kk637

I'm a new grad that just recently got done with my 12 week orientation. i had to work days during my whole orientation... not to mention have to switch to saturdays as well when my preceptor changed her schedule. i didn't get any weekend pay differential either. it was straight base pay during orientation. then the last 2 weeks of my orientation i went to orient at night because that was originally my permanent schedule was to work the night shift. could be different elsewere but that's basically how things happened for me. I'm so glad to be off orientation and getting my differentials.. it's going to make a big difference on my paychecks that's for sure!

Thanks Dina, I enjoyed what u had to say. Very helpful after the day I had today. I am a new grad nurse who just came off my 12 week orientation. I busted ass today with 4 patients and I was so busy. After giving report to one nurse, of course she had to come back and nit pick on everything I gave her in report, plus throw in a few lectures of her own, like I don't have my own preceptor teaching me. Nonetheless, I agree with what you say to take what's useful and "dismiss" what is not. I like that part. Thanks!

Hello, how are u all doing? I want to ask all you nurses who live in the san diego county area how is it that you all are making it on ur nurse salaries? I am from Kansas City and realize that you guys all get paid on average $60k a year, but if the average houses are about $375K, isn't that too much even for your salaries? I'm just curious on how "comfortable" nurses are living out in San Diego because I really want to move out there after I get at least a year's experience under my belt. I am a new grad nurse and from my research, I am thinking that I may be over my head on wanting to move out there. Well I am just wanted to get some info on you nurses are are out there and doing it. Any advice or comments are appreciated. Thanks!

I think it is really stupid that they would do a credit check in determining whether to hire you or not. I too, would be in trouble if the place that hired me was doing that bc let me tell you, I would not have been hired! my credit is so bad! It's not like it's any of their business, what's it got to do with patient care? I just don't understand. Well that's my 2 cents worth. Good luck in your job hunt.

Hi, I am a new graduate nurse from Kansas. Me and my husband are interested in moving to Escondido, CA (which I believe is 30 minutes outside of San Diego) in a couple of years and was wondering if there were any nurses in that area that could be able to tell me how much it is that they are making as a nurse and how much they are paying for their house. I guess I am curious to know how much of a house I would be able to afford based on RN's wages out there??? My husband, he is going to HVAC school right now to get his certificate because he knows that in order to live out in Escondido, we both would have to have good jobs. Then again, I've been doing some research and I've been reading that the cost of homes are so ridiculously expensive that RN's aren't able to really afford it either. Is this true? I would love any feedback or comments. Getting some kind of insight from those of you who are actually living and working in the area would greatly help! Thanks!!

This doesn't look too bad. However, what will get u is the fact that you have clinical paperwork that'll be due q week, assignments and don't forget bout ur nursing exams!!! Get ready bc I promise u, u will not see exams like nursing exams!! When I was in nursing school ( I just graduated in May 2009 and passed boards in June), I spent countless hrs a week (believe I probably spent at least 40 hrs a week) dedicated to school stuff. This included going to class, clinicals, paperwork, studying, reading, etc... Plus I had 3 young kids on top of that! All I can say is work hard (bc nursing school is truly hard), keep ur focus and you can make it too! Best of luck!!

MED SURG

yes.. great ideas! I would definitely let mgmt know the great staff they got employed for them!

There's no other way but to just flat out tell them. Ur an LPN, not an RN. That you got ur LPN first bc it was quicker to get into working as a nurse, but you plan on bridging to be an RN soon. I wouldn't think nothing of it. Probably people respond that way because they really don't know too much about nursing. Hey, and accomplishment is an accomplishment. Here in nursing world, we all know how great an accomplishment is whether you got ur CNA certification, LPN license or RN license. .. Then there are the advanced nurses out there striving for their master's and then such... talk about WOW! Hopefully I get there myself one day! Congrats on ur graduating!

