Yllomia

I've never worked there, but I am from the Cape. If you have any questions about the area feel free to ask! It's very different to actually live there than to vacation there. People from the Cape are usually friendly, although we can be a bit hostile towards tourists at times. Hyannis is the commercial center for the region, so you'll be close to the malls, movie theater, restaurants, etc. It is denser than the rest of the Cape, and will have some life during the winter/spring. June-August is the heavy tourist season, and it becomes a different place. It's also only an hour and a half from both Boston and Providence without traffic. I do know some people that enjoyed working there and they do have a fairly strong union. Get ready to see a lot of geriatrics!!

Continental works very similarly to US travel agencies. They'll help you with the process of applying for a UK license and sponsor your visa ( I believe that they will pay half the fees for the visa). They help with housing as well, although you do have to contribute a set amount. The assignments are 13 weeks, so you'll have a few days orientation and then are expected to function independently. From what I understand it's going to be very difficult to switch into a specialty that you don't have experience in. Keep in mind that the whole process is extremely expensive. You will have to pay for the ONP course and will have to support yourself in the UK without working for the month (or 3??) that you're taking the course. I think you have wait like another month before you officially get your license and can work. Continental was a little vague when I spoke with them about the availability of assignments, but it might be possible to go through the whole process and not land a job on the other end. I went as far as taking the IELTS, but never finished the licensing application since my sister moved back to the US. There are a few posts on here by people who have gone through the process and I'm sure others can give you more accurrate information.

There's no need to fly out to Mass just to take the exam. You can take the NCLEX at a testing center in another state and still be able to apply for initial licensure in Massachusetts. Your school will just have to sign off on the Mass paper work and not that of your current state. Massachusetts contracts out its licensing to a private company. You can find all the information here: https://www.pcshq.com/?page=health,MA-examination

The Cape might be your best bet. Falmouth and Cape Cod hospitals seem to always have openings for experienced nurses, especially in med-surg and home health. It seems the closer to Boston, the more competitive it is. I work in Vermont and there's tons of nurses (new grads and experienced) that moved up from Mass for work. You could also try taking a travel assignment somewhere nearby first. It might make things easier in terms of arranging housing and lining up a permanent position. Good luck!

I did the CNA program at the Red Cross in Cambridge in 2009. It was excellent and I highly recommend it. If anything, it will help decide if nursing is something you really want to pursue and you will be a little bit ahead of your classmates when you start your first nursing school clinical. Good luck!

I grew up on the Cape, but live in Vermont now. The job market there is better than Boston. I worked in LTC on the Cape for 6 months right after school and landed the job right away. I'm not sure if hospice would hire a new grad, but there's plenty of LTC facilities that would. My facility worked with an excellent hospice, there's a few on the Cape. As long as you're flexible at first, you can probably find a job. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

The largest and only teaching hospital in Vermont is Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington. You can contact the nursing education department, they might be able to help you. It might be easier to take the whole course in VT, that way you don't have to worry about setting up the clinical yourself. I highly recommend coming in the summer, unless you ski, it's beautiful here in July/August and travel will be much easier!

Vermont requires a refresher course, it is offered by Vermont Tech. It consists of both classroom and clinical time. We had a nurse do her clinical on my old floor, but I don't know much beyond that. I would also call the BON for details. VT is small, so it shouldn't be problem contacting anyone. I don't know anything about NH.

I'm thinking of going back to school this fall to finish my NP (I took a leave of absence from a DE program). I've been working as an RN for a year and a half now with a year of experience with adults and 6 months in the NICU. I enjoy the NICU and working with infants and hope to continue working there while in school. However, I'm not sure if I like the idea of the limited patient population that comes along with being a PNP. It seems like FNPs have much more flexibility to change specialties and a much easier time finding jobs. Has anyone gone from a NICU RN to FNP? Are there FNPs out there that work only in peds? Would my limited experience with adults make it harder for me to find a job in family practice? Does anyone regret becoming a PNP over an FNP? I would love to hear others experiences and career paths.

I'm from the Boston area and moved to Burlington, VT for my first acute care job. Burlington is a really fun college town with lots to do, but you have to be okay with long winters and cold weather. It's 3 1/2 hours to Boston and less than 2 hrs to Montreal. Fletcher Allen is the major teaching hospital here and there are jobs. It's worth checking out. Good luck!

The Kindreds in Wareham and Dennis are both very similar facilities. They both have sub acute units and hire new grad ADNs. Even if you get hired on an LTC unit you can easily switch to sub-acute after a few months. The sub acute/rehab units are very heavy. I started on a dementia unit as a new grad in Wareham. I had a surprisingly good experience and found there was a lot of support. I made the transition to acute care by moving out of state.

I was in your exact same position a year ago and will be starting in a NICU in August. After working in LTC for 6 months I was offered a job at a large hospital out of state on a neuro floor. I took the job and moved. I've been there for about 7 months now and recently applied for an opening in the NICU. Other nurse mangers I've talked to said pedi or ob/gyn experience is helpful too. It's totally possible and can happen sooner than you think!

