NewGradRN09

Also, in a lot of situations, what good are you without equipment? I am an EMT (and a new ER nurse) and I HATE when people show up to scenes and say, 'I'm a nurse!'... well that's a great accomplishment, but you really are not going to help me much by saying that. If you see someone having chest pain, the best thing to do is call 911. Without a bp cuff or any other equipment, you're just going to stand there awkwardly while the patient expects you to do something. Obviously, if it's within your means to help (choking, CPR, etc.), help! But a lot of minor situations don't need the aid of a nurse, or anyone other than the patient's mom. You've got a great heart though! Thank you for thinking of others :)

Also, having ACLS does not make you exempt from a BLS certification. Most jobs require BLS, so only having ACLS doesn't suffice. They are two separate certifications and must be renewed seperately. Good luck!

I agree. Start applying now. I applied/interviewed/received a job offer in January '09 for my Sept '09 job. As for the NCLEX, I graduated in mid-May and the earliest we could begin to schedule our exams (after we received our ATT or "authorization to test") was the 3rd week in May. Make sure you submit your paperwork early and hopefully your school is prompt with their paperwork. Good luck!!

The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ

We had to have a 3.0 gpa to be considered, though higher was definitely desired. They also asked for a copy of our transcript to see the break-down of our grades. As far as experience, I don't think they were that strict about that. They hired 6 people into the program from my school and I'm an EMT, 1 woman was a camp nurses aide, 1 woman was a PCA, 1 woman was a home health aide, and 2 had no experience whatsoever.

My hospital (in NJ) required a 3.0 to be considered for a job. They also required a copy of your transcript. Good luck!

I totally sympathize with you and I probably would have opted out of the dissection if my program allowed it! However, if you HAVE to and you're willing, it really was an amazing experience. After you get over the initial shock of 'oh my gosh! what am i doing?!', it's soo interesting to see how the hip bone is really connected to the leg bone, etc.. BUT if you find a program where you can opt out, you should consider contacting a medical examiner's office and observing an autopsy. I had a great opportunity to witness autopsy's at a very busy, urban ME's office so the body's were in perfect condition (not deteriorated like in the elderly, etc.). While I obviously don't want any human to die tragically, it really allows a great learning opportunity because you see the way the body is supposed to be (and unfortunately, people are going to die regardless). I don't think I'll ever forget holding every organ in the body. I now know exactly what they feel like (their weight, how sticky some are, the colour of them, etc.). It was truely sobering and just.. awesome. Anyways, good luck! I hope you find a program where you can opt out. It looks like a previous poster gave you some good recommendations! Take care :)

If you're thinking of becoming an emt, you should consider volunteering on a local first aid squad first. That way you could gain experience and make sure that emergency work is good for you. I've been in EMS for many years and I absolutely love it, but it's definitely not for everyone! I also worked as an emt through college and found that it was a great way to gain experience. Though the skills learned might not be that helpful in all fields of nursing, certain aspects of it (critical thinking, patient contact) are universal. Good luck!

1. What kind of floor are you working on? Emergency Department 2. Where are you from? New Jersey 3. How did you get that job? I completed all of my clinicals in this hospital and in my last semester we were able to pick a hospital administrator to shadow. I picked an administrator in the ED. I have also been in EMS for 7 years and an EMT for 4 (as a volunteer and professionally, often in areas serving this hospital). I know many of the paramedics and nurses from working in EMS so the managers were able to see that I already knew people in the department and worked well with them. Good luck to all!

I applied to my hospital-of-choice in early January '09 (the day the job was posted), I was interviewed two weeks later, and received the job offer 2 weeks after that. I graduated in May, tested in June, and I still have 2 more weeks before I start. Definitely apply early!

I took the in-class Kaplan course where I received access to the strategy book and question banks. I recommend the whole package, as it worked for me.. but if I had to pick JUST one, I'd say go with the online access. I skimmed through the book, and the instructor I had for the live course was really terrible, but I definitely got the most out of the Q-bank and Question Trainers. And the 'decision tree' does not work for low-level questions nor every question. There are only several types of questions where the tree will work, and although I didn't consciously apply the tree, I found myself eliminating answers based on the same concepts in the decision tree. It started to come naturally. Good luck!

Diagnostic: 66 QT #1: 67 QT #2: 63 QT #3: 60 QT #4: 55 QT #5: 53 QT #6: 65 QT #7: 60 Overall Q-Bank: 60 (completed 100%) Readiness: 68 I PASSED my NCLEX with 77 questions in June and I thought the NCLEX questions were a lot easier than Kaplan. Good luck!

I thought Kaplan was worth every penny. The questions are harder (making the NCLEX easier) and even the layout of the screen is the same. Good luck!

Hey! I contacted [PM for info], the Trauma EMS Outreach Coordinator, to set up the shadowing. I am an emergency medical technician but I don't believe that the program is only for EMT's as I told him it was more for nursing school. It's worth a shot anyways! I spent half the day in the trauma room, the other half in the trauma ICU, and got to go up to the helipad and see the trauma rooms on the roof. It was pretty awesome (if you like trauma, that is). [PM for info] Good luck!

Nothing official really. For one, I'd like to keep it safe (I like to save everything and I KNOW I'm going to be saving my first license) and also for those lovely 'nurse' discounts at Disney. Maybe I'll just make a good copy of it and laminate that one. Thanks for your response though!