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Yes, this school is in Los Angeles, California.(Mount Saint Mary's College) This is a school that is well very well known for their nursing education. I will be graduating from the first Master's in Nursing Education Program in December.

Hi: I will complete my Masters in Nursing Education this coming December. For 5 years my specialty area was E.R. nursing, but I have also worked in Med-Surg, in a Family Practice clinic, and most recently as a charge nurse in a drug and alcohol recovery program. I taught clinical part-time for several semesters in an LVN program and really enjoyed the interaction and experience of teaching students. At this point in time, I really am uncertain as to whether or not I want to pursue full-time teaching due to the low paying salaries for faculty members. I enjoy teaching, but I'm not sure that I can afford to take the significant cut in pay because of my financial obligations. I would like to know if any of the nurse educators in California are finding positions that offer salaries comparable to what many nurses with master's degress are making in other areas.

I had been working for over 25 years in a field that I did not like. At age 46, I became a registered nurse (7 years ago). Never regretted going back to school. I LOVE NURSING! Go for it!

I think that this will vary from one facility to the next. I just started working per diem for one facility and I earn $38.00. One of the newly experienced R.N.'s told me she was hired in at $32.00. These salaries are higher than most places pay. I work two per diem positions and do occasional E.R. registry work because I'm in school full-time.

You've got to be joking! I'm an experienced E.R. nurse, and even though I've never worked for a travel agency, I get calls all the time. Never been offered less than $41.00/hr and this is separate from the housing payment.

The salaries vary based on where you work. My son just graduated from LVN school and he is waiting for his license. Two of his friends just got jobs making $20.00/hr as new grad LVN's, but one turned down another position that offered a few dollars less but would have paid off her student loans. I don't know the going rate for new grad R.N.'s, but I know when I graduated 7 years ago, the salaries in L.A. varied. You have to compare salaries, benefit packages, etc.Some may offer a little less, but may offer tuition reimbursement if you return to school and more frequent increases. All new grads -please look at the whole package before you accept a position! If you can, find out more about where you are going to work from other nurses.

I strongly believe that being receptive to ideas and suggestions nurses submit can make them feel like a very valued part of the organization. Flexibility in allowing nurses to participate in choosing their work schedules is an also an excellent method of retention.This really works well where I am employed. Nurses work with each other to make certain that shifts are covered, which provides them with a sense of satisfaction, and poor attendance is less of a problem.

Good for you! We need more nursing students with your backbone! This is not to say that nursing is easy, because I found out that the real world is nothing like being a nursing student. It will be real hard, especially for the first 6 months to a year, but if you are strong, you will be a survivor. I also went into nursing to make a difference in people's lives, and I'm still here after nearly 7 years. So, keep the positive attitude regarding nursing.

I read some of the responses in reference to new grads working in the E.R., and I just wanted to make a few comments. Yes, the E.R. or ICU units are very difficult areas to work in. My belief is that if a new nurse has a good orientation for an adequate length of time, and the preceptor is really a good educator, a new nurse can learn these areas. I've been working in E.R. now for 5 years, and I always feel that I'm learning something new all the time. My feeling is that it all depends on the preceptor as well as how many experienced nurses are available to be resourceful when they are needed. This is something that definitely should be researched prior to accepting employment in this area. I worked full-time in one E.R. for 5 years while working per diem for a nursing registry to pick up extra shifts. All E.R.'s are not alike. My primary job had some awesome nurses with an abundance of experience, and they were all so resourceful. Through the registries, I've worked at different hospitals where a lot of the E.R. was staffed with a high ratio of new graduates (once you've been doing this for a while, you can pick-up on who is experienced and who is not) and most recently I had one of those nurses relieve me for lunch and when I returned I found that my patient had worsened. She was standing over the patient attempting to put a Foley catheter in him instead of alerting the doctor about his deteriorating condition. So, my advice is to make sure you get adequate training if you choose to begin your career in a critical care area .

What happened at MLK was indeed tragic. I truly sympathize with the families of the patients, but also with the nurse and tech involved. Having been employed for the very same hospital for 5 years prior to departing several months ago, I KNOW that there are severe nursing shortages in most departments. Nurses on the floors sometimes have as many as 9:1 or 10:1 patient to nurse ratios (and yes, occasionally more) patients. The media, of course, highly criticizes every aspect of what goes wrong, but rarely mentions how hard these nurses and physicians work to provide care in a public hospital for a population of indigent patients with usually very high acuities. I'm not defending any nurse who neglects patients, but there are a few "bad apples" in every hospital. We do not have all the definitive facts, but the "nurse", who usually receives the blame for all mistakes has been tried and cruficied without having the opportunity to speak for herself. I've had many shifts when I was the only R.N. with one LVN in a section of the E.R. where there were 20 patients. Sound unrealistic? Well, it is true. These nurses have struggled to get additional staffing for a long time, even to the point of going on strike a couple of time to make their concerns be heard. Management and the state officials need to take a good look at just what is happening at this hospital. The community depends on this hospital.

Hello Missouri Nurses! I posted this inquiry previously, but I think it should have been in this particular area. I'm helping my son do research in regard to job opportunities for new grad LPN's in the Kansas City area (i.e. approximate salary ranges, the most likely facilities to hire new grads - acute care, LTC, etc.) My son will be graduating from LVN school here in L.A. in a few months, however, he is getting married next year and will be relocating to K.C. He previously lived and worked there for 6 years, but not in the health care field. There are an abundance of job opportunities here in Calif. due to the severe nursing shortage, and I would like to see him begin his career here, but his fiance lives in Missouri and I can understand his decision to relocate. He is visiting Missouri during his school break, and I suggested that he visit a few nurse recruiters. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Dear unhappy nurse: I am so sorry for what you experienced. We, as nurses, work so hard and do not deserve the kind of treatment you received. I just know that you will find something better. I have only been a nurse for 6 years, and up until 6 months ago had been working for the same hospital during my nursing career. I worked in Med Surg, and the last 4 years were in E.R. Although I loved E.R., I felt it was time to move on. I loved the staff members I worked with, but we were, as with most hospitals, always short-staffed and overworked. After finally finishing my BSN and deciding to go back for my MSN, I just decided I couldn't do it anymore, so I started working registry to give me more flexibility. I cannot tell you how horrilbe it is to work in some of these hospitals. I really miss the closeness of my former staff members and would give anything to have that relationship in another environment. I wish you the best in your job search, and I know that you will find something else because there are so many opportunities. The problem is choosing the right one.

During nursing school, my weaknesses were the smell of vomit and feces. I would get soooo nauseated and I would begin retching. Now, 6 years later, the smells are still miserable, but the retching is gone. So, as time goes on you do adapt to the most disgusting smells.