kika72

I agree! I also passed the NCLEX in February and finally got 3 interviews with 2 job offers and it all happened in one week!! Don't give up and if you can, try to land an interview before the next wave of May graduates take their NCLEX...there will be more competition in a couple of months.

Thank you Meebugg21!!! I am still looking for ICU and I won't give up! Got 2 offers across country in med-surg, but my dream is ICU and I will persevere! If anyone hears or knows of any jobs in ICU, ANYWHERE...please let me know. I have applied to numerous new grad residency, but still waiting to hear

Thank you all so much for your replies! I really appreciate your guidance and suggestions. PMFB-RN - I know I'm a bit late in the game in regards to residency programs. The reason is that I had a different plan! I thought I was too late for a career as a CRNA. I thought about the experience I needed and the time spent in school full-time and almost gave up. BUT, being the stubborn person that I am, I don't think age is a good enough excuse for giving up what I really want to do, so I decided to go for it! Berms123 - Thank you so much for your advice! I think what you did is brilliant and personally, I would have followed the same route. Your approach showed creativity and determination and many employers admire that. I worked for 12 years in the luxury hospitality and entertainment field, dealt with a great number of celebrities, lived in 5 large cities across the world and I speak fluently 4 languages. One thing I learned from all that is that there is always someone better and younger than you who can do the job, so it's all on how you market yourself. Your post gave me back that little kick in the behind I needed to remind me that creativity and individuality goes a long way! WildflowerRN - It is because of people like you that I have been following this board for a while now! Thank you for your encouragement, you completely red my mind. I rather go in to work everyday, give my 150% and do something that i truly enjoy, rather than doing something because "I have to do it" to get me to where I want to be. I know if I get a chance to be trained in ICU, I would do my best ever, because that is the type of person I am. I know it's gonna be hard and trying for a while, but I am sure I will come out a winner. I have a natural tendency to perform well under stress and I know this may raise some eyebrows among the more experienced nurses, who know ICU like the back of their hands. But I truly believe that some people are cut for it and if well trained, they can achieve the same standard of care of an experienced nurse. I went into nursing because I grew up listening to the amazing stories my mom and my aunt, who are both nurses, used to tell me. It took me so long because I know exactly how much it takes to be a good nurse and I didn't feel ready in my younger years. So I truly believe that if you feel ready for something, go for it!

Thank you NurseKrieger and ahSICURN. I really value your suggestions and advice. I know it takes time and experience to become a confident nurse and I am ready to take that time to learn. I was just wondering if that time can be used in ICU and not Med-Surg, but as NurseKrieger pointed out, Med-Surg is a bit more forgiving than ICU. I know I will consider myself very lucky if I even get to land an interview in this difficult job market. So I will decide when that time comes.Yes, maybe the thought of passing nursing school with good grades made me feel invincible and able to conquer the world! Patient safety is always my priority and I would never do anything stupid to jeopardize that. But then again, as a new grad do we really know what is stupid? My mom was a nurse in a cardiac ICU for more than 10 years before she became a nurse educator and she always reminds me of the stress and unsettling fear of forgetting something or not feeling right about a patient. Intuition will only come with experience, since for the first year I will be too busy on specific tasks. In regards to relocate my family, I was thinking of moving upstate NY where I could maybe work in a smaller environment than a big NYC hospital. A friend of mine accepted an ICU position right off nursing school and relocated to the Catskill upstate and absolutely loves it. My husband works from home and can work from anywhere with a computer. My kids are still very young and can probably adjust better than we do! Thank you again for your advice, it really helps.

Hello Everyone! I have just graduated from nursing school with a BSN and I'm currently studying for NCLEX. Since nursing is my second career and I'm already 40 years old, I was wondering where are the hospitals, cities or states who hire new grads in ICU? I have shadowed 2 CRNAs and really discovered a passion for the field, but being already a little older than the average student, I would like to try and get a job in ICU straight out of school. I know this may sound crazy, but I know people have done before. I currently live in NY, but I am willing to relocate my family wherever my job will take me. I appreciate and thank you in advance for any advice or comments. Kika

Hi Pete! I wanted to ask you if you're a new grad or you're already a nurse. I'm graduating in December and planning to take the nclex in February and I read on the website that they are accepting applications even if you're still in school. I have already started the application process and sent them all my documents but is the October 8th orientation for people who have already a license? Thank you so much and congratulations! I'm sure you will get it!

Thank you so much for the heads up flee43! How do you like California? Is the job market good over there? I have just started the application process, so I'm getting the documents together etc. so I'm also trying to figure out where do I want to be, city wise and hospital wise. I'm not being picky or anything, but I just want to figure out if I want to stay in NYC or not!

