Disc_Chick

Hi I am a new graduate licensed March 2014. I was offered a position in long term care and accepted it. I was so grateful for the opportunity and excited to be working even though it wasn't in a hospital. I thought I'd put in my 6months to a year and look elsewhere. Well it's been 2.5months. I had a months of classroom instruction, 1 month of shadowing under various nurses, not preceptors just whoever happened to be working mostly contingent LPNs, and I've been on my own for the past 3 weeks. I hate my job. I have 26-28 patients. These patients are all 2 person hoyer lift, confused, take their meds crushed. I just don't have time to properly care for all of these patients in 8 hours. I don't pass meds on time and I don't pass meds to all the patients everyday, I just can't. I haven't been taking lunch, I work 8.5 hours straight. When something comes up, a fall, phone call, or what not my whole day is a chaotic mess. Not to mention management is a mess. Our DON was fired after I had been there a month. The administrator also quit. All of the nurses I work with keep telling me to leave and apply other places. Have you applied here? there? "Well if I was you I wouldn't be working here with my RN." I have my associates, but I am currently getting my BSN at a big university in my area. I will graduate with my BSN in a year and a half. I'm scared something horrible will happen. And I don't like feeling I'm learning to do things wrong. Every time in my training the nurse would say, this isn't the way you're supposed to do it, don't do it like this when the state is here, but this is how we do it. I even broke down and cried to our educator and all she said is my routine will come with time, but none of the nurses I trained with are getting it, they all cut corners. I keep applying, 50 applications Monday, but have not even got a call back for an interview yet. I just keep getting emails saying I haven't been selected try again. I am so discouraged, I hate this job. What should I do?

Hi, I'm a new grad and was offered a position at a 150 bed facility. I'm really excited but scared as well. I looked them up of Medicare.gov and they received 1 out of 5 stars in almost all categories. They were also fined about 5 times in 2012 for violations. In the interview they seemed really enthusiastic about the company and making improvements, hiring more nurses, they've changed to electronic charting, etc...Also some of the management personnel have only been employed for a few months.. Could this be high turn over or them cleaning house for better staff? I haven't had any other offers and it's been a month. Should I steer clear or take a chance? Also any input on what to expect in LTC or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

So I thought I should give all you lovely people who gave me some encouragement before my boards an update. I did pass!! Took my boards March 5th, got an official license number on my states website on the 11th and I got my license about a week and a half after that. It's now the beginning of April and the job hunt wasn't going to well. I don't have any experience in a hospital, as a CNA, sitter, or anything like that. I worked customer service for years and currently work in an office. After about a week of applying at local hospitals (30+ applications) and nothing but rejections (I don't have the preferred 1 year experience in nursing) and not even an interview, I widened my search to long term care facilities. I got a call back from 2. Monday the 31st I had an interview with a 150 bed LTC facility and they offered me the job. I accepted. Not my dream job but I am super excited to finally be a nurse and an employed one at that. Also really grateful for the opportunity. Good luck to anyone taking the NCLEX and on the future job hunt!!

So the test turned off at 75 questions! I didn't feel too confident though...I thought for sure it wasn't gonna turn off. I got a lot of high priority questions like who do you see first and what do you do first which I remember Kaplan saying was a good sign. I felt like half the test was select all that apply questions which I was dreading. I did the Pearson Vue trick where you try to register again and it gave me the good pop up. I've been checking the Michigan licensing website like every hour...waiting for my RN status to change...right now it still says pending no license # yet. I have to wait until tomorrow to get my unofficial results... I'll keep you posted. I think I passed though :)

2pm, thanks everyone!

Our scores are really similar. I think we're ready though. I just really need to pass this. Some days I feel ready but others not so much and now that it's here I am so scared. I'll let you know how it goes pass/fail. Good luck to you!

I'm also doing Saunders Comprehensive Review. Kaplan scores are: Diagnostic:62 Readiness:72 QT1:69 QT2:72 QT3:60 QT4:61 QT5:58, dont know what happened here QT6:68 QT7: Doing a little later QBank: 100% complete, 62%correct overall

I am so nervous! I don't know if I feel ready. Should I focus in on anything last minute? I have been studying Kaplan for about 5 weeks 50 questions a day. Finished the qbank yesterday with a total of 62% overall. Is the Ncelx easier or harder than kaplan? Should I have studied other material. Ugh this is the worst I am a wreck.

