mfrancisco

Hi everyone, I have tried to search this specific topic, and haven't found the information that I am looking for, so I am looking for some advice from this great community. I started as a new grad RN on a very busy Pediatric Med-Surg floor in a large, urban teaching hospital. We have recently added a transitional care unit, so I have been working there as well, too. I have been working there for three years now as of September. I've always been interested in ER nursing, but started in Peds because I was a Unit Clerk there and it was a great opportunity considering the job market back then. I think I am ready to move on now, but every job opening I see requires at least a year of experience in the ED. Any advice on how to make myself marketable? I have PALS already. Thanks so much, Melissa

Thank you so much for your responses!! My initial feeling was to put down the clinicals. I got a bit confused after reading all of the different opinions. I also feel like my resume is going to be too long with all of that on there. I like the idea of putting the experiences that are relevant to the job I will be applying for. I also read somewhere that it may be a good idea to enclose a separate page with all of the clinical experiences listed out. I have completed my resume, and I feel like it looks good, but this is so important that I am still thinking about having it professionally done. I just finished my last clinical rotation, and am now going to be starting preceptorship in a couple of weeks, so I have a some time to work on all of this. The problem is I want to use a service that specifically does resumes for new grad nurses. I'll have to do some research, and I will post any info that I find. Again, thanks for your responses. It makes sense to put the clinical experiences. We spent a whole semester in a very busy teaching hospital, so I wouldn't want to leave that out. Thanks!!!

Thanks for the response! I have been thinking about having a resume writer do mine. Did you find one online? I have found some, but want someone with nursing resume experience specifically. Did you use someone online, and do you mind sending me a private message with the company you used? Thank you so much!

Hi everyone, I've been searching various threads about this topic, and I just wanted to get some opinions. I couldn't come up with a definitive answer. I'm working on my resume (new grad this upcoming May), and don't know if I should be listing my clinical rotations, hours, hospitals, etc. Someone had a good point when they said that every nursing school has similar rotations, so the person that you are sending your resume to already knows what the clinical hours generally consist of. What do you think? Should I just omit them, and list work experience and volunteer experience. Also, do we list GPA? Thanks! My resume is pretty much ready to go except for the clinicals/GPA questions. Thanks!!!

Thank you for the responses! I will be doing my preceptorship where I work on the Peds Med-Surg floor. I really do think that Peds Onc would be mainly observational as mentioned above, so I do think that Med-Surg would be best. I also talked to several nurses at work who pointed out that it will help me to be more prepared if I get a job on the floor when I graduate. I really would like to specialize later on, but do believe that I should have the Med-Surg experience. I am not sure yet exactly what I would want to do in the future. I keep thinking that eventually critical care would be fascinating, so I would like to start off in Med-Surg for the experience. Thank you so much for your replies!!

Hi everyone, I have a dilemna, and have been searching through the threads for answers to my question, but can't find anything exactly like my situation. I'm hoping to get some of your opinions!! Here is the situation: I currently work as a Unit Clerk at a large teaching hospital on the Pediatric Med-Surg floor. I will be changing to a CNA role in the next couple of months. I am graduating from nursing school in May, and am in the process of picking my preceptorship for the last semester. Here's the problem. I had already asked the Nurse Manager on the floor where I work if I could do my preceptorship on the floor. She said yes, and to just let her know when I submitted my name to the Education person. We were asked by our school to submit our preference of specialty and location. I went to talk to the teacher in charge of preceptorship placement, and she said that the school has a placement in Peds Oncology (at a Children's Hospital) that would be a great experience. She is willing to place me at my job, but thinks that doing the Peds Onc preceptorship will still look great for getting a job as an RN where I work. She said to check with my boss and see what she thinks. My dilemma is that I am wondering if it is better to do the Peds Med-Surg preceptorship at my job, or the Peds Onc preceptorship at the other hospital. With the way the economy is, I am guessing my only hope at getting a job is where I currently work. As far as my interests go, I would love to do Peds Onc as my interest in Onc was the main reason why I am going into nursing. However, I definitely need a job when I get out, and don't want to ruin my chances at work. Also, is it smarter to start off in Peds Med-Surg anyway? If you've read this far, thank you so much. Any and all opinions are much, much appreciated!! Thank you!!

