MOGA

> 900. I didn't believe it. MD said it was the biggest MI he'd ever seen. Not so good of a prognosis, obviously.

LOL! That was totally me the other day! It's really scary when they say, "This feels JUST like my last heart attack." Ah!

I was posted today! I took my NCLEX right at 3 weeks ago. Any luck on yours yet, OP?

I, too, am waiting to be posted. A friend was posted in a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping I'll have mine soon. How long has it been since you took NCLEX?

That's amazing. It's wonderful to see those miracles and recoveries. I, too, am a new grad from December, so I know what you mean by wanting to get out there and do something.

I understand the argument about being clear on what will be on exams, but I look at it this way. We're learning how to care for patients. Just because the professor says this item will not be on the exam doesn't mean it's not important for future reference. This being said, I don't like contradictions either. We're adults. Learn all you can in school, and don't stop learning. Your patients will thank you.

Hey guys, Thanks for all your encouragement and words of wisdom. I'm loving everything so far. I just passed NCLEX (yay!) so when I post to the BON I will be able to start functioning as an RN. I have gotten to see a lot of cool things (CABG's are crazy and amazing!) and am looking forward to getting to do some stuff pretty soon. The monitor tech experience was invaluable, as another poster said. One thing I really need to work on is learning the meds, and I have been told that will come with repetitive usage. I have been trying to jump in and ask questions...I just worry about getting in the way. Thanks for everything, and I'll try to update you as I progress in the residency.

I just wouldn't be surprised if there were some ramifications if you were found out, even as discrete as you are. If you really thought it was totally okay you wouldn't be hiding it. Why hide it if you're in the right? Just think about it. Don't cause yourself trouble. You're already working hard enough to get through nursing school. Don't jeoparize it.

Aside from all the legality of recording someone against their will and without their knowledge (it's essentially wire-tapping...ask the government if that has ever gotten them in trouble), think about it this way. Do you have kids? Let's say you do for a moment. You have a teenager who you specifically ask to return home before midnight. Teenagers, being the all-knowing people they think they are, think that parents are just punishing them without good reason by setting curfew. So your teenager stays out until 3am. Are you going to accept their reasoning on why what they did wasn't wrong? Nope. Just because you think that you are justified because these "mean" professors won't let you tape them doesn't make it okay. To the original question, we were fortunately provided with powerpoint copies for each lecture. If you're not, read and take notes on the material before class and the lecture will clarify things. Just add points you haven't already written down. Use some of the shorthand that you'll see in the field, like the "C" with the line over it for with, "ac" for before meals, things like that. You'll get better at it. It just takes a little time and experience to figure out how you know what you meant. It doesn't have to make sense to anyone else but you.

I have just taken one course at another school because it was offered when I needed it. But you have to make sure it will transfer. Get permission from your original school to be a transient student and get the class okayed. Sometimes technical classes will not cover all of the requirements of the course, but sometimes they do. Just cover your bases and get it checked through your registrar's office and academic advisor. You would hate to apply thinking you have everything just to be told that course won't suffice. Check into all your options.

I did go there, but I didn't go through the bridge program because I wasn't an LPN before. There isn't a waitlist that I know of, per se, because you are admitted based on GPA. How ever many they are accepting while be chosen by the highest GPAs. There is a waitlist of people to get into the program that rolls over from semester to semester, but they are not chosen over new applicants with higher GPAs. Hope that makes sense. I loved the program. It's demanding, but you learn a lot. If you contact the school, they should be able to give you a lot of information. Either way, I hope you find the right school for you! If you need anything, just ask!

I believe Emory has a good new grad program...competitive, but good. Another good one I have heard of is Northside. If your last semester of your program is anything like mine, you will get more confident. You'll learn a lot and get a lot more independence and practice. I'm starting a new grad program in GA, not in Atlanta though, next week. I feel more confident, but, like you, still feel like I need a little more practice transitioning completely to the bedside.

Congrats on getting not one, but two offers! Are they both in the same unit, such as both in med-surg, or are they different units? If they are different units, which one do you feel more passionate about? If they are the same unit, what is the acuity and the census? Are you going to get paid more to work at a dangerously high patient:nurse ratio, which could potential be a safety issue? Or are you getting paid less to have too many patients also? How long is each facility's orientation? It is important to know if they will be really supportive, and also if they will be ready to throw you out there with no help at all. Have you done clinicals or preceptorships at either facility? You can get good feel for if people are happy with their jobs if they are helpful to you when you are a student. How is the cost of living at the farther away hospital vs. the closer one? If you will be making more at the farther hospital, but having to pay more in bills, the difference in salary may not make that much difference when it comes to your bottom line. If you would rather stay where you are and save, there is no rule saying you can't relocate in a few years. But if you're ready for a change and can find safe/suitable housing that you can afford, go for the farther away facility.

I don't mind persistent...it just seems like there comes a point when it becomes excessive. It turned me off to the facility.

I had a recruiter call me constantly, back-to-back, 4 or 5 times. I mean call, let it ring, hang up, call back. I had class all day, and was on my lunch break. We were in a noisely locale, so I decided against answering and looking potentially unprofessional. This was after I saw the first call. I intended to call as soon as I was outside of the restaurant. I saw she called again, then again, and then I decided I better answer...I wasn't totally sure it was the recruiter, but knew it was the same area code. Answered, apologized for missing her call, explained...she didn't care, just wanted to get me on the phone. She was on speakerphone, which she was on everytime she called. That just bugged me. Set up an interview time, although she wanted me to come interview during finals so I could start the Monday after I graduated on Friday. Thanked her, and hung up. Go to class, and afterward, noticed a couple more calls. She didn't check the hiring manager's schedule, and that date was unavailable. By the time I got out of class the recruiter was gone for the day. Got home to find messages from the assistant trying to find me. I had already explained I had class until 4 all week. I was not evading...I just didn't get out of class after the recruiter was gone. This was just for this one week...ordinarily class isn't that long. The next morning, my home phone rang at 7 am. I don't know...I'm just accustomed to business hours. I know hospitals are 24 hour/day, but a recruiter calling at 7 am, and I live with my family who is not on a hospital schedule?? Is this normal? I understand it is their job. I understand being persistent. Other recruiters I dealt with were not at all this persistent and more respectful, it seemed.