My instructor failed me for my head to toe physical assessment check off. I did everything correct. She said because I didn't start with the head and went out of order I failed. She is requiring me to complete 2 hours in practice lab and then do another evaluation next week! Does the head to toe have to start at the head? I went right from vitals into grip strength, arms, breath sounds, chest, etc, and then came back to the head. It just felt more fluid doing it this way. I still completed all aspects of the assessment.

Hi I just finished my 3rd semester in a 4 semester Associate Nursing degree program. I am on summer break now, for the first few weeks I reveled in my free time especially now that the weather is nice. Its now the middle of June and I am going stir crazy and money is getting tight. My fiance is supporting me but I need a job. I have applied to about 30 different patient care tech, nursing assistant, and patient attendant/sitter jobs. I applied to 2 extern positions with no luck. I have a decent GPA and I really want to work. Every time I fill out an application I have to mark yes to "Have you ever been convicted of a crime". I was 19 and stupid, I shoplifted got caught. I went to court without a lawyer plead guilty. Its been 5 years I am currently going through the expungement process to remove this charge, but its not guaranteed and takes 6-8 months. Lots of paperwork, fingerprinting, and another court appearance. I guess I am just really discouraged. I can't even get an $8.00/hr sitter position. I contacted an employment agency and they basically told me that there employers want a clear criminal background and that with a charge my chances of landing a hospital job are slim. She told me to call back when my record was clear. Is there anything I can do with my unwanted free time to bolster my resume, such as certifications, etc? Does anyone else have a similar story, what did you do? I really need the money, I'm thinking of looking for work outside healthcare just for the money and that just feels like a waste of time. Feeling hopelessly unemployed and even more worried about when I graduate in 6 months will I be able to get licensed and find a nursing job?

First and foremost you don't need all the books they recommend going into the program. I went and bought them all and only end up using my med-surg book for most of my studying. Get an Nclex review book, this is really important. The nursing curriculum and tests are worded differently than pre-req classes they focus more on critical thinking and the best way to learn this is by doing lots and lots of practice questions. All the answers for a multiple choice question might be right but you have to pick the best answer, the thing that you would do first in that situation. Getting a review book with rationales helped me understand what you do first and why in a given situation. I love Saunders comprehensive review. I've even seen some questions from my Saunders review on the tests. Find a good study group, I mainly studied solo my first semester, but later found study partners and it really helped to retain the info. If you have to explain it to another person I've found it helps me understand it better and retain it for later, as opposed to just reading about it. Also I gained like 30lbs the first year. I went from being really active in an active full time job to working 2 days a week going to school 4 days a week and spending the rest of my time sitting. Lots and lots of sitting, at the library, in class, at home, reading or in front of a computer studying. When it comes to going to the gym for an hour or two and using those 2 hours to study, studying comes first. Plus I'm a total stress eater, I craved sugary things when I would get stressed out I also developed a caramel mocha habit to stay awake to study. Nursing school is stressful, one week I'm doing good just passed a test with a 92% on a test and then I'd do bad on the next test and feel super crappy all week. Stressing about the final hoping to just pass and coming out of it with a B, 6 points shy of an A, it's an emotional roller coaster.The grading system at my school is 80% passing, 85% is a B and 92% is an A. Last class there were only 280pts possible, there is not a lot of room for error.

I'm in a 2 year program right now. The first 2 semesters I worked part time two days a week on Sunday and Monday. I had class for 4 hours on tuesday and Wednesday. I also had clinical Thursday and Friday 8 hours/day. It was hard and when my school made changes to the schedule last minute or added a day I'd have to call in or switch with a co-worker. I dont think working more than 15 hours is doable you need the hours to study. I recently quit my job so these last two semesters Im not working and focusing on learning the material. This summer I plan on getting a nurse externship. Also I hadn't had any nursing or medical experiance going into the program I think it wouldve helped the first semester but after that first semester you really start learning actual nursing material. I dont feel that I'm behind at all like I thought I might be. Now that im not working and have more time to devout to reading it has been the best.