TissueBanker

I graduate April 23 from the Lakeland campus and I have had a job lined up for 4 weeks (formally). I start orientation May 10th. I got a job as a Nurse tech at a local hospital in the Mental Health Unit in December and my manager offered me their only FT days position open after working there for 2 months. My best advise for any students would be to start looking for Nurse Tech job in an area of interest as soon as your school load will allow. My unit manager explained it like this to me: Once your hired as an employee of the hospital, it costs the hospital about 15,000.-20,000. to orient and train you. If they made the correct decision in their hiring decision, they are looking for a future nurse for their unit. The hospital has invested alot of money in you, they want to keep you there. If there isn't an opening in your unit, look for one in another unit. It is hard to finish school and work, but it has been worth it in the end. As of right now, I am the only student in our graduating class that has a job. I start as a "Senior Nurse Tech" until I recieve my sit pass, then I become a graduate nurse until I pass NCLEX. I start my RN pay the day I start orientation, even though I have a Sr Nurse Tech title. The hospital even offered to pay for my NCLEX fees. (I declined since they are included in our tuition) Good Luck to you all. Hopefully these "hiring" issues will be over sooner rather than later.

I really want to go into psych too. I graduate in April '10. Did you have a hard time getting a psych job being a new grad with no experience? I'm trying to get a volunteer position as a crisis counselor right now so that I can get a little experience to help me out with dealing with crisis patients and to be able to have on a resume. Thanks for your reply in advance. Hope the job works out well for you. Christian

Thanks for the advise. Florida job market isn't much better:cry:. I am going to try to do my preceptorship at an inpatient psych facility here. If I'm offered a position, I'll probably stay her for at least another year. Wish me luck! I'm gonna need it!

Has anyone worked within the State system for Mental Health? How hard is it to obtain a state job? What is the lag time between being eligible and employment (if jobs are available)? I am moving back to So. Cal from Florida in June of 2010 and would like to work in Psych. I looked into Patton Hospital in San Bernadino and was wondering if anyone could give me any insight on the working conditions or any positive/ negatives that they were aware of. I have lived in So. Cal. for most of my life and would like to stay in the Riverside County/ San Bernadino county area if possible, but any insight on any of the state hosp. would be great. I will be graduating nursing school in April. Thanks for your help. Christian

I am starting my Psych rotation in a couple of weeks and was wondering if the clinical day is anything like a working psych nurse's day. What can I do to enhance my clinical experience if Psych is the field I would like to end up in. Thnaks for your responses

I guess what my question should be is, does the nursing community look differently on a BS in Forensics differently than they would a BSN

So, I'm not too sure where to go with this question. I'm just going to throw it out there and see if anyone has an answer for me. I have always been very interested in the "why" of things. The last 7 years I have been working in the Tissue banking field as a recovery tech and medical/social screener (working with very recently passed away people- less than 24 hours). I went to school for a semester about 4 years ago to be a CSI, but when I found out how little money they make, decided it wasn't worth it. In my area, to be a Death Investigator, you only need a BS in a medical related field or equal experience in the field. I can't wait to graduate nursing school in April and become a nurse. I know that I want to continue my education and obtain at least a BS, and maybe even a Master's degree. Here's my question. Is it possible to obtain a BS in Forensic Science from my ASN and if so, how would that be looked upon in the nursing community regarding employment. I would ultimately like to work 3-12hr shifts at the hospital and 2-3 shifts as a Death investigator at the MEO. I wouldn't actually need the degree in FS to get that job, but believe that it would definately help me out with extra knowledge needed to do the job and be really good at it. If anyone has any answers or advise, I would love to hear it. Thanks in advance.

When I started in January of 08, my start date for the nursing program was 09/09. I finished my pre-reqs in October and was accepted into the program for the January start date. You can go to the dean at anytime to see where you are on the list. She is very nice. It's a pretty sure bet that you'll be bumped, just a matter of how quickly. Good Luck! Christian

I am scheduled to have my reconstruction done in April. I had a bilateral mastectomy last year in Aug. I had two lumpectomies before that and then had Chemo. I had the option of just having the lumpectomy and then radiation, but my PS informed me that the radiation made a successful reconstruction almost impossible. I decided to go with a L side Mast. and a R side prophylactic mast. I must say, my reasons for the reconstruction was all for the physical effect. I had breast implants before my cancer was Dx. I am still quite self conscious with my husband. I do not have nipples and the breast are REALLY hard. I look like a Barbie in this area. I can't wait for April. The final result is going to be GREAT! I am still young and just couldn't bear to look at myself without my breast. Hope this helps. If you have any questions for me, I am more than willing to answer. Good Luck. Christian

According to my Fundi's teacher, the reason that a BSN or higher would be valuable is because the ANA and others are trying to push for an entry-level nurse to have a minimum of a BSN. This nurse would function as an ASN does at entry level. Nurse Specialist would be at the Masters level ( Old BSN Level)and NP and Management would be at the PhD. level. The thinking behind this is that if nurses are more highly educated, they can work more autonomously. Autonomy means that we are now looked at as an equal in any collaborative process. Once nurses work autonomously, they are billable. This means that the hospital is able to bill the pt for our services. We then become an asset for the hospital and not just lumped in with the amount billed for the hospital stay. We will then be in a better position to ask the Powers That Be for a salary that we are worth. We will be able to accurately describe what it is that we do and to bill accordingly. Nurses that are grandfathered in do not HAVE to get their BSN to keep their license, but if a hospital posts a job, it can expressly specify that a BSN would be required for the position. The new grad with the BSN will get the job over the ASN RN with a lot of experience. I wasn't sure if I was going to on to get my BSN after ASN, but I have pretty much made up my mind now. Not only am I going to get my BSN online, I will probably go on to get my Master's too.

I just started school last Monday. I work 3 -12 hour graveyard shifts (0700-1900) on Thurs Fri and Sat. There are days like yesterday and today that I don't sleep for 48 hrs. I awoke at 0700 yesterday, went to school from 0830 until 1330, picked up my 4 girls from school, went home, made dinner and helped kids with homework, went to work at 1900. The next morning I got off work at 0700, drove an hour home, threw the kids in some clothes and shoved them in the car so that we would make it to the bus stop before the bus arrived. After dropping them off I went straight to school again. Got out of school at 1330, went home, studied for an hour and a half, picked girls up at bus stop at 1600. Changed clothes and her I am at work. I will work until 0700 and them I will FINALLY get to go home and sleep. (My Mom is kind enough to take the girls for the day so I can sleep in peace!) Back to work for the last day of my week. It has been a really hectic week. We already had a test today. My only saving grace is that by the 21st of January we will not have to go to class on Fridays since we are starting our clincals. YEAH! A day to rest-- I mean study!

I'm not a nurse yet, but I have had multiple surgeries due to breast cancer recently and my hospital has a great way of informing pt what the status of their loved one is. The pt is given a small "transmitter" that is clipped to their clothing when they register at the hospital or go into the pre-op area. The family/friend is given a beeper with a number on it that corresponds to the patient. When the patient moves from one area to another, the beeper digitally displays the movement of the patient. There are also big TV screens in all the waiting rooms that display the number (for privacy) and where the pt is located. When the pt is able to have visitors, the beeper tells the family/friend where the pt is located. This has been wonderful for my family. They knew exactly where I was in my process and it allowed them to relax a little. They didn't feel the need to have to ask the nurses or receptionist what my status was. It's a great system. By the way, the hospital is Lakeland Regional in Lakeland Florida. They use this system in their outpatient surgical center also.