Nursey Face

oh and i think i'd be covered from FMLA since i've worked here for over 3 years and i work over 20 hours/week.

thanks so much ladies! i had read that there were some studies that said working night MAY put you at great risk for pre-term labor, something to do with the flipped circadian and all, so that freaked me out. when i worked in general medical, i rarely did nights but kind of hated them. i appreciate all of your thoughts. keep 'em coming in fact!

hi everyone! i started about 3 months ago in an outpatient rn job. i came from inpatient medical. i was recently offered to interview at my dream job - labor and delivery. the hitch is that i am 7 weeks pregnant and the position is 36 hour nights! has anyone worked nights while pregnant? what was it like for you? did you regret it? the thing is, i plan to cut down to 24 hour nights after the baby is born so it seems like it is a discomfort that may be worth it if i am eventually able to work 2 days a week. whatcha think?

I have to disagree with people who stated to go to Simmon's if you want to work why you go and not stress too much. I went to Simmons and most of the women who went did not work and everyone was super stressed out. It's very vigorous and it's a lot of work. It's a great school.

This is exactly what I thought! Thanks!

I want to stay in my facility. I work at one of the best hospitals in the world.

Hi, yes I am doing it on my own time. I'm not hiding anything but I also don't want her to get nervous that I'm leaving soon. What if I shadow and all of these other floors do not compare and then I've created a situation where my nurse manager thinks I am going to leave soon? I don't want anyone to get riled up for nothing, you know?

I am coming up on my 1 year anniversary on a medical floor. I would like to job-shadow on different floors of interest in the hospital. It is for informational purposes for me so when I do look for my next job, I can make an informed decision. Do you think I should let my nurse manager know that I am shadowing? Is it somehow unethical if I don't. I personally don't think so. Thoughts?

Get ready to work your ass off! The summer is not bad so try to enjoy it because the first semester is a ton of work. It's a great education and challenging. Good luck!

I have been off orientation for 2 months and have probably cried at least 10 times. Maybe 3-4 times at work in private and many times at home. What makes me cry is how overwhelming the job can be and also how the seasoned nurses have the tendency to make you feel stupid as well as how unfriendly they can be. If a new nurse makes a mistake, forgets something, etc., saying something like, "you didn't do this. check this off and then go hang this med. you must be checking your orders all the time", in a gruff manner may scare someone into not making future mistakes but it doesn't help their anxiety level, feelings of belonging nor stress levels. for me, it plummets my morale. I honestly would never talk to someone like this. I prefer the tactic where you explain that something needs to be done, say it's important to remember to complete it but tell them not to worry, that everyone forgets things but you will eventually remember most things. why is that so hard?????

Hi, I used the qbank only. it was just like the nclex even the way it looked. good luck all!

Spend the $299 and buy the Kaplan Qbank . . . i used all 1000+ questions in 8 days and then took the nclex. it was JUST like the nclex . . . I also took a nclex review course that is a part of the tuition at the school i went to. that was helpful but Kaplan's qbank was the key . . . Good luck all!!!

I did it! Took my last final! I have almost officially graduated from nursing school! woo!!!!!

Hi - when will you graduate? If you have another semester left after this one - get a PCA/CNA position! It will help you so much. If there is a hospital that you have or have had a clinical at that you are interested in being a CNA in, contact your clinical instructor and try to find out if they have CNA jobs. It helps you SO MUCH when you have CNA experience when you actually want a nursing job. If you won't have PCA experience, do a kick ass job at your preceptorship so that they will want to hire you when you graduate. Make sure you let them know you would like to work there and submit your resume to the nurse manager/director for the floor after a month or two of being there. I am a PCA at MGH and have a job lined up a on a floor I didn't preceptor or work on, but the PCA job totally helped me get the job. Also, I am preceptoring at MGH on labor and delivery and I think I could have also got a job there right out of graduation as well but I chose to work on a medical floor. My point, getting a CNA job or using your preceptorship as a means to get contacts and jobs are very important. Hope this is helpful. I'd be happy to help in any other way. To reiterate, MGH pays $27.75/hr, add $7/hr for weekday nights and $11/hr for weekend nights.

Hi there - I am graduating in about 3 weeks from the accelerated BSN program at Simmons College (18 month Dix Scholar Program). I have a job lined up at MGH on a general medical floor starting in February. I started working as a PCA this past May on the floor that I had Med Surg II on at MGH. Making a good impression on that floor helped me get my PCA job and I think being a PCA made ALL the difference in my getting a job at MGH as a nurse. Basically, I was already an employee at MGH and people knew me so I basically got first dibs for available jobs. Another plus is that the new graduate nurse application online for MGH is HUGE but all I had to do was submit a one-page nursing resume and supply references. So, do a good job, get a PCA job and you'll get a job fairly easily . . . I also started looking earlier than my classmates for a job and that also helps I think. I am one of the only ones with a job lined up. Oh and the differentials for MGH are as follows: $7/hr for weekday nights and $11/hour for weekend nights. Hope that helps!!!