well let me tell ya, it took me forever to get my ADN. I just recently graduated nursing school in May and passed boards a couple weeks ago. When I started my journey and taking my prerequisites was back in 2003. I just had my 1st baby too then. but I only started as part time at first, while I had to work full time still as well as take care of my daughter... then i got pregnant again with my 2nd child.. I had to take a semester off, but then went back and then it was in 2007 (4 years later) I finally got done with my prerequisites and was accepted into nursing school. (was i relieved to have gotten accepted bc I sure knew some people that don't even make it that far!). Well then guess what happened was that I got pregnant again last year and luckily was able to carry my baby throughout the whole time while in nursing school and had her during a brief break that we had in school, and was able to reconveine along with everyone else for my last semester of nursing school!! That altogether took me 6 years just for an Associates degree! I currently have plans of getting my BSN through online classes at a nearby university... now if i go part time with that it will probably be another 4 or 5 years to get that. .who knows!.. but hey, sometimes u gotta do what you gotta do when you already have a family and children to support on the way to achieving your goals. It may take a while longer.. but u gotta have faith as well as determination that before you kno it, you'll get there! graduating nursing school and passing boards have been my greatest accomplishments thus yet!

hey.. GREAT JOB!

That sure sounded a lot like how I was feeling after I took the NCLEX a couple weeks ago. I studied my butt off for like 3 1/2 weeks prior, not to mention took Kaplan. I had really bad anxieties, but I was confident that I knew my stuff. I figured after all the studying I did, I was sure to pass. Then I went in to take the test and let me tell ya, never had I ever experienced anxieties more worse than I did that day. I thought it was the hardest test I've ever had to take in my life.. and was thinking, how on earth did one of my friends who had recently tooken it had told me that the test was easy. She stopped at 75. I felt the same way when I got my 76th question. Then I kept going, it went past 100! then past 150... I had to get up a couple times for breaks and refocus. By the time I got around to 180, I was sure I'd be in for the long haul. Then come to qustion 191, it stopped. I had a big sigh of relief, the torture had finally ended. It was 5 hrs later and I was ready to get out of the Pearson Vue center. Needless to say, I was on pins and needles for 48 hrs. I was sure I had failed. So when I found out 48 hrs later that I had passed, I could not believe it!!! It was the greatest moment of my life, besides the birth of my 3 kids. I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya!

You would probably have to get with that state's board of nursing that you are trying to transfer to and check to see what it is that you need to submit in order to get endorsed into that state. I just passed NCLEX a couple weeks ago and had to do the same thing. All I had to do was fill out an application with a $55 application fee, with copy of RN license from the original state that I took the NCLEX in, pay $52.20 for fingerprinting and criminal background check, also have get a verification of original license from my original state, which will cost me another $25. I'm still waiting to do the last thing, but I did get a temporary permit to work until 6 months to give me time to get my actual license in that state. It could be different in other states, but hope that helps.

I'm telling ya, I was feeling the exact same way as you before I took the test. I had the worst anxieties. I took Kaplan, but wasn't getting 60% on most of my qbank questions til towards the end. I was like around mid 50's before, but I kept at it and I was was finally getting the hang of it that for my last 5 qbank tests that i did in blocks of 50 questions, I was actually getting 60% or higher. It felt good too being able to reach that like they said we should try aimin' for. I also used the Saunders, used the CD to answer questions. After I took the tests and quizzes off Kaplan and/or Saunders I'd immediately look up the questions I got wrong and reviewed. I found it helpful to use both review books to help me in looking up content that I didn't know or couldn't remember. Needless to say, I was busting chops for hours and hours and hours in a day for like 3 weeks straight with a day off in between q 3-4 days. I mean I had to, u could probably see the smoke coming out my ears by then and i needed a day off in between to rest my brain! But anyway, my point is... I studied and prepared very hard for the NCLEX. Although i had alot of anxieties during my preparation for it, I went into it with a mind set that I was going to give it my all to study and prepare for it and when the day comes for NCLEX, I should be fine... and I left it at that. I did pass with 191 questions. I seriously thought I had failed it when I walked out. I actually had tears in my eyes hrs prior to my receiving my results because I was thinking how hard I had studied and here I was that day about to find out that I had failed... but come to find out, as I logged on to the Pearson Vue site after entering my cc info to pay my $7.95 for my quick results...there it was next to my grade; was the word "pass"... so I guess all that hard work did pay off!!