Hi flee43! Congratulations on your NYU Langone residency! You made it through the crucial steps and I'm sure you will get a position as soon they start hiring again! I'm starting the process myself and I was wondering if you could give me any pointers on the pharm exam? I get really anxious sometimes and I wanted to know if there are any particular math or meds questions I should review beforehand. Thank you in advance for all your help and I wish you the best of luck! Kika

Thank you for such beautiful posting! As I'm approaching graduation in December and starting to fear what my first year in nursing will look like, reading this was definitely a breath of fresh air! Among so much negativity, It's always good to also hear the positives. I wish you all the best in all your future endeavors.

Congratulations Esnooopy!!!! I'm so happy for you!!!! I knew you were gonna make it and please keep us posted on the program. You're gonna do great and, as you probably remember from your undergrad, NYU is a great place to be at!!

Oh wow Esnooopy! I had no idea there were only 20 spots for the FNP program! They just started it this year and since they are offering undergrads the possibility of transitioning straight into a master program, they said the FNP can't do that because of the overwhelming demand. I'm interested in WHNP simply because it's something I always loved, but now I'm getting nervous because a lot of people are choosing FNP over a more specific specialization. One of my faculty member suggested I choose what I like because with FNP I will end up with lots of geriatric patients. Nothing wrong with that, but I just prefer a more specific field. While another professor told me that the future is in FNP. I know you will make it into the program and that alone will feel like the biggest accomplishment!

nurseaig - honestly, the only reason you think Suny Downstate is more selective is because it's cheap and everyone wants to get in. Period. I actually have a few friends who graduated from undergrad at Suny D and 2 are currently in the WHNP and FNP program....and trust me, it's nothing stellar! Enough with the bullying. As Esnooopy said - you keep talking about your friend, but the comments you make are on this board, therefore directed to everyone who reads it. If you really want your friend to hear you, speak to her/him directly. Stop with your condescending tone and try to be supportive of other's choices. We are happy for you that you got in, but that doesn't mean that everyone has to like the school you chose.

Esnoopy - Best of luck in your application process and keep us posted! I'm currently in the NYU accelerated nursing program and I will be graduating in December. I absolutely love it and I would recommend it to anyone. The College of Nursing has come a long way, the faculty is amazing, as well as the environment and the numerous possibilities of clinical experiences in the best hospitals around the city. I don't regret my choice and I'm actually looking to continue into their FNP program. Every year we score in the top percentile for nclex pass rate and the majority of my clinical instructors are a pleasure to work with. Of course there are some flaws here and there, after all no school is perfect! Let me know how the process goes and if you have any insights about the program. Best, Kika

Hi D_lohvRN, I will be graduating with my BSN in December and I have to say that after reading your post I'm a little discouraged. Do you mind if I ask you from which school/program did you graduate from? I'm spending a lot $$$ right now for my education and the prospect of no jobs is definitely depressing. I know it will be tough to find a job right away as a new grad especially with the amount of skilled and experienced nurses out there who can't find a job either. I'm just hoping for the best and any advice is humbly appreciated.

NYU gives you a $2,500 scholarship every semester and then there are also many other scholarships you can apply for. The rest is all federal and personal loans. I know it's a lot of money and sometimes I get nervous thinking that when I'm done I will owe that much! But for me it was an investment for my future and I did not have the time and patience to wait for a CUNY program to become available.

Hi kitkats, The program is $21K per semester in tuition and fees. Not including books, rent, expenses etc. I'm in my second semester and I will be graduating in December. Overall it's pretty good and I'm very happy with it. Feel free to ask any questions. Kika

I spent almost 12 years in the hospitality business as a GM, then 3 years home with my children after they were born. Now at 39, I have 12 months left on an Accelerated BSN and can't be happier. The workload is hard to juggle between family, kids and life in general but it's worth every sacrifice!

Hi Mauve! Yes, if you're working full-time then your plan is certainly wise! Unfortunately, in my opinion advisers are not the strongest point at NYU. And I'm saying this judging from my experience and those of other classmates. I'm sure some are better than others, but in general I don't feel the students are very happy with them. Mine I have to say is probably one of the worse! Not very helpful and takes forever to return my emails. But I learned to navigate the system and if I have bigger problems I go to the main advisor. I would love to tell you that for the money you pay you will get top notch service...but unfortunately you won't because the perfect school doesn't exist Best, kika

Hi Mauve! Congrats on your acceptance!! Yes, I ended up doing really well on all my pre-reqs and now I'm finishing up my first semester of clinicals. Micro, A&P and Chem were probably the toughest ones but if you study and keep up with the material is totally doable. If I were you I would try and take Dev. Psych with the other classes because, in my opinion that was the easiest and I wouldn't want to waste a whole semester by taking just that one class. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll be happy to help! Kika

My cohort is of about 300 students and it's a mix of traditional and accelerated students. The only class you will take with all 300 of them is pathophysiology. The others are halved in two sections and then the labs and clinicals are in a group of 12 (lab) and 6 students for hospital clinicals. We have standard multiple choice exam for the lectures and then individual practicum exam for the lab and clinical skills. I hope this helps.