So I've been an RN for a little over a year now. I worked at a nursing home for 6 months and now work on a med/surg/neuro floor at a large hospital. I recently applied for a position in the NICU at the hospital I work at and got an interview. I'm really interested in maternal/child health nursing, but I've only been in my current position for about 7 months now. I enjoy the floor that I work on and it's been a great experience. I still feel there's a lot more for me to learn. Opportunities to work in the NICU don't come along very often. If offered the position should I take it? I would greatly appreciate any thoughts and opinions. Thanks!

Newton is a very nice city to live in. It's very surban and family oriented. I lived there for a year while I was in school. Surprisingly the costs of renting is a little bit less than in Boston proper, especially West Newton. Buying a place is another story. The job market is challenging, but as long as your not picky and willing to commute you can probably find something. I started out in LTC and then moved out of state for a hospital job. I reccomend to start working on your BSN. It will help open up more doors for you and might be a good way to network in Boston. Good luck with everything!

I'm from Mass. I graduated last year and landed a job right away in a nursing home. I kept on applying for jobs in hospitals and was offered one six months later in Vermont. I worked as a CNA/PCT for two years in LTC and at a large hospital in Boston. I have a BSN and a BS in biology. The job market in Mass is horrible, for both new grads and experienced nurses. Vermont on the other hand, has a great need for nurses. It's still competitive to get a job as a new grad, but once your foot is in the door you can move about to any specialty you desire.

Lawrence Memorial students do take basic science and liberal arts classes at Regis. I think it would only help you to take more classes at community college, it shows you can handle college classes. I didn't take any of the prereqs at Regis, my program worked a bit differently. However two of my classes were taught by biology faculty and I thought the both were very good. There are opportunities for tutoring, from both grad students and extra help from the professors themselves. The two science professors I had were very supportive. One of them, I think, is the best instructor at Regis. Regis is a very small school, which makes it difficult to fall through the cracks. Some of the negative things you'll hear about Regis is about the nursing faculty. I feel this a problem at just about every nursing school, as it is a poorly paid discipline. I have had some truly excellent instructors, and some not so good. One of the best professors I've ever had now teaches at Lawrence Memorial.

Hi I graduated last year from the accelerated BSN program at Regis. Regis doesn't officially accept any of the traditional undergrads into the nursing major until the end of their sophmore year. The policy is that you have to complete one semester at Regis before you can apply. So it's definitely possible to transfer. Regis College Transfer Students: Nursing Transfer Policy & Information The down side to this is that you may end up enrolling at Regis and not get admitted into the nursing program. From what I understand it isn't very competitive to get into the nursing program. Keeping your grades up once you're in it is the hard part. Regis does have a strong agreement with Lawrence Memorial and admits a large percentage of grads into the RN-BSN-MSN program. Both are great options, it really depends on if you want the traditional college undergrad experience or a school more geared towards working adults.

I actually just started there as a new grad after working in a nursing home for six months. It is very new grad friendly. Depending on what floor you work on you go through a critical care internship, which includes lectures, simulations, an online class, and time with your preceptor on the floor. My whole orientation will be 16 weeks. So far it's been a great place to work. There is a lot of young, inexperienced nurses on the off shifts. The staff turn over seems to be a bit higher than what I've experienced in Boston. The good news is that they are hiring a lot right now.

Ain't She Sweet Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue Take Me Out To the Ballgame You Are My Sunshine I second anything Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, or Dean Martin. One facility I used to work at used to have a song book with lyrics to a lot of the residents' favorite songs. I think this is such a great project. Familiar music really helps when caring for people with dementia.

I can definitely relate! I took the Red Cross CNA course before I started nursing school and it took me about 3 months before I got a job. I started at a nursing home and was there for 7 months before I finally landed a job at a hospital. If you have the time get certified. It will open up opportunities in home health and LTC. Also, don't be afraid to ask clinical instructors or nurses on the floor if they know of any positions. A few of my classmates got jobs this way. Good luck!

Just about all the apartments in the area turn over Sept 1st, so there may not be a lot posted yet. I've found the majority of my apartments on craigslist. There's probably more postings looking for roommates than for empty apartments on there for the area. I did my undergrad in Waltham and my college has online classified ads as well which might be helpful http://my.brandeis.edu/classifieds/ Just register for the site and you should be able to view the ads. Or you could just always just pick a random realtor and give them a call Molly

Congratulations on your acceptance! I'm Molly, I'm in my second year of the program with Jen. For those of you that are coming from out of state I highly recommend having a car. Chances are you will be assigned to clinical sites that won't be accessible by the T or very challenging to get to at 6:30 am. The T is great when you have clinicals in Boston, as there won't be parking. I only had two clinicals in Boston, most of them have been out in the suburbs. The shuttle is also very limited, especially in the summer. As far as housing goes I recommend looking at Waltham. It borders right on Weston and the rent is a lot cheaper than living in Boston. There's some public transportation (bus lines and commuter rail) and having a car there is pretty easy. Newton has some affordable apartments, but it's generally expensive. Finding an apartment in the suburbs will be a lot easier than finding one in the city. Molly

I would love to meet up with people. The 28th works for me! Have you posted to the facebook group? More people might see that.

Thanks guys! That's very helpful.

Hi everyone! I'll be joining you all in the fall at Regis and am very excited to start nursing school! I'll be taking Ethics starting this May as well. Is anyone else taking the day class? I'll be in group 1A in September, so it looks like I'll be in class with a few of you. Where are people getting their CPR certification? I live in the Boston area and have no clue where to start looking!