eng_nurse

I think working OT is a personal choice. There is a RN who works many hrs of OT b/c her husband is going to law school and she has a family to support. I am planning on working at least an extra 8 hrs per week once I am done with orientation b/c I lost a significant amt of $$ when I changed careers and went through an accelerated BSN program. I think working OT is a personal choice and as long as it is not mandatory (which it isn't at the institution I work for) nor compromises pt. care then I say more power to those who want to work it. Just my 2 cents.

Hi, I took NCLEX today, it shut off after 75 questions, feel as if I failed I had a ton of calculation questions in the new format style. It made me nervous b/c they were easy, I had prioritization, delegation questions also. I was done in a hour which makes me nervous too. I am in PA and am going to go nuts until I get the results. I just don't have a good feeling about it. I studied Saunders, Lippincott, and Kaplan. I thought the questions were most like Kaplan. Good luck to all of you studying!

Hi, I took NCLEX today, it shut off after 75 questions, feel as if I failed I had a ton of calculation questions in the new format style. It made me nervous b/c they were easy, I had prioritization, delegation questions also. I was done in a hour which makes me nervous too. I am in PA and am going to go nuts until I get the results. I just don't have a good feeling about it. I studied Saunders, Lippincott, and Kaplan. I thought the questions were most like Kaplan. Good luck to all of you studying!

Hi Everyone, I am taking my boards on Thursday at 9 am and have a question regarding identification. It states that your photo ID has to appear exactly as your name on your authorization to test. I am concerned because they have my full name on my ATT letter and I have only my middle initial on my photo ID. For example, my ATT letter has John Michael Doe and my photo ID has John M Doe Should this be a problem? I just don't want to get there on Thursday and they tell me that I can't take the boards because my full middle name isn't on my photo ID. I am stressed about it too much already. Thanks everyone!

I live in Amish country, PA and I will restate what others have said, they do have money. My Husband was in the wholesale lumbar business for awhile and dealt with the Amish a lot and they were very shrewd and frugal businessmen. They have a ton of money and if a family doesn't have it by themselves the community contributes to it. They also have something called insurance that business pay into, it isn't called insurance and they do this in case they have an accident with their buggy (which happened when a buggy side-swiped my in-laws car and they paid their car repair bill with CASH) and other things. I can go on and on. They do not spend their money on what they thing our worldly things we possess such as latest fashion, computer games, cars, college educations, etc. The money is kept within the community and so it just builds. I can drive about 2 miles from where I live and be on an Amish farm.

These are great tips! I am new graduate nurse and will be going to permanent nights once I am off orientation. I have a question ... do you exercise? When do you find is the best time to exercise? Is it realistic to think that I can come home from a 7p-7 a or 11p-7 a shift and go to aerobics/weight lifting at the gym? I just joined the gym again after being away from exercise in over a year, so I am excited about losing this wt I put on during nursing school!

That is terrible. Did you have to quit nights or did your body finally adjust? Or did you have to keep drinking supplements? All of these posts are helpful. I am one that doesn't snack generally and I try not to eat after 8 PM, but I guess that will change. How about exercise? I used to go to the gym and lift and do aerobics when I worked a M-F 8-5 job and I found I had a lot more energy. I know some gyms in my area offer am classes, but will I have the energy to do this after a 12 hr shift? What have you found helpful as far as working nights and exercise?

To all the night shift nurses, this may sound like a dum question, but what are your eating habits when you work night shift? I have been told by several people that working night shift tends to put on the lbs. Currently, as a nursing student in an accelerated program, I have put on some weight, not by overeating, but by a rather inactive lifestyle. (I was a gym freak prior to starting nursing school). I will be starting my new job in October and after orientation will be doing the 7 PM-7AM shift, and I don't want to gain any more weight, in fact I want to try to lose weight and get back into shape. I am just not sure how my body is going to adjust to doing nights. Any suggestions on how you eat, exercise when working 12's/nights would be wonderful! Thanks everyone!

Hi to all the upcoming ACE & current ACE students! I am in the 4th quarter and cannot wait until I am done. About the tuition, it stinks, but there are lots of opportunities out there which will help pay back your loans. If you look at it as an investment, it isn't too bad. Some people pay more for cars and they wear out. LOL They are rather disorganized and some instructors are better than others, like any school. They try scare tactics to imitate you, but I have found the most of my clinical instructors to be great. Prepare to work hard and you will be fine. Remember why you decided to change careers and hold on to that goal, that is what kept me going for the last many months. I had a job offer for every place I interviewed and I already have a job lined up. So to all of you that are starting in September, relax, enjoy the rest of your summer! PM me if I can answer any of your questions.

Congratulations! I say go for it! You got through the ACE program, you can manage this (I am in the 4th quarter of the ACE program). It may be challenging, but definitely worth it in the end. I agree with everyone about making some sacrifices, but where there is a will there is a way! :)

Hi Everyone, I am about to finish my BSN and have several job offers on the table and have asked to shadow at several different places where I am considering taking employment. Well I shadowed at the one place where I thought I really wanted to work at, I got a strange vibe. The staff were all professional, pleasant, and the unit was very busy with new admits. No one was overly warm or friendly, but everyone was busy, so I completely understand. I was thrown into the environment which was a bit overwhelming, but at the same time I was glad to help and do what I could for the nurses and I was grateful that I had the opportunity to shadow. I realize that I would be getting 14 weeks of orientation if I took the job through the nursing education department so I wouldn't be thrown into things like I was in my shadowing experience, but I left with this strange unsettling vibe and I cannot put my finger on it. Should I trust my instinct? I just want to make sure that I take a job that I don't mind going to everyday. I know no job is perfect, but I have had many awful jobs (non-nursing) in my previous field that made my life miserable.

Hi Everyone, I am about to finish my BSN and have several job offers on the table and have asked to shadow at several different places where I am considering taking employment. Well I shadowed at the one place where I thought I really wanted to work at, I got a strange vibe. The staff were all professional, pleasant, and the unit was very busy with new admits. No one was overly warm or friendly, but everyone was busy, so I completely understand. I was thrown into the environment which was a bit overwhelming, but at the same time I was glad to help and do what I could for the nurses and I was grateful that I had the opportunity to shadow. I realize that I would be getting 14 weeks of orientation if I took the job through the nursing education department so I wouldn't be thrown into things like I was in my shadowing experience, but I left with this strange unsettling vibe and I cannot put my finger on it. Should I trust my instinct? I just want to make sure that I take a job that I don't mind going to everyday. I know no job is perfect, but I have had many awful jobs (non-nursing) in my previous field that made my life miserable.

Yikes! 6 weeks of antibiotics. A friend of mine told me she saw a 28-yr. old girl die from sepsis related to an IUD. That is really scary and getting pregnant when you think you have an adequate birth control method would be quite a shocker too.

Hi Everyone! I love allnurses, I lurk here quite frequently and am always finding great advice. Anyway, I need your advice, as a student nurse graduating in an acclerated BSN program in early September and have several interviews lined up soon. I want to make the best possible choice and I really want to shadow on the floor before I accept an offer. Do you have any advice on what to look for when I am shadowing? Any red flags? Types of questions to ask, etc.? Any advice would be great! Thanks!

Thanks everyone for all of the information. It has been really helpful! Thanks again!