Hi gk24, Ok so I had a 3.9 GPA and took all my pre-reqs at NYU. I have no previous healthcare experience besides years of volunteer work that I religiously do every weekend. In all honesty, I don't think the program is really hard to get into, but I do believe they are looking at different things during the admission process. They take an holistic approach on the candidate. The first semester you have one clinical component at a hospital of your choice (which you alternate every other week with lab simulation), another lab component for your health assessment class and then the 5 lecture classes you see in the academic progression sheet. It's a lot of work I have to say but it's doable because all the classes are somewhat synchronized and cover the same material at the same time (for example we are learning about ventilation and perfusion, lung sounds etc in our assessment lab and we are also covering the same subject in Adult & Elder and Patho). The only thing that might bother some people is the fact hat we are not at a hospital every week, but you alternate one week with hospital and the next with lab sim. The reason is that they want you to be exposed to all the possible scenarios a nurse may encounter and that you might not be able to always observe during your clinical. Plus hospital liability is high with students and you may not get your hands on all the time or might be scared to actually do it. this way you're practicing over and over on a manikin and can make all the mistake you want. Wr are also tested on the manikin and on the actual clinical at the hospital. Let me know if you have specific questions and I'll be happy to answer! Kika

Hello Everyone! I have been following your posts because I was on the same boat last year at exactly the same time! I know exactly how you guys feel!! I had sent in my application by September 15 and when by November 3rd I hadn't heard anything I was freaking out and decided to call. They usually don't tell you anything over the phone but told them that it was my birthday (true!) and the wait was killing me! So now a year later I'm finishing up my first semester and I love it! I know many of you have questions about the school, program and if it's really worth the money. Well, no school is perfect and when you make your decision you should really take into consideration what's important to you. If you want a decent school, with a good reputation and if you're thinking to advance your education with a Masters degree and you're not too worried about repaying your loans, then NYU is for you. I went through the hassle of even trying to speak with people over at Hunter and the administration is almost inexistent! I hear it's an excellent program but unfortunately didn't get to talk or meet with anyone in person because they never pick up their phone, they never return your calls or the person that answers (if you're lucky) tells you everything as it is, without any flexibility or even the remote inclination to answer your questions. I didn't have time for this. Nursing is my second career and since I have been waiting a long time to finally fulfill my dream I decided to choose NYU. I like the fact that they are always very available to the students and willing to make a change if they need to. There are also plenty of flaws, because remember...the perfect school doesn't exist! Feel free to ask me any questions... Kika

Hi Vanessa, Unfortunately that F in Bio won't look so good on your application. I would definitely try to retake it to better your gpa. I'm only saying this because my study partner from last semester applied to NYU with a 3.5 and didn't get in and she is now working on her gpa in order to re-apply. I'm in the program right now and so far I really like it. Some of the people in it really make me question how important gpa is...but hey...who am I to judge right? Also NYU uses a very holistic approach for admission, therefore you might have other factors working out for you. Do you have any previous medical/volunteering experience? If you feel unsure about your grades I would definitely focus on your other assets and volunteer experience can definitely help you!

Hi ICU and Gil, I'm so happy to hear that you guys are really enjoying your job! After all the venting and ranting I usually read on this site your post was a breath of fresh air! Not That I have anything against venting. Hey everyone needs a place to let it out right?! I'm currently a nursing student and I wanted to ask you for a word of advice. I'm interested in the anesthesia program and in order to be even considered I have to have 1 to 2 years experience in an ICU/Critical Care setting. Now, how difficult is it to land a job in ICU after graduation? I'm not expecting to be hired in ICU fresh out of school, but realistically how many years of experience are they looking for? Nursing is a second career and I have a few years of volunteer experience in the hospital setting, if that matters at all. Thank you so much for your help and suggestions. Anything is greatly appreciated!

I'm not a nurse yet but I'm in my second week of an ABSN program. I have a 4 1/2 year old and a 2 1/2 year old, no family around to help, an occasional babysitter, but a very hands-on husband. For the past 2 semesters I took my pre-requisites while the kids where in daycare and many times studied long hours at night or occasionally on weekends but always made sure I was spending quality times with the kids. This semester is much harder because I started clinicals and with so many classes to take I already know I will have to sacrifice one day every weekend to study. I also volunteer at a hospital every Sunday night. If you have a helpful husband is certainly doable, but I would recommend you to go straight for your BSN. The amount of study will be the same anyway and once you have a schedule in place it is much easier to organize your study time regardless of which program you choose. Get your BSN and get it over with! And keep looking at the light at the end of the tunnel...it will be worth every sacrifice. Best of luck and never doubt yourself.