torreypines

i just had an interview with HR and a unit manager in a hospital. should i send them both a thank you note? or would that come across as being a s*ck up?

A lot of people say that new grads should contact the UM but what if you don't know the names of the unit managers in the first place? Do I just go and drop by every floor in a hospital and ask to speak to the UM? Wouldn't that make me stalker of some sort? As much as I would love to be aggressive about it, I don't want to come off as obnoxious or demanding. and what is the point of having a HR department if they don't work together with the UM?

the thing about agencies is that they take a cut out of your paycheck for a certain number of years. i don't know if it's that way for all agencies but that's what i've heard. i dunno...i haven't received any calls either

211 allows u to record and sometimes, we just hide it in our pencil cases hehe

a laptop is not a requirement and it certainly doesn't guarantee a student better grades. i passed the csn rn program with the use of a pen, notebook and recorder....emphasis on the recorder cuz it helps more than your laptop. still, presence of mind (not daydreaming) and reading your chapters before class starts will get you an A.

how much do dialysis RNs make? that's an average hourly rate? and if you know the NV rate that would be even better.

^ i guess it depends on what field of nursing are u more interested in...the thing about theory is...do u just make up a theory out of the blue? theory comes from being exposed and participating in the real world. u don't just sit in your kitchen counter on one rainy morning and have a light bulb moment. something happened in the real world, in real time and it led you to your idea. if not, then i should just lock myself in a glass cube and hope that i will come up with the next big invention. plus, even when your doing your research, you still have to go out there and test your theory...which is why i say applying one's knowledge is more important and when u apply nursing theories in a work setting, they call it experience. for example, in nursing school, they teach u the steps and techniques for an IV start but u still need to practice get it right? and u can practice on a dummy all u want but a real patient is so much different.

hi! i'm a new grad nurse and am working med-surg. i'm also complete newbie in the world of running. my goal is to finish the las vegas half-marathon. i started my training in the summer but had to stop cuz of the demands of nursing school. my question is --- with these crazy 12-hr shifts, should i just postpone my training during my days-off? or do i keep up even when i'm so tired at the end of a shift? does anybody have any training i could follow? would greatly appreciate it.

there are RN (ADN) to MSN programs. yes, it takes longer but personally, it's better to gain more experience in nursing so i suggest going for CSN. if you think about it, nursing boils down to experience. you can get all the degrees you want but if you can't apply all that knowledge in the real world, it's useless. it's just all theory.

well, it does take 3 yrs for ADN in CSN but CSN has the highest passing rate for NCLEX boards and that's more important than having a bachelor's degree. when you get your ADN, you can apply for the RN to BSN program in NSC. I think it takes around 1 year too.

congrats! PM me for my recommendation of instructor for nurs101 lab & clinicals.

i would think twice before trying apollo. i went to the NV nursing board meeting last month and the board officials disapprove their new director of nursing education. they even warned the school that they might not get their accreditation. and if you graduate from an unaccredited nursing school, you might not get a job and you'll be wasting your time, money and most of all, HARD WORK.

^ that's what i noticed about summerlin nurses. they seem happier compared to the sunrise & spring valley nurses. i could be wrong, though hehe

to the nursing hopefuls, i wish you all the best. good luck! my advice: i heard that some students have taken up pharmacology before they entered the program. i'm not sure what criteria they have on this but nway, even if you can't take the pharm class, i encourage you to start reading up on pharmacology. go to bldg k & ask some of the nursing students in the program about the pharm book so while you're waiting for your acceptance letters, just go over (or skim) some of the chapters. personally, i had a hard time in the first 2 semesters simply because i was unfamiliar with the medications. nurs101 is hard enough especially if you're new to the healthcare field. you don't have to memorize all the medications but at least, be familiar with the names (generic & trade names) and concepts of pathophysiology behind the medications. for example, understand how epinephrine is used for asthma attacks and for cardiac arrest situations.

i heard about this, too. i went to nv state board meeting last month and the board officials were talking about nursing students in vegas who move out of state once they graduate. they said that nv has the highest need for nurses amongst 50 states but if the nursing graduates just come here to study then leave, they'll never solve the shortage crisis. as much as i completely understand and agree with them, i also understand why these graduates are moving out in the first place. if hospitals in the valley won't give us a chance, then we'll try our luck somewhere else. yes, this is all mainly due to the recession but we can't just keep on waiting until things get better. what exactly can we do? i'm not sure and i don't know. maybe the nv nursing board can encourage hospitals or facilities to give hiring preference to nurses who reside in vegas longer. for example, if nurse a is from vegas and has 8 months experience in medsurg and nurse b is from ohio with 2 yrs experience in medsurg, nurse a should have more chances of getting hired. it's true that 2 yrs of experience is something as compared to an 8 months experience but how can we encourage nursing students to stay? nway, that's just an idea.