Graduate December 2007 at the age of 31!

I don't think that this is something nurses should accept and see as a normal aspect of being a nurse. I hope people wanting to enter nursing don't see this as a expectation that they are willing to put up with. We need not only excellent clinicians but people who are professional and are able to be assertive enough to help stop these types of behaviors towards nurses. I know that sounds unattainable but it makes me nervous when people go into nursing expecting and accepting poor treatment.

I got the job! I start in February at MGH on a general medical floor. I'm ecstatic and very relieved. Good luck everyone!

new2boston - where have you applied? have you considered applying a little outside of boston. people on this board have said that they couldn't find a job in boston proper initially but were able to get a job a little outside and then they applied a year later to a boston hospital and were then hired. I actually found out today that I got a job at MGH! I start the second week of February. I am very happy and so relieved. I tell ya, being a PCA at a hospital that you want to work in does wonders.

I haven't officially graduated yet (December 2007), but I have applied to one job at a large teaching hospital here in Boston and I think I am going to be offered the job (they asked me to come in for a shadow day Friday which they told me at the interview that this means they are interested in me and want to make sure it's a good fit for ME). Anyhow, I think the thing that made it so much easier for me is that I had several clinicals at this hospital, which lead to a PCA position, which lead to contacts at the hospital. My advice: GET PCA JOB!!!

I am not going to say anything different than anyone else - stick with it!!! This is exactly how I felt except I didn't want to quit. My program is an accelerated BSN and my first semester was soooo hard! I was studying my ass off and getting Cs, I felt uncomfortable in clinicals - like a fish out of water but this is exactly how you should feel. It's a huge change from anything else you've ever done but before you know it, you'll feel a little more competent and then you'll do really well with something, and then you'll feel a little better and it just gets better and better. I agree with others - try to work per diem as a CNA. I work one shift a week at a huge teaching hospital in boston and I've learned a ton and most importantly, I feel like I can touch and interact with patients with great proficiency. I'm not afraid. Soon, you will not be either - I PROMISE!!!! You're doing great and you're just where you should be.

Hi, I am graduating from Simmons' 18 month Dix Scholar program in December. Like Oualie said, their clinical experiences are awesome! I was at MGH, the Brigham, Children's, The Barbara McGinnis House, Beacon Hospice and MassMental. I learned a ton. There classes are really good and it was definitely tough but doable. You will go in feeling like you do not know anything and leave feeling like you have a pretty good understanding of what you learned. I I do work as a PCA at MGH and I have to say it does make a difference. What it does it help you to become VERY comfortable with patient interaction - touching patients, talking to them, etc. I do ADLS - bed baths, taking people to the bathroom, giving them bedpans, etc, and then I also give EKGs, blood draws, vital signs, and blood glucometry. It's also great because you will actually SEE what you are learning in nursing school and it makes a big difference in your learning. I only work 1 shift a week (per diem) and it works out great. What I did was that I really got along with my clinical instructor during Med Surg II and then asked if they needed another PCA and they did. You could do this during Med Surg I as well. I'm not sure what your first semester is like in the 2 year program but the first in the 18 month is extremely busy and packed so I didn't feel like I could work yet. Anyhow, hope that helped. Good luck!

Maybe I'm not understanding the question but why would this matter? I go to an all-female college for undergraduate but they do allow males into their NP program. I have 4 men in my program and the rest are women and no one cares one bit. If the education is excellent, what's the issue?

I am not suggesting that they are going to give you what you want BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS ASK. Simple. Read any interview book, or google information about job searching and interviewing and they will always tell you to TRY to negotiate. That is the point. No profession regardless of planet, hemisphere, continent, country, state, city, town, or whatever variable you would like to add, differs. Yes, some places have less vacancies, like Boston, Chicago, NYC, etc., but that doesn't mean you don't try. You are not just asking for more money but you are expressing your worth to the employer and setting the tone that you are a professional and value yourself and what you have to offer.

Hey you never know and it's just a given in any profession, that's all. They may not raise your salary at all but like the previous poster suggested, they may offer more time off. Even if they do not give you anything, it's a norm so don't be afraid! And morale shouldn't have anything to do with it since salary's are supposed to be confidential. There are plenty of people who hold the same job and have varying salaries. Who knows, you might be surprised! It's nothing to be shy about.