mctavishcat

I am in the exact same position as you, and its terrible! I have an LPN license and I live in New York City. This is not an easy city to be unemployeed in. I even went ahead and got my CNA license, as a way to protect myself in case what I feared came true. But its turing out to be the same situation with CNA positions. Every single position that I have applied to is advertised through an agency. So I have contacted all of them, Competent Nursing, Town nursing, Quest Staff etc. On the phone its the same conversation. "Do you have experience as a CNA" I explained to them that I have a year of clinical expereince from nursing school. What I want to say is that I am over qualified because I am also a nurse. They tell me that the expereince is applicable, and that I can come in with my documents. So I had to go to the doctor, without health insurance, and get a head-toe assesment. This is something that I am qualified to do, but I have to pay to have someone else tell me I'm healthy. I had to get TB tested again, and the list goes on. It was very expensive. I was running all over the city trying to get these documents together, only to find out when I got to the agency that I had no experience. I explained to them that I had already explained my situation to one of their staff members over the phone, and they had assured me that they could place me. They used the word "place you immediately". I asked them how LPn were supposed to find jobs as noone will hire new graduates. The girl interviewing me was useless. She just shrugged her shoulders and literally said "I don't know". I was so irrritated. Thankfully one of her coworkers, stepped in. She told me that a lot of nursing homes will let you do volunteer experience, and then hire you. She also said that its a good idea to get a job as a CNA, work hard, and many nursing homes will hire you when an LPn job opens up. Basically get in any way you can, and work your way up. So now I am signed on with two staffing agencies, and just hoping that something comes out of it. But its so aggrevating. Its so unfair, and nothing will change it. They just don't care! I just wish nursing school will do a better job of informing students what the job market is really like so we don't waste out money and time. If companies will not hire new graduates they should tell us that if we want to be nurses we will have to get used to the idea of waiting in a long line after we graduate. All I know is that the next person who tells me that there is a nursing shortage and that there is an abundance of jobs, is getting smacked. Sorry that last remark was unprofessional but I sick of being so scared and stressed out about how I'm going to eat. I have two degrees and nothing but debt. Good Luck

Thanks for that. I'm sure that will work better than Craig's List!

Hello everyone, I will not be graduating until the end of the summer, but I like to look around for jobs just to see whats out there. The problem is once I begin to look online, I get overwhelmed by spam. I do not trust Craig's List. I am interested in working in wound care, or a wellness clinic, but am prepared to take almost any job just to get my foot in the door. I will be living in NYC, so if anyone has experience in the hunt for nursing jobs I would love to hear your tale. Take care everyone!

you guys rock!

Hi Everyone, I am in need of some advice. I am in my second term of nursing school and thinking about where to work after graduating. Most of my clinical experience has been on a Med Surg floor. I have seen a lot of GI and cardiovascular patients and can't help thinking that almost everything they are admitting for could have been preventable. I really, REALLY, want to work with people in their 20's and 30's teaching preventive health strategies. I am worried that I should have gone into wellness coaching instead of traditional nursing school. This worries me because this is my second career, and I don't want to have to start all over yet again. I have a BA in education, have taught all over the world, and gave everything up to go to nursing school. Does anyone if there is work for traditional nurses in wellness? I have tried to research it on the net but I'm terrible at research and overwhelmed by all the spam that pops up. I will finish school with an LPN license, and am planning of transitioning into an RN program after gaining some work experience. I'm very interested in weight loss, nutrition, and sex education. I know that preventive health is growing in this country and I really want to be apart of it. So if anyone has experience in this field, or any information about wellness companies that hire nurses please let me know. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!! Mctavistcat

