Ash1223

Thanks pinkgator for your response! How long ago did you move to NY? Congrats on landing a new grad position, if it's anything like CA, then it must have been brutal. Is it better to sign up with a traveling nurse company and get placed in NYC? Also is it harder if you find a job with only one year of RN experience vs. two years? Are most hospitals on 8 or 12 hour shifts? Do you recommend living close to the hospital you work at? My sisters live in NYC and I visit as often as I can. I love it there! I can't wait to move in a few months! Thanks agian!

Hello I'm thinking about moving from another state to NYC. I only have one year of critical care experience and I'm wondering if it's easy or hard to find a job as an RN with only one year of experience. Thanks.

So I'm a bit confused. What's the difference bwtween CCU- Coronary Care Unit and CVICU- Cardio-Vascular ICU?

Hello, I am a new grad and just landed a job in the CVICU, starting in about a month. I'm a bit anxious about it so I've been looking at books to get to help me get up to speed more quickly. I came across the following book and would like to know if it's a good book to start out with. If not maybe you could recommend another one? AACN Advanced Critical Care Nursing (AACN'S CLINICAL REFERENCE FOR CLINICAL CARE NURSING (MOSBY)) (Hardcover) by AACN (Author), Karen K. Carlson (Editor) 1 edition (April 24, 2008) I'd also really appreciate any advise you might have for me as a new grad in the CVICU. What is the most important thing I should be studying before I start? What are the most common mistakes made in this unit that I should be careful not to do? Thank you so much!

Hello, I am a new grad and just landed a job in the CVICU, starting in about a month. I'm a bit anxious about it so I've been looking at books to get to help me get up to speed more quickly. I came across the following book and would like to know if it's a good book to start out with. If not maybe you could recommend another one? AACN Advanced Critical Care Nursing (AACN'S CLINICAL REFERENCE FOR CLINICAL CARE NURSING (MOSBY)) (Hardcover) by AACN (Author), Karen K. Carlson (Editor) 1 edition (April 24, 2008) I'd also really appreciate any advise you might have for me as a new grad in the CVICU. What is the most important thing I should be studying before I start? What are the most common mistakes made in this unit that I should be careful not to do? Thank you so much!

Do I need to pass the CEN exam in order to work in any NY ER department?

Hello, I'm a new grad in California and I'm very grateful to have been offered two new grad positions. The first on is in Cardiovascular ICU and the other is in ED. My passion lies in ED and I'm not sure which position to take. I plan on moving to New York City once I get my one year of experience and I would like to know if it's easier to get a job into the ED with one year of CVICU or ED experience? Does it even matter? Do you think one would be a better ED nurse with some ICU experience under their belt? Thanks.

Hello, I'm a new grad who graduated at the end of summer and received my RN license in November. I've had the very good fortune of having just gotten two job offers and I'm not sure which one to accept. They are both in California but one is in the Bay Area (where I currently live) and the other is in Bakersfield (a horrible area). But besides the location, the biggest difference is the Bay Area hospital's job is in the ICU and the other hospital is in the ER. Now I absolutely love the ER and that is where my passion lies, but I would have to sacrifice a great location, friends, family, pay, etc... to work in the ER and I'm not sure if it's worth it. Here are some of the biggest differences between the two hospitals. Which one would you suggest I take? Do I choose the according to the unit or the location/lifestyle/support/pay/perfect schedule (days)? BayAreaHospital ICU Days No Weekends for duration of my training 3 days/week, 12 hr shifts = 72 hours/biweekly $43/hr Only 3 months of training- no extension Half of nurses in the unit don't like New Grads Attitude: "What can I do for their hospital?" Doesn't care about education advancement Better Benefits Not as comfortable in ICU unit Would like to buy a condo area LOCATION IS WAY BETTER Much more stressful unit Learn A LOT of very critical/intellectual information Bakersfield Emergency Department Nights Every other weekend 3-4 nights/week 12 hour shifts = 84 hours/biweekly $33/hr 3 months training- with possible extension Teaching hospital- all new grads are highly welcome and appreciated Attitude: "What can hospital do for me?" Encourages education advancement Worse Benefits VERY VERY comfortable in ER- more my pace/personality mixes better with ER No real estate investment at this point Terrible location- bad pollution/weather/area Very busy but less stressful and much more fun! It's more my element Learn a broader range of medicine but less detailed and critical- beside the traumas. Thanks for your advice/input!

I'm in CA and I was issued my license 12/1/08 and it expires 8/31/10. I thought since I graduated from nursing school on that date, they gave me two years according to my graduation date. But who know?!?!

I just graduated at the end of summer and yesterday I got offered a job in an ICU in the Bay Area of California. They are starting me off at $42.75 for days and a night differential of six dollars more. But I have a friend working in San Francisco who is also a new grad and she is making $53/hr on a night shift in Postpartum. Now THAT'S good money!

The start pay at the county hospital- Kern Medical Center - is about $26.50 with a 4% increase in July. I'm assuming the other hospitals in Bakersfield are comparable. There isn't much to do there. I just graduated from Cal. State Univ, Bakersfield- so I lived there for 3 years. Now I'm up in the Bay Area. After two months of searching I just landed a job in the ICU, today! Last week I actually went back to Bakersfield to get a job at Kern Medical Center, which they offered to me on the spot! But now that this job came through I will be staying in the Bay Area. When I lived in Bakersfield I spent my free time at the gym, movies, bookstores, shopping...The weather is horrible, freezing in the winter, 110 degrees in the summer, as well as one of the worst air qualities in the state. It's not very pleasant but if you busy and have your own social network it's OK temporarily, in my opinion. Good Luck!