My iphone helps a lot. I have my davis drug guide on my iphone. I also have the epocrates app and the micromedex app, too. I'm sure there are tons more apps out there, so it would be great to hear from others, as well.

I agree with JBmommy. That is exactly what I would focus on, if anything at all. I felt the same way you did. Fortunately, (I thought it was unfortunate at the time) we did not get our reading list until a week before the semester. I am so glad, because I probably would have wasted a lot of time reading what was not on the tests. I am going into my third semester of nursing school, and it is really hard for me to hold back from pre-reading for my next class (L&D). It's just not worth it. I may read, and it may not make a difference. However, if you do want to prepare, definitely start learning about head to toe assessments and vital signs to begin with (read about it, watch videos (hawknurse on youtube is great). Like JBMommy said, nursing diagnosis and F&E. Those subjects will arise again and again throughout nursing school, so it would be beneficial to get a grasp on these subjects from the start. If you are going to be using ATI, I would definitely review the ATI fundamentals book. It's very concise, but covers the fundamentals topics well. Also, it would be wise to invest in a book called "The Fundamentals of Success" (part of the Davis Success Series). It gives practice NCLEX questions, and rationales for the answers. I truly believe that the ATI books and doing practice NCLEX questions helped me to do really, really well the first year of NS. Good luck to you, and congrats on getting in! Don't worry about being a huge nerd. I love being a nerd! HA HA

I hear you, because I had some misconceptions about nursing as well. I had my own doubts prior to taking the plunge. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I really think you just don't know until you see what nurses really do all day. What are you basing your opinion of the functions of a nurse on? Have you actually been able to be in a hospital shadowing a nurse? If you haven't, it might be a good idea to do that a few times. I also may have a different perspective. My clinical rotation is currently at a large teaching hospital, and I also work there on the weekends. The nurses are constantly learning, and there is a lot of collaborative care going on in this environment. Good luck in your career choice. Not everyone can or should be a nurse or a lawyer, so it's great that we all make different choices.

I'm INTJ as well. I'm wrapping up my first year of nursing school. I may not be a nurse yet, but I can tell you that you use analytical skills, creative thinking, and intuition as a bedside nurse. Nursing is challenging, and nurses are always learning. This is what drew me to nursing. I thought about law school before, but really liked the sciences and the medical field. My dream is to be a Neuro Nurse. Good luck to you.

Again, this solidifies why I chose to go the ADN route. I already have a BA, and the ADN made much more sense to me. In my second semester, and loving it so far. Not to mention, I won't be in debt when I graduate. I also work as a Unit Clerk 16 hours a week, and probably would not have been able to do that in an MSN program due to the extra classes and classes being year round. I know where you are coming from. i was really torn at first, but got good advice from nurse friends. Good luck to you!

I am almost done with my second semester of nursing school, and I have learned so, so much, and I credit the nurses that I have had during clinicals with this. Sure, everyone has different personalities, and some nurses are not warm and fuzzy, but who cares? As long as I am learning something, it's fine. Every nurse I have had has been willing to teach, and has thanked me for all of my help at the end of the shift. I probably am sticking my foot in my mouth, and will have a bad experience this week. (Hopefully not, ha ha) My first semester I was in a rehab hospital, and the nurses were a bit less willing to teach, but I never had anyone blatantly mistreat me. These nurses were SUPER busy, and had some really acute patients with TONS of meds. As students, we have to remember that it's not all about us. A nurse may not be in a good mood due to other things or may just be plain busy. I will never forget the time that I had a nurse that I felt was annoyed right away in the morning when she saw that she had a student. At the end of the day she asked me why I had to leave and was very thankful for all of my help. She was really overwhelmed that day. She had a patient that was really going downhill (that patient died by the time I was back the following week), and all of her patients were on trachs, multiple IVS, etc., so it wasn't me. She just didn't need one added thing (such as a student). I made sure to just do what I needed to do to help, and not bother her with unnecessary questions. etc. I could also see why we were a bit of a burden at first since we couldn't administer meds until the last few weeks of the semester, or do anything else really except for ADLs, hygeine, and vitals. I guess what I am trying to say is that I hear what everyone is saying. I have heard from others in my class that they haven't had such great experiences. My clinical group has happened to have gotten lucky, I guess, with our placements. However, I also do agree that some students do questions nurses in front of patients (why would you do that?), and ask a ton of questions that are either irrelevant or not appropriate at that point in time. Also, please, please, when a nurse asks you to perform a skill, say YES, even though you may be scared. How else can we learn. Thank you to all of the nurses out there who are willing to teach us students. I appreciate you taking the time out during your busy day to give me information.

