lilcampy310

I'm thinking either alarm fatigue or nursing retention but are these topics beat to death too?

Hey everyone! I have started trying to think about topics for my capstone (I will be taking it next spring) and I am at a total loss. I am currently in an MSN/MSM program for nursing leadership/administration and I have been a MICU nurse for 5 years. It seems like a lot of the capstone ideas I've seen done don't necessarily relate to nursing leadership. I don't think mine necessarily has to either, but I would like it to in some way (otherwise relating to critical care). Things like hand-washing just don't interest me. Any suggestions?

I started in central jersey in critical care/days at $28/hr

It is a separate application.

I started in the ICU as a new graduate, but I had other experience (PCA, EMT, extern). I would only apply to hospitals that have new graduate critical care programs (internships, etc.) or the smaller community hospitals. I started in a small community hospital - It was ROUGH, but I got a solid base there and worked with wonderful nurses. I now work in a hospital with in internship program for new grads with specialty areas (critical care, er, maternity, medsurg). Most of the big teaching hospitals have these are they are really wonderful programs to transition you into your first nursing role.

I would just list them under clinical or even a preceptorship section - You can provide a little information about them, but you don't need a lot of space for them. I had a nurse recruiter tell me that they don't need to see all of your clinical information since everyone has to go through the same clinicals for nursing school.

That's all I can seem to find in Baltimore & Philly (and NY too!) - I think it's terrible. Where is your neck of the woods? Maybe I should go there lol

Hello all - I have been an RN in the ICU at my community hospital for 2 years now. I like it, but I want to move on to a bigger, city, teaching hospital. Mostly all of the places I'm looking in (Philly, Baltimore) have rotating shifts (I just don't get it!) - this makes me nervous. How often do you rotate? What are your experiences like?

I am looking into travel nursing- I get the feeling it's necessary to already have your state licenses in order to apply to a particular job? It's so tedious and expensive to apply to all the different state licenses. I currently have NJ and applied for MD (waiting almost a month now for my license number). Is this correct? Any suggestions?

Hmm good to know! I'll have to find out more information. I think I could handle it if it was just a couple of shifts a month. My best friend works at a well-known hospital in Philly doing rotating shifts. Everyone on her unit rotates, regardless of preference, experience or seniority. Recently they have the schedule so messed up that she changes shift every week.

Will do, thank you! And I was able to clarify - I can get my prints here (phew) Just for the record, this is so ridiculous to me- we get the same education and same license anywhere you are in the US! They just want our money.

Hello all, I am soon going to be looking for a new job and would LOVE to be in a big teaching hospital. But so many of them (UMMC, Hopkins, UPenn) mostly have rotating shifts posted. I think they are so ridiculous and unsafe! Why do they do that?! What are your thoughts? Is there any way around this?

Hello all! I have some (dumb) questions to ask, but I'm confused! I currently hold a NJ RN license and want to get my RN license for MD. The first step is a packet they sent me for the fingerprinting/background check. I assume I still have to do this even though I just did it a year ago for my NJ license? Also, in the packet they sent me, they have a website listing all the places in MD to go to get your fingerprinting done, but I assume I would be allowed to get them done in NJ?

If I don't decide to do travel nursing right now, then that is exactly my plan! :)

Many hospitals won't take you until you complete your first clinical (which I know at TCNJ isn't unil spring soph. year). Another option is to take an EMT course and gain experience that way- I know it's outside of the hospital, but it's still great experience and will make your resume that much better! PS I went to TCNJ too and loved it :) If you have any questions, feel free to message me! Good luck xo

Hello all! I know there have been posts about this, but I need your opinion! I have always been interested in travel nursing- I LOVE to travel and would be willing to work lots to do so :) So it just seems like a perfect opportunity. By the time I would start, I would have 1.5 years Medical ICU/CCU experience, and a little under a year of outpatient PACU experience. How do you feel about this? Do you think it's enough to travel? I've been an EMT for 7 years (which I know hospitals don't care about), but I have more medical experience than just this last year or so, so I am fairly confident about my skills. My dilemma is that I come from a smaller community hospital. I am comfortable with what we do there, but we don't have open heart/transplants, etc. obviously, and it's rare that we use CVP monitoring or a-lines, which I know is essential for most larger hospital ICU's. I have lots of experience with patients out of the cath lab, but none with balloon pumps and we do not pull our own sheaths. That being said, I am confident with shock, vents, insulin drips, post-op pts, chest tubes, acls, etc. Do I have enough experience to travel? Or will I be a lost puppy? Is outpatient PACU enough experience to consider in-hospital PACU as well? I just feel like if I am ever going to do it, now is the time! But I don't want it to end up being an experience I regret! What are your thoughts?!

Hello fellow nurses! I have been a working nurse for a year and am looking to move to a larger hospital. Though I work in the medical ICU now and take every class offered to me, I'm still looking to beef up my resume because I know the competition is tough. I am going to a nursing conference in January, but I was hoping to find some certifications I could get! I know the NIH cert you can do online and is free, so I'm definitely going to do that! Are there any other free (or less expensive) or really worth-while certifications I should look in to?! Any suggestions?!? (I know I am not yet eligible for CCRN). Thank you!

Did either of you end up accepting this program? Or another MSN/MBA program? I would love information too!

Very true- thank you!

That's great :)

My boyfriend is also in nursing school, and he has maternity next semester. I think he's worried about it since he will be a male in a very private, female section of the hospital. Anyone have any good advice or words of encouragement I can give him?

Well that's what I like about nursing - That there are SO many different options and so many different places we can go, but I think we all have drilled in our heads that we have to start off in a hospital setting. I think that's what makes it even more difficult! What are you opinions on that?

I'm not sure whether to put my clinical rotations on my resume or not. My career adviser at school to definitely put it on there so they can see all the different hospitals I've been in. However, a nurse recruiter told me once that they obviously know I did all my clinical rotations and it's not pertinent to put it on the front page, if at all. Opinions?

Wow! Thanks for all the info! That's what I've been told as well. I HATE bugging people and feeling like I have to beg for a job or 'know someone,' but that's really what you have to do!

I would say just do it! What do you have to lose? That's how it always used to be! I had a nursing career fair at my school this year, and about half the hospitals wouldn't accept resumes and said don't even bother applying until you take your NCLEX - which really ticked me off! That means we'll be sitting around for months after graduating waiting to hear back! I would just apply. If it's not what they want, then they'll just delete your application anyways - but maybe someone will pick up something that they like with you along the way and you'll get lucky! You never know.