursing and check your license status within the next day or so.

We are considering a move to the Waterbury CT area and I am wondering how the job market for RNs is in the area. I am currently a night shift RN on a post/op floor. I want to stay on nights and in the hospital setting, but am open to taking a public health job or LTC. I am also willing to commute within an hr in any direction.

RUN!!! If you are the only RN over seeing 3 LPNs and they say you are not the one liable for the decisions you make they are not being honest with you. If you are uncomfortable with the situation then turn it down. The only way these places will change is if people start telling them no. The bottom line is you are the charge nurse of the shift. You will be liable for the actions of EVERYBODY in your charge. Get used to that, it is part of the job you have chosen as a career and almost all RNs are going to be in charge at some point. But if you are not comfortable with it right now you need to find another job that gives you more time to grow into your RN role.

I work nights and our shift goes like this: 19:00 Get report 19:30 start passing meds and doing assessments, BGs, Changing past due IVs left over from days, Check charts for orders left undone by days, call pharmacy 100 times for drugs that are not on the floor and due at 2100. Do dsg changes that are due. Get done with all that about 0100 and start charting without stopping for a break. 0230 round before starting chart checks. 0300 Start chart checks and reconcile MARS for am shift start. 0430 finally have time to stop for a quick break before it is time to start am med rounds, consents for procedures, am BGs, Discharges for am shift etc. I don't know about day shift, but we earn ever red cent on nights.

I think the review courses are a complete waste of money. New grads just spent the last 2-4 years of their lives prepping for NCLEX. I know people who used review courses and the pass rate didn't seem any better than those of us who did without it. I passed mine in 75 questions without a course and no I wasn't a straight A student... I had a C average.

Central and Eastern KY still has a nursing shortage. Lexington's St Joe and UK are both hiring New Graduates.

If the ANA has their way by 2025 we will all have to have a Doctorate of Nursing to even work with patients. We wait long enough maybe we all will be upgraded to a DR. without going back to school:D

One thing to keep in mind is that generally people do better on a comprehensive final than they do on a general test. The general test is 50 questions all on related material so you have to know a lot about the subject. A comprehensive final is 100 questions on a lot of different material so you can only need a basic knowledge in each area because there are a lot fewer questions per area.

State school instate tuition costs about 7 K per semester counting everything, tuition, books, room and board, travel etc. I currently have about 48 K into my nursing education.

Why waiting until Fall? I passed level one on my first try, but I have a friend who did not. At our school when I started if you did not have a 77 at mid-term they kicked you out of the program... He didn't make it, but came right back in and repeated and did much better the second time around. I had to repeat med/surg 1 (second level) I felt like I learned a lot better the second time around and hope I am a better nurse for it. Nursing school is tough. The class graduating right now at my school started with 118 people and are only graduating 27 who started with that class.

I am male and had no problems in OB with patients refusing me because of it... I saw three C-sections...the day I was supposed to watch a vag delivery none occurred while we were there. I spent 4 days in postpartum massaging funduses and teaching breast feeding... It was so much fun trying to act like I knew something about proper latch....lol

I really liked OB and love pediatrics. C-sections rock.... My OB advice is do not forget Risk for Maternal Injury; Hemorrhage and Risk for Neonatal Injury; thermoregulation on your care plans. For Peds keep in mind that children compensate for hemorrhage... You will not see reduced BP until they are on the verge of shock. First vital sign indication of hemorrhage in children under age 8 will be Tachycardia.

Write a letter to the dean of your school, they can override the readmission board decision. Follow the chain of command and maybe you will get re-admitted. I know how you feel, I am exactly 3 days way from the same situation. I have not progressed before and have been readmitted, it sucks, but life goes on and sometimes we just gotta keep trying.