You can't change people. Nobody will ever REALLY get what we are going through. That's why I love my nursing school classmates so much. They're the only ones that truly get it. My husband is very understanding and so are my parents, but I do feel like they think I am dramatic. Believe me, there are others in my class who really stress. I am usually a pretty laid back person, so I think they know it must be pretty time consuming. Just let go trying to convince everyone that it's hard and time consuming. You just have to learn to say no to a lot of events. it's hard, but I just say no to pretty much everything now. Looking forward to summer.

I'm a unit secretary. I am in my second semester of nursing school. I work Saturdays and Sundays for a total of 16 hours a week. It's a great way to get your foot in the door at a hospital, especially if you are interested in possibly working there after graduation. I transcribe orders from the charts, help with admitting and discharges, answer the phone, answer the call light phone from the patient, call/fax x-ray and ultrasound requests, page the nurses when they are needed by patients, docs, pharmacy, the lab, etc. Basically, you are there to assist in making sure the unit runs smoothly. A great unit secretary is really appreciated. You work side by side with the charge nurse. I work in a busy unit, and the day goes by fast. It can get crazy at times, but you really get to hear a lot by being at the front desk. You may not be in patient's rooms like a CNA, but you can hear a lot of conversations going on between the nurses and doctors, the nurses with other nurses, etc. You also get to see a lot in the charts. It really helps to know how a hospital unit runs. I also started noticing that I can identify with a lot of examples that my instructors give in class because I witness it at work. It is hard to work on weekends because it cuts into my study time. However, in this economy, the first people to get jobs out of nursing school are the ones who already work in a hospital. Good luck.

I applying to SSU for a second bachelor's. Good luck!

I am going into my second semester. I am interested in Neuro and/or Oncology. I am interested in working with patients with brain tumors. I am very excited to be doing my Neuro rotation in the second half of this upcoming semester.

This is so, so great!!! I started off reading this thinking that it was recent, too! I am starting my second semester of nursing school next week. I started off my first semester absolutely HATING clinicals for the first month. I really started questioning whether it was right for me. We did our first semester - at a really tough Acute Care Rehab - lots of Neuro, wounds, some onc, etc...There is one sentence that the OP had in her last post that summed it up - not knowing what you are doing really amplifies the situation. By far I still do not know what I am doing, but at least I am progressing. I am really nervous the night before clinicals, but so are the other students. We have a great support system, and I learned A LOT during my first semester. I was improving every week, and my instructor was very encouraging, and kept telling me that I was doing great. I think that helped a lot because I felt like a complete idiot.:-) Also, once I was approved to pass meds and do subcutaneous injections, it got to be more interesting. I know, the things that make us happy, right? I just started feeling more useful, and I also had some really awesome nurses that let me follow them around and help them out. I am so proud of you, OP! Congrats on sticking it through, and thank you for coming back to respond! What an inspiration. The anxiety is building for me already, and I still have another week of vacation before I go back. :-) This post made my day!

You can't give medications until you pass the appropriate exam. After that, you cannot give meds without your instructor. My instructor makes us tell her what the meds are, what they are for, and the side effects, or else we cannot give the medications. Also, the nurse assigned to the patient has to open the place where the meds are stored and has to sign off that she checked it. It is the RN's patient and his/her license is on the line, so they are going to make sure that, if you are the one giving the meds, that they were given. All of the meds are listed on the medication administration record, and the time that they should be given is listed. Nothing is guaranteed, and I know mistakes can be made, but being that you are a student, people are watching you, and there is a limit to what you can do. Don't worry. They ease you into things in school. It's good to be scared, and I know how you feel. I gave meds and a subcutaneous shot for the first time a few weeks ago, and I was really nervous, and checked like a hundred times. My instructor was quite amused. You'll be okay!!! Good luck to you!