My initial phone interview given by the nurse recruiter included the following questions: Why did I apply to their hospital What would my instructors say about me? Give an example of a conflict that I encountered with my teacher/peers/preceptor and what did I do about it? What are the top three departments I wan to work in? Why did I go into nursing? How is my job search going? I did get called in for a live interview with the nurse manager. Last week she called me in for a second interview which I just had two days ago. I will know by the end of this week if I got the job. They narrowed it down to 4 interviewees for 2 spots.... I'm still waiting anxiously Good luck!

For those accepted to Good Sam: How many interviews did you have? What were they like? I've got a second interview at Good Sam in San Jose, CA and I'm wondering what I should expect. It's for the CVICU and there are only two spots for new grads. Thanks.

Charlotte, What other things did you find wrong with Good Sam in LA? Thanks.

Hello, I went in for a first interview with the CVICU nurse manager. She said I interviewed very well but her concern was that my true passion lies in the ER. Since I had previously been asked by the nurse recruiter to rank my top three choices for units to work in, and I had given ER, ICU, and Med-Surg, I couldn't deny that I'd prefer to work in the ER. Well, low and behold I got a call asking me to come in for a second interview with the nurse who will be directly in charge of training the two new grads who get hired. The first interview the nurse manager asked me a wide topic of questions starting out with : Tell me about yourself What my strengths/weaknesses are, Why do I want to be a nurse What would I do if two nurses where talking badly about the nurse manager in front of me what would I do, What would I do if someone complained of chest pain, What would I do if I found a patient on the floor, Name a drug that would effect the EKG and what I would expect to see What would you do if a physician started yelling at you about something you did? I'm really really scared anticipating this interview. Since there are absolutely almost no one hiring new grads in the Bay Area of California I feel a lot of pressure to get this job. Just to get an interview is amazing. So I'm wondering if anyone out there who has gone on a second interview and how it differed from the first. What would they be looking for? What types of questions can I expect? Will it be like the first one just with a different person? Any information is appreciated. Thanks.

Sure, it's called Kern Medical Center- which is the county hospital. It's a great place to learn since it's a teaching hospital so people there are used to teaching you things and are happy to do so. Even the doctors will take time to explain things to you- especially the residents. Also the doctors there really respect the nurses and their opinions. I was a paid nurse extern there for my last year of nursing school and floated to many departments. This is the general attitude of the people working in the hospital. Maybe I'll see you there!

Bakersfield in the Central Valley of California is still hiring. I graduated from nursing school in Bakersfield in August of 2008. I moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area- where I'm from- and still can't land myself a new grad job. So now after speaking to the nurse manager in my favorite hospital in Bakersfield, I'm going in for an interview next week. The vibes between the two areas are like night and day. In the Bay Area you are one of a thousands new grads and the nurse managers don't have the time of day for you. But in Bakersfield they are so appreciative of your interest, treat you so well, are so welcoming, and really try to accommodate your interests and needs. Also in Bakersfield I will be able to work in the department of my choice- the Emergency Dept. and if in the Bay Area I've been applying to any position open, even if I dislike the unit. The biggest difference between the two places is the pay. In Bakersfield you start out at about $27/hr and in the Bay Are you start out at $45-$47/hr , so it's a big difference. Good Luck in your search, and let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!

To lovely tt, I didn't utilize Suzzannes plan, but yesterday I was considering it, since I thought I hadn't passed. A lot of people recommend it on this website so it may be worth trying it. I'm sorry you are having a difficult time passing this test- it's very nerve racking. I really don't think this test is a measure of your knowledge, but more of a skill in how to take this specific KIND of test. Kaplan really helped me differentiate between right and wrong answers, since the NCLEX is looking for very specific types of answers (i.e. the safest thing, don't pass the buck, always stay with the patient...). Writing things that were unfamiliar or confusing to me really helped. Figure out where your weaknesses are- if it's knowledge based or Don't give up- you can do it! Good Luck.

Hello, I promised myself I would post on here if I passed, because this website helped me a lot the last couple of months. A little background first. The first time I took this test, I didn't study. I accidentally signed up for the exam the night before I took it and since it was less then 24 hours until the exam I couldn't change the date. So I was forced to take the exam or lose my $200. Needless to say I failed miserably at 75 questions. This time I took the exam I took two months to study, used Kaplan religiously, wrote things down in a notebook, used the internet to look up information, used Saunders 3rd ed. and basically lived and breathed the NCLEX for two months. The day before the exam I paid for a massage/hot tub/steam room time at a spa. I did everything that people suggested to me and just worked really hard. I took the exam in CA the Monday before Thanksgiving- the 24th. I felt really good about the exam- like the test wasn't super hard or anything. But I realized that that is a bad sign and the next few days following that, questions from the test would pop into my head and I'd look up the answers and they would be wrong. On the exam I got 75 questions and about 7-8 meds, 6 SATA, lots of prioritizing and not much delegation. I don't remember any maternity, psych or peds questions. To me, I thought I got a lot of easy questions - or knowledge based ones, which made me very nervous. This past week was HELL. As the days kept going by my didn't appear on the BRN website. Then this morning 8 days later I saw my name on the website!!!!!!! I PASSED!!!! I am in shock with disbelief. Thanks to everyone for their help and support- it really helped me. Good luck to everyone else who is taking this exam- YOU CAN DO IT!!!