Hey There, I think other people responded saying that it all depends on how you study. There is a lot of truth to this. But before I started nursing school I was a teacher and can tell you that there are many advantages to studying in a group. Firstly think about input versus output. Studying independently and taking notes in lecture offers a great deal of input. You are processing the information internally which is very important to studying. Unfortunately, the only time we get to really asses how much information was retained is while taking tests. This is called output. When learning new material you want to ask yourself two questions; Do I understand the material that I'm reading, and can I explain the material that I'm reading. The second part is very important in nursing because at work we are expected to explain many things to our patients. This is where a study group can be really beneficial. It gives you a chance to explain the material out loud. By doing this it also brings to the surface several concepts that you may have missed studying independently. Additionally, it gives you a chance to compare class notes. I have yet to have participated in a study group where our note where identical. I think you also asked how to best prepare for a study group. Firstly keep the numbers small. I wouldn't want more than four people in the group. If you get too many people you will most likely get distracted and start talking about other things. Secondly they work best after you have already studied on your own. Remember study groups are about the OUTPUT. If you come unprepared you will miss out on the chance to explain the material out loud, which is the whole point. It helps if your groups decides which chapters to cover before meeting. Now if you really feel like you have a grip on the material it might be beneficial for you to pair up with people that are struggling. This can actually be very beneficial for you, to tutor other people. Tutor programs are aimed a helping people that are behind but they are equally beneficial for the tutor. You will be answering questions, which will clarify information for you. Its also a huge part of nursing. I hope this helps!

Hello Everyone, I am thrilled about getting accepted into nursing school, although I got into the LPN instead of the RN program. I've been told that its easier to get into a transition program, once I get my LPN license. I am a bit concerned about being able to work in another state when I finish school. I have lived all over the world, and am only back in Indianapolis for the in state tuition. I was hoping to apply for jobs out of state once I finish. Is this possible? From what I hear you just need to pass each states nursing exam, and pay a fee in order to be qualified for that state. I really hope this is true. It just hit me today that I might be stuck somewhere that I don't want to be. If anyone is familiar with this situation please let me know.

Thank you guiltysins! This is the information I really need to make a decision. Thanks for taking you time to reply.

Hi everyone, I received such supportive and useful advice the last time that I posted so I thought I would try again. I have been working, as a teacher, out of the country for a LONG time. I am coming back to the states now with no money at age 30 and very eagor to start nursing school. I am from Indianapolis and so the logical plan would be to work really hard, save some money, then enroll at IUPUI where I can live at home for a while and save on rent. All of my freinds, and livelyhood however, are in NYC. I was planning on moving there after finishing school but I am not sure that I want to spend the younger half of this new decade in the midwest. My question, can anyone offer advice on nursing schools in general in NYC, for people with out of state residence? My friend, living in NYC suggested CUNY. Has anyone experienced a similar situation? I am not sure if I am planning ot take on too much at once. I know that I can tutor, and serve drinks on the side but the stress of school could add up. Any advice is appreciated and welcomed. Thanks so much! mctavishcat

Thank you for the offer... I am still in the dream stages of becoming the nurse but am now actively seeking information from my nursing friends and people like you. I am a teacher and have been teaching in Japan and now Argentina for the last 4 years. Its been a great experience but I know that I don't love teaching as much as I should. My passion is for health. I have a question about choosing a nursing school. I am also concerned with the amount of time and money that it will take me to get through nursing school. I am from Indiana but received my BA in humanities from a Colorado University. Also regarding the prereqs. I took chemistry, biology, physcology, geology, and physics about a century ago but I think I will have to take them again. I had a B in bio, an A in physc and a C in Chemistry. Do you think I might be able to take these prereqs online? I ask because I know that I will be teaching in Mexico for the next year. It would be nice to have all of the prereqs out of the way before coming back to the states. And then regarding nursing school.... This is going to sound vauge but whats in store? I am really in the dark about time, money, course work, and field work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime good luck to you and congratulations. Thanks again for offering to share your expieriences. Chao, mctavishcat

Thanks for the advice. I still have time to think about it as I'll be in South America for another year but I'd like to start investing schools. Can I ask how many years most people have to spend in nursing school?

Hello All, I have been considering a career change for the past few years. My background is in teaching. I have a BA in humanities and elementary education, and I've spent the past 4 years teaching abroad. (Three in Japan, and one in Argentina). I'm still in Argentina now, and will be in South America for at least one more year. But when I do return to the states, I think I will really want to make a serious career change. First I should say that I never considered nursing before because I never thought that I could handle the science. It was not until I finished university, that I realized that I had a passion for nutrition, and chemistry. I began to adopt a much healthier life towards the end of University and I think that is where the new found interest in nutrition, and health in general was born. I am really interested in preventive health strategies, and working with people who are over weight. If anyone has any advice on what approach to take with nursing it would be greatly appreciated. I am also concerned with the course work. Since my background is in teaching and history, I get the feeling that I would be very behind. Is it feasible? And as vague as this next question sounds its very important. What am I really getting myself into both with schooling and work? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! Becky