This thread is making me nervous. I am an INTJ also. Before I even clicked on the link to take the test, I knew I was an INTJ. I could tell just by reading all of your posts. I am wrapping up my first semester of nursing school.

Don't worry. I am in my first semester of nursing school. I can't speak for all nursing schools out there, but we really were not able to do much more than CNA work in our first semester. I have two more weeks of clinicals left, and I barely was able to give my first shot last week (subcutaneous in the abdomen). I also can give out PO (by mouth) meds, but have only been approved for that a few weeks ago. For the first month or so, we did a lot of hygiene, etc. as they eased us into everything. I also had to give the shot and the meds with my instructor and it had to be double checked by the nurse. This, I know, is the standard practice in all nursing schools. Don't worry. You have a skills lab where you learn the skills that you will be using in clinicals. It is good to be scared. I am scared every week when I do my clinical, but I always leave feeling great. It is a weird feeling. I am usually a calm person, but nursing school has brought out some anxiety in me! You really can kill someone, even by just putting the head of a bed down on someone who is on a feeding tube and is on aspiration precautions. However, you will be on the look out for this, because they will hammer it into you in class. Safety comes first. Good luck to you, and congratulations on getting into nursing school!!! It's good to have some fear. It will make you more careful. Just don't let your fear paralyze you. Always ask and offer to do anything you can while you are at the hospital. You will learn a lot.

I am in my first semester, and I work 16 hours per week: 8 hours on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. That is more than enough for me. It really cuts out some of my studying time. I would recommend no more than twenty hours a week. It is virtually impossible to work full-time, in my opinion. There are a few students in my class that are working 30 hours a week right now, and every single one of them are in the process of cutting their hours down to 20 or less or are quitting if they cannot do that. It's tough, but I would say to take out loans to cover the remainder of the money that you need and work part-time. I am in class every day of the week except for Tuesdays, but I have to go into the hospital to pre-lab on my patient that I have for my clinical day on Wednesdays. Good luck to you. Look into loans, grants, etc.

I do understand what you are saying, but I think that the pre-reqs are A LOT to go through to then change your mind. I would first volunteer or shadow some nurses first before even starting the pre-reqs. If you have your degree already, you can finish off your pre-reqs pretty quickly. I finished mine in a year, but I wasn't working. I am in my first semester of nursing school, and all I can tell you is that don't do it if it's just something to do for the stability. Like one of the previous posters stated, it is obvious in school who is going into nursing just for a job because they hate clinicals. It will be a long two years for you if that's what you want to do it for. Also, the lack of nursing jobs out there is pretty scary. There are people who graduated over a year ago in the SF Bay Area who are still unemployed. Not sure about other parts of the country, but I think it's bad everywhere. If you like your current field of work, try to build your skills and network, etc. to strengthen your current resume. If you like healthcare/nursing, then by all means, go for it. Nursing is a really great field, and it's very interesting as well. You are always learning, and there are many fields you can go into. It's not for everyone, though.

I think wooh was being sarcastic...LOL...I am a nursing student right now, and I do iron my uniform, but I don't put any makeup on. Whatever, the job is not to look pretty, right? Who cares?

In California you can also take the CNA exam after your first semester f nursing school. I am in my first semester, and just got a job as a unit clerk. I donplan on getting my CNA license after my first semester.

I am a first semester nursing student in the San Francisco Bay Area, and we have been made aware of how horrific the job market is for new grads around here. I already knew b/c three of my friends are RNs, and told me about it. However, they still encouraged me to do nursing. The pay at my old job is just about 10k less than nursing, so it really wasn't worth going through two years of school for the RN if I really didn't want to do it. I really want to be a nurse, and am happy I took the plunge. It is scary, though. Nobody wants to be unemployed after working so hard through school.